Sound Off Louisiana

Former LSP Sgt. Huey Galmiche provides highly detailed account of his arrest on Wal Mart skip scanning allegations and his subsequent treatment at the hands of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and LSP officials.

On October 2, 2024, then-LSP Sergeant Huey Galmiche was arrested amid allegations he had engaged in “skip scanning,” which is essentially failing to scan items in a self-checkout isle and placing them on into bags and exiting the store, which in this case was a Walmart in Covington.

According to WAFB, as the station posted today, LSP Col. Robert Hodges is, according to his “inner circle,” planning to step down in August because he is interested in running for St. Tammany Parish Sheriff or seeking appointment as the next U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Louisiana, which includes the New Orleans area.

Our site visitors may recall us first publishing on December 16, 2025 that Hodges was “in the running” for that U. S. Marshal position; however, based on some of the most absolutely reliable sources which we have within LSP, we also stated in this February 7, 2026 feature that Hodges himself had conveyed on or around December 17, 2025 (the day after us publishing that he was in the running) to his underlings that he was “not” in the running for that Marshal position.  From the just-linked feature as it referenced video discussion between Burns and former Ascension Parish Sheriff Captain C. J. Matthews:

As Burns states in the video above, Hodges himself made it known on or around the next day, December 17, 2025, that he was no longer a candidate for that U. S. Marshal position.

Of course, with President Trump (who will ultimately make the appointment), anyone can be “out” of the running at 9:00 a.m. in the morning and then be the “lead contender” for the position by 3 p.m. that same day, so who knows regarding whether Hodges is a viable contender for that Marshal position or not.

Irrespective of whether Hodges ends up stepping down in August as WAFB is reporting, the voters in St. Tammany Parish may wish to take into account what one former LSP Sergeant, Huey Galmiche, had to say regarding the circumstances of his retirement in the aftermath of his arrest for the charges of skip scanning referenced above.  Let’s take a look:

5/13/26:  Galmiche provides extensive details surrounding his October 2, 2024 arrest on charges of skip scanning at a Covington Wal Mart and the subsequent handling of the matter by St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s officials and LSP officials.

In connection with the video above, Galmiche provided this official statement regarding the entire episode as well as a copy of this medical diagnosis of the condition he asserts led to the inadvertent failure to scan the items.

Galmiche’s statement is extremely detailed and fairly lengthy, so we took the time to prepare an executive summary of its contents, and here is that executive summary:

Executive Summary: Huey Galmiche’s Public Statement of Facts

Overview Huey Galmiche, a 26-year-5-month veteran Louisiana State Police Sergeant with an exemplary patrol record, issued a detailed public statement documenting his involuntary retirement on October 2, 2024. He asserts the retirement was coerced while in police custody, amid shoplifting accusations he attributes entirely to severe side effects from a statin medication change.

Key Events

• Medication Change (June 27, 2024): His cardiologist switched him from atorvastatin 40 mg to high-intensity rosuvastatin 20 mg to further lower already optimal LDL cholesterol (85 mg/dL).
• Cognitive/Behavioral Decline (July–September 2024): Family observed progressive forgetfulness, confusion, agitation, insomnia (2–3 hours/night), zoning out, misplacing items, hand tremors, and poor judgment. A safety audit score dropped sharply from 91–99% to 72%.
• Arrest & Custody (Sept 30–Oct 2, 2024): Accused of “skip-scanning” ~13 low-value items ($171.30 total) at Walmart over six dates while on duty. During interrogation at the Sheriff’s Office, he was Mirandized, shown evidence, and explained his cognitive issues.
• Coerced Retirement: Moved to an unrecorded interview room, handcuffed to a desk, and pressured by Louisiana State Police personnel. They used his son (then a cadet graduating days later) as leverage, warning of felony charges (initially six counts each of malfeasance and shoplifting) and departmental ruin. He signed immediate retirement documents in under one minute without reading glasses, explanation, or counsel. A second letter was signed in a jail cell.

Medical Diagnosis Neurological evaluation (October 9, 2024, and January 6, 2025) diagnosed statin-induced encephalopathy / toxic metabolic encephalopathy. Symptoms resolved after discontinuing rosuvastatin. A subsequent cardiologist confirmed no medical need for the dosage change or switch. Galmiche also noted pre-existing high-frequency hearing loss, impairing self-checkout beeps.

