NEW ROADS - Outgoing Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff Bud Torres is officially out tomorrow, and he's left his office stripped down to the bare floor.

Torres told the WBRZ Investigative Unit that he took the drapes and the wood flooring from his office before he vacated. Those are items that Torres said he paid for. He said he wanted his successor to come in with a blank canvas.

New Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux said no matter what has happened, he's excited to begin work Wednesday. He did say the transition has not been easy.

"There hasn't been hardly any transition at all," Thibodeaux said. "That statement was made to me five or six months ago, I wouldn't be allowed in the courtroom or get set up. There has hardly been any transition at all."

Thibodeaux said despite the challenges he has already encountered, all deputies will get a raise beginning Wednesday. Thibodeaux said he is bringing a wealth of experience to the department, including filling three captain positions with longtime members of law enforcement.

"I was in that office for the last 23 years," Thibodeaux said. "I've got a lot of people coming into my captain positions, they have 29 and 30 years. The experience I am bringing back to Pointe Coupee is going to help me create my own transition."

Thibodeaux said he wants to get back to community policing and is exploring pricing body cameras for the department.

"I talked about bridging the gap between the community and police 13 months ago before all of this started happening around the country," Thibodeaux said. "That's what's in my heart and my belief."

Thibodeaux said the first order of business on Wednesday will be to swear in all the deputies. He said he's excited and grateful for the opportunity to keep the parish safe.

BATON ROUGE- Together Baton Rouge is calling for the immediate resignation of Cpl. Robert Moruzzi as Chairman of the Municipal Police and Fire Civil Service Board.

Moruzzi was voted in by members of the Baton Rouge Police Union, and his term expires on July 26, 2020. Together Baton Rouge said his history of police brutality is deeply troubling considering our nation's current climate.

The board has five members, one appointed from the police department, the fire department, the municipal government, LSU and SU. Moruzzi is the appointee from the police department. 

In 2015, taxpayers shelled out $75,000 after he kicked the teeth out of a 24-year-old man while serving a narcotics search warrant. Brett Percle told WBRZ he still thinks about what happened that day.

"He actually upon our first encounter threw me to the ground, kicked my face and the back of my head into the ground," Percle said. "Basically, a curb stomp where I lost four of my teeth."

In 2009, Moruzzi was off duty when he punched a manager of a bar on Third Street and a gun appeared. He was fired from the Baton Rouge Police Department but was reinstated in 2010.

"We are calling for local entities with an appointed position to develop standards for their appointment, considering individuals with an exemplary civil and professional record, free of conflict of interest, and who would serve in the best interest of the community," Together Baton Rouge said.

"It should be people with an exemplary record on this board," Jennifer Carwile with Together Baton Rouge said. "We know there are officers with exemplary records."

Pastor Clee Lowe told WBRZ with the current climate around the nation, Moruzzi's past actions are unacceptable.

"He is unfit. His character is not what it should be, and he does not represent what we believe that should be of the highest order," Lowe said. "Having high ethics and good standards based upon his background as a police officer."

The WBRZ Investigative Unit reached out to Moruzzi and the Police Union.

The Police Union told WBRZ the person who represents BRPD on the Civil Service Board is voted upon by union members. A member of the union told WBRZ that 94 percent of Baton Rouge police officers are members.

Moruzzi told WBRZ he has no intentions of resigning before his term is up on July 26, 2020.

He issued the following statement:

The civil service board is a civilian oversight committee for BRPD and BRFD. I currently serve on this board as an elected representative for the classified employees of the BRPD, which includes not only officers, but other staff such as communications, fingerprint techs, scientists, statisticians, and secretaries. These individuals support my role and my participation on this board, so any change in my position would only ever be to reflect their wants and needs. The hard-working, underpaid men and women of my department deserve a representative who will guarantee equality and fairness for them while preserving employees' rights, which I strive for and believe my board record shows. My peers must believe, as I do, that people sometimes make mistakes. Everyone should be held accountable for their actions & the civil service board ensures that those who deserve a second chance are given one.

GONZALES- A convicted felon is accused of pointing a weapon with a green laser at a Gonzales police officer last week, which ultimately led to his arrest. Authorities found an arsenal of weapons inside his home once they located him.

David Chreene, 36, is charged with felon in possession of a firearm, disturbing the peace and aggravated assault of a police officer. This all came to light when a concerned citizen called 911, reporting what they witnessed. When the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office showed up, they went to Chreene's door.

Lieutenant Colonel Donald Capella with the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office said the stories that Chreene and his wife were telling investigators did not add up. At that time, they secured a search warrant and found more than 30 weapons inside the home.

"Ten long guns and 20 handguns along with a green laser and various amounts of different ammunition and magazines that were loaded," Capella said.

Chreene has two prior convictions in Webster Parish, one from 2006 and the other from 2007. One was for possession with the intent to distribute drugs. The other was simple burglary.

Chreene violated his probation in 2008 on the drug conviction and was ordered to serve his sentence not on probation but in jail. Court records don't indicate whether he ever reported to jail.

Fast forward to 2020, Chreene had completed his probation, but there's a provision that they must remain weapon free for 10 years following their probation completion, according to Capella. He said that means Capella was not supposed to have weapons in his house at all, even if they did not belong to him.

"It's fairly rare," Capella said. "You do have collectors that have ammunition but it's not every day that you have someone that has 30 firearms, and that amount of ammunition in their residence."

Chreene posted a $15,000 bond and was released from jail. The weapons that were in his home were confiscated. The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office said it is planning to contact the ATF for assistance.

CLINTON- It's been seven months since Christopher Whitfield was gunned down in the parking lot of a store by East Feliciana Sheriff's Deputy Glenn Sims Senior. Despite a grand jury determining no crime was committed, Sims has not returned to work but remains commissioned. 

"The sheriff is thinking about it, and we will have a conversation but as of this moment he is a commissioned deputy," Chief Deputy Greg Phares said.

Whitfield's death touched off protests outside the Clinton Courthouse where people demanded answers. His mother told WBRZ she has been stricken with grief since the shooting.

"My heart is hurting every day," Ella Whitfield said. "I have to go to the graveyard, Mother's Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving. I had to go put flowers on the grave and couldn't give them in his hand. I've been in depression."

The WBRZ Investigative Unit reported one week after the shooting that Sims was convicted three times for crimes he committed. He was also issued a letter of reprimand for sending inappropriate text messages to a 911 dispatcher.

At the time of the report, the sheriff's office said it was only aware of one of his convictions due to the poor record-keeping prior. Sims had also come and gone a number of times from the department.

Phares said Sims has not been called back to work and was not fired because the sheriff's office was dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

"That was our first priority until this crisis is dealt with, that we didn't want to cut anyone loose," Phares said. "We needed the possibility of bringing someone who is experienced on if necessary. It turned out not to be necessary."

As the family prays for justice, they aren't sure if it will ever come.

"God ain't sleep," Whitfield said. "Justice will be served, because I'm not going to let this drop. I'm going further with it."

The East Feliciana Sheriff's Office said despite Sims having a commission he has not been allowed to work extra duty in the parish.