PORT ALLEN, LA – A former police chief facing multiple felony charges was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution after pleading no contest Thursday morning to two counts of malfeasance in office.
Ex-Brusly Police Chief Jamie Whaley entered the plea in a West Baton Rouge Parish courtroom. Judge Robin Free sentenced him to three years in prison, but suspended the jail time. He also sentenced Whaley to 42 months of probation and ordered him to pay $600 in restitution. He was also ordered to pay an additional fine of $1,200.
Initially, Whaley was charged with malfeasance in office, theft and forgery. Prosecutors said he stole seven department-issued guns and transferred them to firearms dealers. It is believed he falsified checks.
Whaley was arrested in January 2014 on theft and malfeasance charges for using a police department fuel card to put gas in his personal car. In April, he resigned and pleaded guilty to malfeasance. Then, just two months later, he was arrested again. Those charges included malfeasance, theft and forgery. The charges stem from an investigation by the Louisiana Inspector General and FBI.
Whaley is accused of misappropriating seven firearms owned by the town of Brusly. Officials stated the guns are worth more than $1,000. Whaley is also suspected of stealing $600 from the police department’s auxiliary account. According to an affidavit, he forged two checks.
He had no comment as he left the West Baton Rouge Parish Prison on June 11. He was released after posting a $10,000 bond and forfeiting his passport. Whaley pleaded guilty on April 17, 2014 to one count of malfeasance in office. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation.
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Former Brusly Police Chief Jamie Whaley pleads no contest to malfeasance charges, sentenced to probation