Procedural & Financial Issues

• Retirement documents were pre-prepared and improperly obtained; policies require member-initiated requests and formal meetings with Retirement System executives.
• Loss of DROP option and ~$9,000/year in annual retirement benefits.
• Administrative leave notice delivered 16 days late.
• No copies of signed documents initially provided; tax forms contained errors (e.g., filed as single with no dependents).

Resolution Galmiche accepted a pre-trial diversion agreement with no bill of information filed, maintaining full innocence: the incidents were unintentional due to medication-induced impairment. He emphasizes he is “not a thief,” spent nearly $12,000 legitimately at the same store in the prior year, and seeks to prevent similar experiences for others.

The statement, compiled contemporaneously, highlights alleged due-process violations, exploitation of his medical condition, and pressure tactics by law enforcement and retirement system representatives.

So, this episode just may give St. Tammany Parish voters pause if in fact Hodges does opt to pursue becoming the next Sheriff of St. Tammany Parish.  As for his suitability for being the next U. S. Marshal, that would be up to President Donald Trump, but it’s very fortunate for Hodges that such an appointment does not hinge upon a favorable recommendation from us at Sound Off Louisiana!

Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology (LSBC) Member Jean Pitre expresses concern that up to 92 percent of for-profit cosmetology schools may have to close their doors as a result of proposed new “gainful employment” provisions.  Pitre expressed his concerns at the May 4, 2026 LSBC meeting.

Today’s Sound Off Louisiana feature will be the first in a series dedicated to items discussed at the meeting of the LSBC of Monday, May 4, 2026.

First, on a housekeeping note, both braiding bills are dead for this Legislative Session with neither bill having obtained even a hearing before the House Commerce Committee.  On a positive note, however, a bill to permit estheticians to blow dry hair (we’re not kidding) appears to be sailing toward approval having originated in the Senate with essentially no opposition and having cleared the Louisiana House Commerce Committee meeting this morning (Monday, May 11, 2026) also with no opposition.

While the bill had no opposition from lawmakers, there were the usual doomsdayers who testified against the bill, to include Lynn Johnson repeating her claim that “strokes” could result from the bill’s passage.  Interestingly, even for a measure so simple as this, lobbyist Ryan Haynie’s name was read into the record as being in opposition to the bill.  Fortunately, it appears Louisiana State Legislators are finally starting to see that the LSBC is dead set on blocking even the most basic of services in Louisiana.  We take that as a very good sign which is long overdue!

Our main focus today, however, is the near panic among for-profit cosmetology schools over the U.S. Department of Education’s “gainful employment” (GE) provision.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA, enacted 2025) introduced broader earnings accountability measures effective around July 2026.  The Department’s April 2026 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks to harmonize and extend an earnings-focused test to these programs via amendments to the GE framework. Public comments on this proposal will close on May 20, 2026.

LSBC Member Jean Pitre, who has traveled to Washington, DC to become educated on the full impact of the provisions, gave a 13-1/2 minute presentation at the May 4, 2026 LSBC meeting, at which he stressed that up to 92 percent of for-profit cosmetology schools may have to close their doors due to failure to meet “gainful employment” provisions:

Pitre voices his concerns at the May 4, 2026 LSBC meeting.

These are our thoughts on the matter:

Amazingly, Pitre actually says, “This is all Federal funds.  It’s their money.  They have a right to do what they want with it.”  That’s the whole problem with entities who syphon taxpayer resources.  They act like the Federal Government is some mythical agency out there.  Federal funds are our funds!  Furthermore, with the nation running a $2 trillion a year deficit and being at war, it’s our firm opinion that programs like these need to be abolished in favor of more efficient means of delivery of instruction!

In fact, let us provide an outstanding feature focusing on high school vocational programs, emphasizing benefits such as hands-on training, faster career entry, lower costs, and practical skill development compared to these massively-expensive for-profit cosmetology schools for which tuition often approximates $15,000 to $20,000.

