Louisiana Sheriff Admits Error Led To Mayor’s Wrongful Arrest

A Louisiana sheriff is acknowledging a major mistake by his department after the mayor of a St. Landry Parish town was arrested and jailed despite never being ordered arrested in the first place.

St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz confirmed that Melville Mayor Caretta Robertson was mistakenly arrested after an internal communication error turned an order to notify her to appear in court into an arrest and detention.

Guidroz summed up what happened in unusually simple terms.

“Long story short, we made a booboo and we’re in the process of fixing that right now,” Guidroz told KLFY News 10.

But the consequences could be much more serious than the sheriff’s choice of words suggests.

Sheriff Says Mayor Was Never Supposed To Be Arrested

According to Guidroz, the original directive came from a district judge and called for deputies to notify Robertson that she needed to appear in court.

Instead, a shift supervisor interpreted the order as requiring deputies to arrest Robertson, hold her and bring her to court the following morning.

“That wasn’t to arrest,” Guidroz told KLFY, explaining that deputies were only supposed to notify the mayor to appear in court.

Robertson, 55, was subsequently taken into custody and later released on a $5,000 bond, according to KLFY’s initial report. The station reported that the bond was later lifted.

The sheriff has now confirmed that the arrest should not have happened.

Sheriff Acknowledges Department Could Face Liability

Guidroz told KLFY that the incident reflects poorly on his department and acknowledged that the mistake could expose the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office to legal liability.

“We’re going to have some liability from this, I’m sure,” Guidroz said, while adding that the wrongful arrest was not intentional.

Robertson has already indicated that she plans to consult an attorney.

“I was arrested and I was not supposed to be arrested,” Robertson told KLFY following her release. She said judges told her that there was no bench warrant for her arrest.

Robertson also said she intends to pursue the matter further because of the way deputies came to her home.

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What Led To The Mistaken Arrest?

The confusion involved a court matter in the 27th Judicial District Court.

The initial St. Landry Parish arrest report described Robertson as having been arrested on a civil warrant after allegedly failing to appear for a trial to which she had been subpoenaed.

However, the office of 27th Judicial District Judge Laura Garcille told KLFY that the writ involved was not a civil warrant and that no warrant had been issued for Robertson’s arrest.

Guidroz now says an internal communication breakdown was responsible for deputies taking Robertson into custody.

The sheriff said his department plans additional training to help deputies better understand the legal distinctions between civil and criminal warrants. He noted that some deputies may not have received extensive exposure to those distinctions during academy training.

Melville Mayor Is Running For Reelection

Robertson was elected mayor of Melville in a December 2022 special election following the death of then-Mayor Velma Hendrix in a vehicle crash.

She is currently running for reelection in the November 3, 2026 election. The court matter that preceded her mistaken arrest involved Plaquemine Credit Inc. v. Demetria Burks. Burks was an unsuccessful candidate for Melville police chief in 2022 and is again running for that office in the November election, according to KLFY.

The sheriff’s department has not announced what, if any, disciplinary action will result from the internal error.

Guidroz has, however, publicly accepted responsibility on behalf of the department and said steps are being taken to prevent a similar mistake from happening again.