Key facts
- Sheriff Randy Smith of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, has retired.
- Smith pleaded guilty to second-degree battery and disturbing the peace.
- The charges arose from an assault on podcaster Bobby Couvillion.
- Couvillion sustained a concussion and two displaced front teeth.
- Smith agreed to 15 to 18 months of probation.
- Smith had served as sheriff since 2016.
Randy Smith, the sheriff of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, has retired shortly after pleading guilty to battering a local podcaster who frequently criticized him. Smith, 61, admitted to the late May beating at Keith Young’s Steakhouse, where he had consumed a significant amount of alcohol.
According to state investigators, Smith approached Bobby Couvillion, a local social media personality and podcaster known for criticizing the sheriff, from behind while Couvillion was celebrating his 59th birthday. Smith allegedly placed Couvillion in a chokehold, slammed him to the ground, and proceeded to punch and kick him, reportedly threatening to kill him. Eyewitness accounts and surveillance video corroborated these allegations.
Couvillion was taken to a hospital and records showed he sustained a concussion and two displaced front teeth. The incident occurred on Smith's tab, which included numerous alcoholic beverages totaling $346.
Smith was arrested on June 4 on charges of second-degree battery and disturbing the peace. A bail bondsman, Gregory Saurage, was also arrested, accused of pointing Couvillion out to Smith and encouraging the assault, and of driving Smith away afterward.
Following his arrest and posting a $10,000 bond, Smith issued an apology to his constituents, referring to Couvillion's criticisms as "personal attacks." Several local judges recused themselves from the case.
On Wednesday, Smith pleaded guilty to felony second-degree battery and misdemeanor disturbing the peace by public intoxication. As part of the plea agreement, he agreed to between 15 and 18 months of probation and announced his retirement, concluding a 33-year career in law enforcement. St. Tammany District Attorney Collin Sims emphasized that Smith would be held accountable like any other citizen.
Chief Deputy Bret Ibert will serve as acting sheriff until a successor is elected. The sheriff's office reportedly has healthy fiscal books, and officials hope Smith's retirement will support a ballot measure to renew a tax benefiting the office.