ZURIK: Former state trooper, subject of Fox 8 investigation, pleads guilty

BATON ROUGE (WVUE) - A former Louisiana State Police trooper who was at the center of a series of Fox 8 investigations has pleaded guilty to filing false public records and theft.

Just hours before his trial was set to start, Daryl Thomas pleaded guilty to 15 counts of filing false public records and one count of theft between $5,000 and $25,000.

A Fox 8 investigation that started in 2017 found some of the state’s highest-paid employees, including Thomas, weren’t working the hours they claimed.

The investigation centered around the Local Agency Compensated Enforcement (LACE) program. It allowed local governments to contract state police to have troopers write tickets on highways in various parishes.

Fox 8 followed Thomas on 12 different days, and on all 12 found he claimed hours on his timesheet that he didn’t work.

East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore told Fox 8 that Thomas was sentenced to three years of active probation and will have to pay $9,369.86 in restitution.

As part of the plea agreement, the state dismissed a charge of malfeasance in office against Thomas.

His next court date is in August.

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