Grand jury indicts Bobby Corner

An Avoyelles Parish grand jury indicted former Bunkie Police Chief Bobby Corner on four charges and former police dispatcher Nicholas Desselle on two charges stemming from a State Police investigation following Corner’s defeat for re-election.

Corner was indicted on charges of malfeasance in office, malfeasance by tampering with evidence, 1st degree injury of public records and tampering with a surveillance system.

Desselle was indicted on charges of malfeasance by tampering with evidence and tampering with a surveillance system.

State Police conducted an investigation in July 2018 into complaints of possible criminal conduct.

Corner, 48, was arrested Oct. 18 and released on $40,000 bond. Desselle, 26, was arrested Oct. 17 and released on $10,000 bond.

Corner is alleged to have allowed multiple pieces of evidence to be unsecured, misplaced and lost. He also alleged to have failed to introduce certain items into the evidence room, mishandled a felony case file, failed to process traffic citations, tampered with the police department’s surveillance system and shredded official files.

State Police also investigators also allege Desselle disabled the surveillance camera in the police department’s maintenance building on multiple occasions.

The indictments were handed down on Dec. 19. No court dates had been set as of press time for this edition.