Catahoula Parish – In February 2021, Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations Alexandria Field Office (LSP AFO) was requested by the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office to investigate allegations of criminal acts by the former Fire Chief of the Catahoula Parish Sandy Lake Fire Department (SLFD). As a result of the investigation, 66-year-old Robert Squyres of Jonesville was arrested for forgery, bank fraud, malfeasance in office, and felony theft.

The allegations involved public funds that were controlled by the SLFD. With the assistance of the Louisiana Legislative Auditor and the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office, Troopers were able to determine that Squyres misappropriated or fraudulently obtained approximately $40,000 of SLFD funds between 2017 and 2020.

Based on the findings of the investigation and information obtained, Troopers were able to obtain an arrest warrant for Squyres. Yesterday, he was arrested and booked into the Catahoula Parish Jail.

The public plays an important role in identifying suspects involved in criminal or suspicious activity. The Louisiana State Police online reporting system is available to the public through an anonymous reporting form that is submitted to the appropriate investigators. The form can be found by visiting http://la-safe.org/ and clicking on the “Suspicious Activity” link.