Former Louisiana State Police (LSP) trooper T. J. Doss, who resigned in disgrace as Chairman of the Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC) days after an August 10, 2017 LSPC meeting. Doss again resigned in disgrace from LSP on August 23, 2025. He did so in the immediate aftermath of an internal affairs investigation, after which Col. Robert Hodges strategically deployed a “letter of counseling,” which he issued to Doss in order to block Doss’ alleged wrongdoing from ever being revealed to the public.
Former LSP Col. Robert Hodges is running television ads touting the fact he will be a Sheriff of St. Tammany Parish who will be transparent and 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.”
Well, on January 14, 2026, we published this feature regarding former LSP Trooper (and Chairman of the LSPC), T. J. Doss’ dramatic “fall from grace.”
Doss was a one-time darling of LSP Troopers who managed to convince his fellow troopers to elect him as the trooper-representative on the LSPC (the Governor chooses the other six Members), and he made no secret whatsoever that he would be on a mission to terminate the LSPC’s Executive Director, Cathy Derbonne.
Derbonne found herself in hot water when she reported impermissible campaign contributions to the Louisiana State Board of Ethics. The campaign contributions, made to the campaigns of former Governors John Bel Edwards and Bobby Jindal, were made by three (3) Members of the LSPC who each had to subsequently resign from the LSPC.
One of those Members was Franklin M. Kyle, who served on the Board alongside Jared Caruso-Riecke, of American Bank in Covington. Riecke, along with family members, have substantial ownership in the bank. Riecke would ultimately succeed Kyle on the LSPC, and he was equally determined to ensure Derbonne’s ouster as was Doss.
Doss ultimately succeeded at forcing a hurriedly-slapped-together resignation letter from Derbonne during an executive session of the LSPC in January of 2017; however, Derbonne subsequently sued the LSPC, with taxpayers ending up paying approximately $272,800 in a negotiated settlement with Derbonne (including defense attorneys’ fees).
On August 10, 2017, operating on one of numerous tips we’ve received in covering LSP for almost a decade, Sound Off Louisiana’s Burns videotaped Doss exiting a movie theater with then-LSPC Vice Chairman Monica Manzella shortly after the LSPC Meeting of that same day:
Then-LSPC Chairman, T. J. Doss, accompanied by then-Vice Chairman, Monica Manzella, exited the Movie Tavern theater in Baton Rouge after enjoying a movie (and judging by Doss’ large mug, at least one beer for him) shortly after an LSPC meeting on August 10, 2017.
Within a couple of hours of leaving the movie theater, Burns again videotaped Manzella and Doss checking into the Watermark Hotel (again, acting upon the same tipster’s guidance):
Then-LSPC Chairman, T. J. Doss, checked into the Watermark Hotel in Baton Rouge with then-Vice Chairman Monica Manzella hours after an LSPC Meeting earlier that same day of August 10, 2017.
Both Manzella and Doss resigned from the LSPC in disgrace soon after their above escapades.
More recently, Doss, apparently still leaning on being in the “clique” of troopers currying favor from former LSP Colonel Robert Hodges, secured permission to resign from LSP on August 23, 2025 soon after we received reports of wrongdoing on Doss’ part.
Now this wrongdoing, which we’ve been told the nature of but have refrained from making public (we most certainly would if we could obtain the documentation to substantiate the allegations), was of such a serious nature that Doss would agree to voluntarily resign after years as an LSP Trooper. Nevertheless, Hodges would strategically deploy a mere “letter of counseling” as the only form of action taken, thereby shielding the underlying allegations from public view (because such letters are not considered discipline at all)!
As we continued to make inquiries of Hodges’ upper brass, we were told that Doss resigned effective August 23, 2025 in the immediate aftermath of an internal affairs investigation. When we then made a public records request for any and all documentation pertaining to that investigation, here is what we received from Robert Hodges via his upper brass upon Hodges’ highly-strategic deployment (we call it abuse) of a “letter of counseling:”
“The Louisiana Department of Public Safety, Public Safety Services has reviewed your request and has determined that the records requested are exempt from disclosure under FOIA for the following reasons:
Letters of counseling or other investigations that do not result in discipline – LSP Comm Rule 12.9 provides that Letter of Counseling [sic] are not considered “public.” Any investigation that does not result in discipline is not considered “public.”
So, as we have emphasized throughout this series, of which this is installment four with the fifth to be published in coming days, it is up to the voters of St. Tammany Parish regarding whether they wish to believe Hodges’ TV ad campaign depicted above. We think it’s pretty clear how we at Sound Off Louisiana assess those ads, however.
Here’s our ongoing list of all features as we progress through this series:
Installment Three: Hodges touts “transparency” in sheriff election, but blocking public-records requests cost taxpayers $12,500 (Lens) and $4,500 (WAFB).
As we have reminded everyone in prior installments, early voting commenced on Tuesday 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!