Here is a perfect example of courter arguments to Pitre’s self-serving boohoo cries in the video above:

• • Cosmetology Students Deserve Better Than Debt and Broken Promises (New America): Advocates for alternative low- or no-cost pathways, including high school career and technical education (CTE) programs and registered apprenticeships, to improve outcomes and reduce reliance on high-cost programs. It explicitly promotes these models as preferable for training: https://www.newamerica.org/insights/cosmetology-students-deserve-better-than-debt-and-broken-promises/

From the above feature:

As soon as the rule was released, the cosmetology education industry pushed back, urging beauty and barbering schools to call for a weaker rule and to gut the accountability provisions entirely so that outcomes data is used for informational purposes only. This isn’t new for this sector. As our research has shown, the cosmetology education industry is backed by a powerful lobby that tries to preserve its access to federal aid despite a poor track record of being good stewards of that investment. The industry has sued the Education Department repeatedly over any accountability rules, it has blamed the demographics of their students as a driving reason for their poor outcomes, and has lobbied to keep licensure hours high, while fighting to keep low-cost providers and pathways at community colleges or through registered apprenticeships out of cosmetology education altogether.

It should not be a surprise that industry advocates are advancing claims about this new accountability rule that don’t hold up. Just over 9 in 10 cosmetology and barbering programs would fail the new earnings premium metric, according to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools’s analysis of Education Department data. This will likely cause programmatic and institutional closures for those reliant on federal student loans to operate. But these rules are designed to ensure that students enrolling in programs that result in low earnings are not taking on taxpayer-funded loans they may be unlikely to repay.

Since Pitre encourages those with an obvious vested interest who syphon off the Federal taxes we pay for these “broken promises” as outlined in the article above before the May 20, 2026 deadline, we want to encourage regular, everyday taxpayers to do the same!  Anyone is welcome to make such public comment as follows:

Simply by clicking on this link.

We have already supplied our public comment, and we certainly want to strongly encourage everyday citizens fed up with the waste of taxpayer dollars (which Pitre calls “their money”) when far more efficient and cost effective avenues are available at existing Louisiana high school programs which, in our opinion, need to be significantly expanded to replace these high-cost leaches of taxpayer dollars!

It’s time to stop the madness of flushing ungodly amounts of our tax dollars down the toilet on for-profit cosmetology schools which, in reality, help facilitate predatory lending and don’t even care that they’re doing so because they actually could care less if the student ultimately repays the debt or not, but we certainly should!

Former LSP Trooper Michael Lynn Satcher II, who was recently sentenced to 10 years at hard labor for his double arrest on domestic abuse charges.  James Jefferson, who recently had his suspension for his first domestic abuse arrest tossed by the Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC) on a technicality, faces a multitude of criminal charges as a result of his own recent second arrest.

Michael Lynn Satcher II served as a Louisiana State Police (LSP) Trooper and helicopter pilot in the LSP Air Support Unit. As we previously reported on December 27, 2020, he resigned effective December 18, 2020 while facing his first set of domestic abuse charges.

On October 12, 2019 (the night Gov. John Bel Edwards procured his victory for a second term in office), Satcher was arrested following a complaint of domestic abuse involving his dating partner at the time, Cynthia Chapman. He faced charges including unauthorized entry into an inhabited dwelling, intentional damage to property in an amount less than $1,000, and intentional use of force or violence against two victims.

Chapman’s petition for a protective order detailed multiple alleged incidents of physical violence, often occurring while Satcher was intoxicated, beginning with their dating relationship in March 2018. These included an incident during the July 2018 Louisiana State Troopers Association (LSTA) cruise in which Satcher allegedly ripped off his shirt, damaged Chapman’s personal items, lifted her by the hips causing injury to her neck (head hitting ceiling), held his hand over her nose and mouth restricting her breathing, and caused additional bruising.

Chapman stated that she did not report prior incidents due to her fear of retaliation, given Satcher’s position as a state trooper and sniper. The Rapides Parish District Attorney recused himself due to a close personal friendship and hunting partnership with Satcher, resulting in the Louisiana Attorney General’s office assuming prosecution. The Attorney General’s office initially pursued the charges as felonies.

As we also reported, LSP did not commence an administrative investigation into Satcher until shortly after our publication of a November 4, 2020 article exposing the matter, which was more than a year after Satcher’s arrest.

Satcher had no disciplinary file with LSP at the time and had been placed on forced annual leave (and later leave without pay) since his arrest.

