An ordinary evening of work for a few employees in Gonzales
quickly became a terrifying experience one night in March.
"Well basically I just heard a really big bang," said
one employee, who asked not to be identified.
That employee describes what happened in the early morning hours
of March 13 at the Crazy Horse Cabaret. The employee, like her coworkers on
shift that night, gave statements to the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office.
One statement reads, "I heard a loud shot sound. After the
shot I immediately smelled a faint smell of gun powder."
Another states, "I saw Chase Delatte walking out of the
bathroom to the table he was sitting at before."
And yet another, "I went into the men's restroom where I saw
the bullet casing on the floor and a hole in the door."
According to the sheriff's report, Chase Delatte is Gonzales
police officer and when tracked down at his home later that morning, he told
investigators his gun accidentally discharged while he was in the bathroom. The
report also describes Delatte's appearance, saying, "Delatte was
cooperative while speaking with him but a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage
was emitting from his facial area."
The report does not say how Delatte got from the Cabaret to his
home.
"I definitely would think that as a police officer you would
do more to protect people than put people in danger and that was a real
dangerous thing to be doing," said the unnamed employee.
Gonzales Police Chief Sherman Jackson declined an on-camera
interview but did answer all our questions by phone. He said his department
investigated the incident involving Officer Delatte and appropriate action was
taken.
Jackson also released a statement that says, "Once I was
notified of Officer Delatte's involvement, an investigation was initiated by my
office. Our findings led to the recommendation and subsequent three-day
suspension of Officer Delatte in regards to his conduct."
It continues to say, "I know officer Delatte well and firmly
believe him to be an officer of exceptional character. We are thankful that no
one was hurt."
According to Jackson this is the first incident involving Delatte
where discipline was required but an I-Team investigation in February 2012,
revealed he was in a speeding vehicle along with Chief Jackson and other
off-duty officers when the driver refused to pull over leading responding
Gonzales police officers on a low speed chase through town eventually stopping
at police headquarters. According to the report written by the responding
officer, Delatte exited the vehicle and told the officer quote, "Man y'all
ain't got no life."
While Jackson says Delatte was off duty on March 13, the Gonzales
Police Department operations manual states that officers of the department are
not authorized to carry a firearm into a bar while off duty. That is a scenario
the employee says could have easily had a much different outcome.
"It could have went off anywhere he was just sitting down at
the table it could have accidentally been going off. He could have accidentally
shot anybody," added the employee.
