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December 26, 2018
GRAND OPENING FOR NEW JAIL
December 27, 2018
A Houma police officer has been arrested on a domestic battery charge and was booked Wednesday into the Terrebonne Parish jail.
Wayne Anderson and his wife Jennifer were at the center of a controversy arising from 2016 through 2017 in connection with a website and Facebook page the latter maintained that was critical of public officials including Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Jerry Larpenter and Parish President Gordon Dove.
The couple sued both for alleged violation of First Amendment rights after deputies seized computers and cell phones belonging to them as part of a defamation investigation brought as the result of a complaint from another public official, Tony Alford. The search and the lawsuits resulted in numerous news stories both on television and in print concerning the Andersons, who were prominently identified.
Settlements were negotiated with Dove and Larpenter. No criminal case was pursued against the Andersons during the ExposeDat situation.
In the current case, according to Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman, his department received “several” 911 calls concerning the couple’s residence on Harvest Drive in Houma on Christmas night at around 11 p.m.
“Through investigation it was determined that a domestic disturbance had occurred at which time both parties were separated for further investigation,” a statement released Wednesday reads. “On December 26th, the incident was assigned to the domestic violence division of the Houma Police Department for further investigation. As a result of the investigation Wayne Anderson 38 years of age has been arrested for one count of Domestic Abuse Battery with a child under the age of 13 present.”
The charge, if proven, can result in a fine from $300 to $1,000, and imprisonment from 10 days to six months.
There were no indications that Wayne Anderson had previously been charged with a domestic violence offense.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave. HPD protocol, department spokesman Lt. Travis Theriot said, requires that any department-issued weapons upon an officer’s arrest be taken up. There is no immediate provision known concerning weapons that belong to a suspect.
Both Chief Coleman and Parish President Gordon Dove, the Times has confirmed, were sent letters from Sheriff Larpenter’s attorney, William Dodd in which concerns about Anderson were raised.
The identical letters were the result of an email sent by Wayne Anderson to Larpenter, in which he accused three deputies of improper behavior with his wife. In the email, Anderson says that he would disclose to Larpenter the identity of someone who paid him to perform a voluminous public records request from the Sheriff’s Office, in return for a discussion about his complaint.
Larpenter wrote back saying he would meet with Anderson, but Anderson did not respond.
The letters to Coleman and Dove, copies of which were obtained by The Times along with the emails, were sent out of a concern for officer safety, Sheriff’s Office officials said.
Larpenter also wished to communicate with Anderson because, if his allegations were true, there was a potential that the deputies involved might have violated regulations by engaging in the behavior alleged while on Sheriff’s Office time.
Information on a bond for Anderson was not available immediately as he was still in the process of being booked when an inquiry was made.