A protective order issued against him prohibited firearm possession, rendering him unable to perform his duties. He resigned amid widening allegations of improprieties within the Air Support Unit. A Brady motion filed by Satcher’s defense in advance of a February 25, 2021 court hearing referenced Chapman’s statements expressing fear for her own life.

The Attorney General’s office later offered Satcher a plea deal resolving the 2019 charges, which required payment of a $250 fine plus $277.50 in court costs and six months of unsupervised probation pursuant to Article 894. We characterized this plea deal agreed to by then AG Jeff Landry as a “soft plea deal” which ultimately blew up in his face.

The deal blew up in Landry’s face as a result of the fact that, on December 9, 2023, Satcher was once again arrested on allegations of domestic violence, home invasion, and kidnapping involving his wife, Karen Satcher.

The incident allegedly occurred after Satcher became upset that his wife had not remained long enough at Rapides Parish Sheriff Mark Wood’s re-election victory celebration.

Karen Satcher’s application for a protective order described physical violence that included being dragged by the hair, punched in the face multiple times, thrown around the master bedroom, and forced into a vehicle, with video evidence reportedly documenting aspects of the altercation.

The Rapides Parish District Attorney again recused himself due to the prior friendship with Satcher.

Retired Judge Florence Rae Swent was retained for his defense.  As evidenced by the “soft plea deal” link above, Swent, reportedly Satcher’s great aunt, attempted to manipulate the system to get Satcher off; however, her efforts flopped (with some saying that flop was largely because we exposed them very publicly via the “soft plea deal” link above).

Satcher recently pled guilty to charges stemming from his second arrest and was sentenced to 10 years at hard labor.  From this feature:

On Thursday, March 19, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill released the following statement:

“We’ve said it before, and we will say it again: we will fight for justice and to protect victims of domestic violence.”

AG Liz Murrill

In the case, Satcher was found guilty on felony charges of:

• Second Degree Kidnapping
• Home Invasion
• Domestic Abuse (Strangulation)
• Possession of a Firearm by a Felon

In today’s Sound Off Louisiana feature, former Ascension Parish Sheriff Captain C. J. Matthews provides insight into the recent arrests (like Satcher, plural) on domestic abuse charges involving LSP Lt. James Jefferson:

Former Ascension Parish Sheriff Deputy C. J. Matthews provides his take on the arrests and prosecutions (or in one case entailing EBRP DA Hillar Moore, his initial decision to decline prosecution) of LSP Lt. James Jefferson.

Here are links for our prior Jefferson features:

2/22/26:   After LSP Lt. James Jefferson’s domestic abuse, child endangerment charges dropped by DA Moore, State Police Commission grants summary disposition vacating 48-hour suspension citing violation of no timely Loudermill letter.

2/25/26:  With taxpayers shelling out $205K to LSP Lt. James Jefferson III in 2024, we believe we’re owed more than a “late Loudermill letter” explanation on his 2/6/25 arrest for alleged domestic abuse with child endangerment.

3/31/26:  LSP Col. Hodges gets do-over on Lt. Jefferson as he is arrested again for alleged coverups, destruction of evidence on multiple domestic violence and child endangerment incidents.

For this feature, we want to supplement Matthews’ interview above with material we obtained at 19^th JDC Clerk of Court regarding James Jefferson’s Affidavit of Probable Cause for Arrest along with his wife, Heather’s, protective order.

As evidenced by the documents just linked:

Case Overview (protective order):

• Court: 19th Judicial District Court, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (Docket IN202601906 / Item 5-178).
• Protected Party: Heather Ellis Jefferson (DOB 01/14/1985).
• Defendant: James Jefferson III (DOB 09/29/1984, alias Jay Jefferson), address 12224 Lake Sherwood Ave South, Baton Rouge, LA.
• Order Type: Criminal Order of Protection (original), effective immediately through 11:59 PM on April 2, 2027.
• Status: Issued after notice and hearing; defendant represents a credible threat to the protected person’s physical safety.

