Prison deputy and boyfriend arrested

APSO Corrections Deputy and Boyfriend Accomplice Arrested
On February 13, 2024, after a lengthy investigation into drugs and contraband being illegally brought into the Avoyelles Women's Detention Center in Cottonport, the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office (APSO) investigation resulted in arrests.
APSO Deputies arrested 51-year-old Corrections Deputy Stacy G. Gagnard and her boyfriend, 30-year-old Michael Wayne Murray, both of Cottonport, LA. The APSO investigation revealed they committed the following offenses:1) Stacy G. Gagnard - Criminal Conspiracy, Introduction of contraband into a penal facility, and Malfeasance in office. The bond was set at ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00). 2) Michael Wayne Murray - Criminal Conspiracy, Introduction of Contraband into a Penal Facility, Possession Schedule I CDS with Intent to Distribute (Marijuana), Possession Schedule II CDS with Intent to Distribute (Methamphetamine), Possession Schedule III CDS (Suboxone), Possession Schedule IV CDS with Intent to Distribute (Alprazolam), Possession Schedule V CDS (Promethazine/Codeine), Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, and Possession of a Firearm in the Presence of Controlled Dangerous Substances.
The bond was set at fifty-five thousand dollars ($55,000.00). Both were arrested and booked at the Avoyelles Parish DC-1 Jail Facility.

The investigation is still ongoing, and additional arrests are likely.

Sheriff David L. Dauzat wants the People of Avoyelles to know that we will continue to work around the clock 24/7 to take illegal drugs off our streets and keep them out of our jails. The public has entrusted us to perform our duties in a lawful manner with honesty and integrity. Note: All persons named or shown in photographs and/or videos as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not yet been convicted of that criminal offense, and all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.