Ex-LSU police employee violated state ethics law
A ex-LSU Police Department employee has agreed she violated state ethics law when she accepted a $400 reward for helping an out-of-state visitor recover a lost wallet.
The Louisiana Board of Ethics signed off Friday on a consent order with Elisa Lewis in which she also agreed to pay a $400 civil penalty as part of the settlement — an amount equal to the reward.
In the agreement, Lewis admitted that she violated a state ethics law that bans public servants from receiving anything of economic value, other than compensation and benefits from their governmental entity, for the performance of their job.
According to the consent agreement, Lewis was an LSU police sergeant working the student gate for the Nov. 20, 2010, LSU-Ole Miss football game in Tiger Stadium when she received a lost wallet belonging to a University of Virginia student.
LSU’s Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Katie Maggie-Barras took control of the wallet because she had contacts at the University of Virginia.
On the same day, the wallet’s owner, Richard Norris, approached Lewis about the lost wallet and she helped him arrange its pickup from Barras’ house.
“Lewis met Mr. Norris at Walk-On’s Restaurant and took Mr. Norris to Ms. Barras’ residence to retrieve the wallet and brought him back to Walk-On’s,” the order says.
“Sgt. Lewis accepted a $400 reward for assisting Mr. Norris recover his wallet,” according to the consent order.
In the agreement, Lewis waived her right to appeal.
Lewis worked for the LSU Police Department from Sept. 4, 2001, through March 28, 2011.