Key Restrictions on Defendant (all initialed/enforceable):

• No abuse, harassment, assault, stalking, threats, or physical force against Heather Ellis Jefferson or her immediate family.
• No contact (personal, third-party, electronic, social media, or public posting).
• Stay at least 100 yards away from protected person, her residence, school, or workplace.
• Firearm prohibition: Must surrender all firearms and ammunition; concealed handgun permit suspended.
• Additional conditions possible via handwritten notes (e.g., family court order regarding communication with children).

Criminal Charges (Felonies):

1. Aggravated Second Degree Battery (R.S. 14:34.7) – Nov 1, 2025.
2. Filing False Public Records (R.S. 14:133) – 2 counts (Nov 1 & Dec 29, 2025).
3. Obstruction of Justice (R.S. 14:130.1) – 3 counts (Feb 5, Feb 20, Nov 1, 2025).
4. Domestic Abuse Battery in Presence of Minors (R.S. 14:35.3(1)) – Nov 1, 2025.
5. Domestic Abuse Aggravated Assault by Strangulation (R.S. 14:35.3(7)) – Mar 23, 2025.

Incident Summary (Domestic Violence Context):

• Married couple with two minor children (<13 years old); shared custody until separation in Aug 2025.
• Multiple documented assaults, including pushing, punching, hair-pulling, pinning between vehicles (causing loss of consciousness and injuries), and strangulation.
• Children present during incidents; false statements to police, tampering with evidence (surveillance), and obstruction via pressure on victim and witnesses.
• Arrest warrant issued March 31, 2026, based on LBI investigation, victim statements, recordings, medical records, and witness accounts.

Enforcement

• Full faith and credit across all U.S. states, DC, territories, and tribal lands.
• Violation subjects defendant to immediate arrest, bond forfeiture, probation revocation, and additional penalties (up to $50,000 fine + hard labor).
• Firearm possession ban under federal and state law.

Summary: This is an active, long-term protective order stemming from serious, repeated domestic abuse incidents involving physical violence, strangulation, child endangerment, and efforts to obstruct justice. James Jefferson III faces multiple felony charges and strict no-contact/firearm restrictions through April 2027.

Supplemental Material (Affidavit of Probable Cause for Arrest):

Issued: March 31, 2026, by the 19th Judicial District Court, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.

Defendant: James Jefferson III (Black/African American male, DOB 09/29/1984), residing at 12224 Lake Sherwood Avenue South, Baton Rouge, LA 70816.

Key Facts from Affidavit (Special Agent Dirk Bergeron, Louisiana Bureau of Investigation):

• Ongoing domestic violence investigation initiated February 18, 2026, following LSP referral regarding a November 1, 2025 incident initially reported as a traffic crash.
• Jefferson and HJ (spouse since 2010) have two minor children (under 13) and shared custody; incidents occurred at the family residence.
• February 5, 2025 incident: Audio evidence and texts show Jefferson allegedly assaulted HJ then directed her to provide false statements to police, leading to dismissed charges and obstruction findings.
• March 23, 2025 incident: Surveillance video shows Jefferson grabbing HJ by the wrist/forearm and placing hand around her throat while pulling her back inside.
• November 1, 2025 incident: Independent witness and child statements describe Jefferson using a vehicle to strike/pin HJ (who lost consciousness), with children present. Scene falsified as a crash; surveillance system later deactivated.
• December 29, 2025: False statements in TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) filing regarding a November 11 parking lot incident contradicted by video evidence.

Basis for Probable Cause: Multiple witness statements, audio/video recordings, medical records, text messages, and child interviews establish domestic abuse, injury by dangerous instrumentality, false official reports, interference with investigations, and evidence tampering.

The warrant directs any commissioned peace officer to arrest and book Jefferson. The investigation highlights patterns of domestic violence, witness/victim intimidation, and manipulation of law enforcement records.

So, Jefferson, like Satcher, now has multiple arrests pertaining to domestic violence; moreover, Jefferson has a plethora of alleged other serious felony allegations that center around reports he actively tried to thwart a proper investigation into his acts.

Time will tell if he ends up better or worse than Satcher.  Both matters, however, combined with dozens and dozens of other matters upon which we have reported, certainly demonstrate that LSP has a ton of work to do if it is ever going to be truly deserving of the characterization that both Landry and Murrill bestowed upon the agency soon after they were inaugurated into the office of Governor and Attorney General, respectively.  What was that characterization?:  “The best law enforcement agency in the United States.”