St. Landry Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested & Fired for Stealing Gas

23-year-old Christopher Wayne Spencer of Opelousas has been fired from the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office after the now-former deputy allegedly used his department fuel card for his personal vehicle, without the permission and consent of the Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says in a press release that Spencer admitted to detectives that he got the fuel card while he was on duty at the St. Landry Parish jail, placed it in his pocket, then used the card for a total of 13 transactions at a local fuel station during July and August - over a 41-day time period. Deputies were dispatched to the gas station on August 13 after Spencer used the flagged card and the transaction was denied.

Spencer has been charged and booked for theft and faces 13 counts of unauthorized use of an access card, attempted unauthorized use of an access card.

“This was very troubling to me that one of my own would steal from the taxpayers and my office," says Sheriff Guidroz in the press release. "I am the steward of your taxes and if it takes me arresting one of my own for theft, I will. Checks and balances are conducted by my supervisors who noticed the transactions did not coincide with our department units and mileage. The card was then flagged and the investigation was opened.”