Hodges touts “transparency” in sheriff election, but blocking public-records requests cost taxpayers $12,500 (Lens) and $4,500 (WAFB).

A check for $4,500 drawn on the Louisiana Treasury Department (i.e. taxpayers) signed by former LSP Col. Robert Hodges to the law firm of Sternberg, Naccari & White, LLC after the firm (via attorney Scott Sternberg) succeeded in forcing LSP and Hodges to turn over a surveillance video sought by WAFB (Channel 9 in Baton Rouge) depicting the full-force, open-handed slap to a handcuffed inmate at the Avoyelles Parish Correctional Facility delivered by LSP Trooper Matthew Clair.  Hodges fought the release of the video for well over a year in asserting that Clair’s “right to privacy” exceeded the public’s right to view the slap.

Former LSP Col. Robert Hodges is running television ads touting that he will be a transparent Sheriff of St. Tammany Parish who will serve with “trust and integrity.”:

Television ad wherein former LSP Col. Hodges touts making the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office “transparent” and him serving with “trust and integrity.”

LSP, under Col. Robert Hodges, entered into a contract with the WilmerHale firm providing for $1,000 per hour legal services. The contract had a $2 million annual cap and options for two renewals.

The Lens NOLA submitted a public records request for the contract. LSP, again under Col. Robert Hodges, refused to produce it, asserting various exemptions (including deliberative process, a privilege no longer available under Louisiana law). The Lens filed a Writ of Mandamus lawsuit in the 19th Judicial District Court on April 29, 2024.

The Lens sought the record (i.e. the contract) and roughly $32,278 in attorney fees, expenses, and costs (more than 102 hours of work billed primarily at $250/hour and $400/hour, plus about $1,053 in travel and $1,020 in court costs).  Through litigation, Lens obtained the contract, and the parties settled the lawsuit with taxpayers having to remit $12,500 to Lens.  From the document just linked:

Attorneys’ Fees and Costs

3.1. In consideration for Petitioners signing this Agreement, Defendant agrees to pay attorneys’ fees and costs in the total amount of $12,500, full and final with both Parties dismissing any and all claims in the Lawsuit, including any appeal rights related thereto.

So there we have $12,500 in direct taxpayer expenditures wherein a media outlet had to spend extensive time and effort and incur legal fees to obtain a simple contract calling for a law firm to receive $1,000/hour that LSP and Col. Hodges felt neither the media nor the public needed to see.  We would also note that the $12,500 figure does not include payments made to the law firm Breazeale Sachse for its defense of LSP.  That amount likely exceeded the $12,500 obtained for Lens’ own legal fees and costs.

Next up, we have the Gray Media (WAFB) v. LSP public-records lawsuit. In that matter, 19th JDC Judge William Jorden ordered LSP to turn over the surveillance video of Trooper Mathew Clair (involving alleged excessive force during a 2022 booking at the Avoyelles Parish Detention Center). We will also note the judge’s comments openly questioning the rationale for Col. Hodges’ earlier reduction of Clair’s discipline to a non-disciplinary letter of counseling.

Former LSP Col. Lamar Davis had imposed a 40-hour unpaid suspension for alleged use of excessive force; however, Hodges, as noted by Judge Jorden, rescinded that suspension and expunged the matter from Clair’s file.

Here’s a very brief (29-second) video of the incident:

29-second video clip highlighting the full-on slap delivered by LSP Trooper Matthew Clair as featured on the WAFB feature on the matter.

While we believe WAFB and attorney Sternberg were gracious in accepting only $4,500 after a year-long battle, taxpayers still had to pay that amount because of Hodges’ refusal to release the video (as depicted in the lead photo of this feature).  Though it is Hodges’ signature on the above check, the money came from the general treasury which is to say taxpayers’ pockets.

Recall from installment two of this series that, on November 7, 2025, LSP flat-out lied to us regarding the existence of the weapons application denial Hodges himself executed on September 9, 2025.  We believe common sense dictates that, especially given the nature of what we sought, Hodges is the likely culprit for the well-documented falsehood that the record did not exist when it clearly did.

One reason we didn’t follow WAFB’s lead and sue is because, while Louisiana’s statute does provide for a $100/day penalty for failing to turn over a public record, there is no guarantee at all that a judge will award it.

Hence, despite Hodges’ stonewalling us on the weapons denial by LSP’s intentional deceit about the denied application, had we sued, we would have likely gotten:  #1) the record, and #2) attorneys’ fees.  We were able to obtain the record through other much more efficient means (likely to the great chagrin of Hodges).  Hence, a lawsuit would have only been a long, arduous affair that we felt would unnecessarily burden taxpayers with yet more legal fees over Hodges’ obvious proclivity to block any public record he can.

This is the third of our installments regarding the candidacy of former LSP Col. Robert Hodges to become St. Tammany Parish’s next Sheriff.  We’ll have the fourth installment out in coming days.

Here’s our ongoing list of all features as we progress through this series:

Installment One:  Hodges touts St. Tammany as “home for nearly 25 years,” but former LSP Capt. Guillotte states he falsified database with Lafayette address for Major promotion.

Installment Two:  Hodges touts “transparency” in sheriff election, so why block document denying Capt. Guillotte’s weapon purchase request with LSP falsely denying the record even exists?

As we reminded everyone in prior installments, early voting commenced yesterday and runs through Tuesday, October 27 (except Sunday, October 25).

In the end, let’s hope the best man wins the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff race either on election day, November 3, 2026, or in a runoff on Saturday, December 12, 2026!