A Louisiana police chief and his wife, who is a police captain, were both allegedly shot by the chief’s mistress, who is also a police officer, after the chief’s wife confronted the affair partners.
Opelousas Police Chief Graig LeBlanc and his wife, St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Captain Crystal LeBlanc, were wounded outside Opelousas Officer Savannah Butler’s house on December 22, according to the sheriff’s office.
OPELOUSAS POLICE OFFICER INVOLVED IN DOMESTIC SHOOTING INCIDENT SURRENDERS TO THE SHERIFF’S OFFICENOTE** No mugshot in…
Posted by St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz reported that Butler surrendered to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office on New Year’s Day and was booked on two counts of negligent injury, one count of obstruction of justice, and one count of illegal discharge of a firearm.
“The investigation revealed that LeBlanc and his wife were shot at Butler’s home on Garnet Drive just outside the city limits of Opelousas,” Guidroz said in a statement posted to Facebook, detailing how “Crystal LeBlanc went to Garnet Drive to speak to her husband who was inside Butler’s home,” prompting an argument between the married couple.
“Butler then entered the doorway armed with a gun. When Chief LeBlanc put his hand out in front of the weapon to retrieve the gun, he was shot in the hand,” the sheriff said. “The bullet then traveled through the chief’s hand and hit his wife Crystal in the arm.”
Police said that both shooting victims admitted themselves to local hospitals to be treated for their injuries.
According to Guidroz, the subsequent investigation “revealed that Savannah Butler cleaned up the scene to cover up evidence prior to notifying the Sheriff’s Office, which constituted the charge of Obstruction of Justice.”
Detectives also found probable cause to issue a trespassing summons for Crystal LeBlanc for entering Butler’s property.
“Both Captain LeBlanc and Officer Butler were placed on administrative leave by their respective agencies pending the completion of the investigation,” Guidroz noted. “Opelousas Police Chief Graig LeBlanc faces no pending charges at this time. The investigation is still ongoing.”
Butler was released from jail after posting a bond of $22,000.
Graig LeBlanc, who has been with the Opelousas Police Department since 1998, according to the New York Post, expressed his “sincere apologies” to everyone involved on Wednesday.
“My actions have caused pain and distress, not only to my family but also to our community,” the Opelousas Police Chief wrote in a statement posted by the department:
I must acknowledge the role I played in this unfortunate situation. I have failed in my commitment to uphold the standards expected of the Chief of Police and, more importantly, failed the trust you have placed in me. Infidelity is a breach of not only the personal commitments I made but also the professional standards we all expect from those in public service.
Statement from Chief LeBlanc in regard to December 22, 2023:
Posted by Opelousas Police Department on Wednesday, January 3, 2024
It is unclear when the affair between the chief and his subordinate began, but it is known that Chief LeBlanc had hired Butler to work under him before the affair began, according to the Daily Mail.
The police chief said he will be cooperating with any investigations stemming from the situation and is additionally initiating an “internal review” himself.
Graig LeBlanc has only been chief of the Opelousas Police Department since January 2023.
He has been married to his wife since 2004, and they share two children.
