INDReporter

Jeanerette chief implicated in topless bust for ignoring rampant drugs, prostitution

by Patrick Flanagan

The police chief implicated last week in an ongoing investigation of a Lafayette gentleman’s club stemmed from his position working as an off-duty security officer for the topless establishment but never acting on the illegal activities allegedly going on under his nose.

The police chief implicated last week in an ongoing investigation of a Lafayette gentleman’s club stemmed from his position working as an off-duty security officer for the topless establishment but never acting on the illegal activities allegedly going on under his nose.

Marvin Grogan had served five years as chief of the Jeanerette Police Department, with 21 years spent wearing the badge as a sworn officer of the law. That all ended with his arrest late last week as part of an ongoing operation by Lafayette Metro Narcotics agents into Lipstick Gentlemen’s Club for rampant drugs and prostitution. Following his arrest Friday, Grogan posted a bond of $12,000 and was released from the Lafayette Parish Jail. And by the next day, Grogan was relieved of his official duties as Jeanerette’s top law enforcement officer. Included in a press release issued Saturday by Jeanerette Mayor Aprill Foulcard announced his termination and his interim replacement, Gloria Lombard, who will serve as chief until the selection of a permanent replacement.

Marvin Grogan

Grogan marked the 14th arrest by Metro Narcotics agents in their investigation of the club — sparked by information they’d received of a runaway teen who’d been working at the club, possibly as a prostitute. The teen — a minor — has since been returned to her parents. And with undercover agents witnessing a variety of illicit activity at the club — ranging from alcohol sales and prostitution involving minors to obscene acts and the use of various illegal narcotics — the arrests soon started rolling.

During this time, and for many months prior to the start of the undercover operation, Grogan was working as the club’s security officer, arriving for each shift in an unmarked police unit belonging to the city of Jeanerette, wearing his police-issued badge and firearm and a T-shirt with “Police” emblazoned across his chest. Grogan also made it known to the club’s patrons, including undercover narc agents, that he was an officer of the law. And that's the reason for his arrest Friday, according to police, because despite being out of his jurisdiction and off-the-clock, being a police officer means reporting illegal activity to the appropriate agency. Grogan never did.

From an interview between Capt. Dwayne Prejean of Metro Narcotics and KATC TV on the reason for arresting the Jeanerette chief on charges including one count of malfeasance in office and three counts of compounding a felony:

He’s presenting himself as a position of authority yet he has taken no action. While he’s working ... there are felonies taking place, criminal activity.

There was never an attempt to notify us in the period of time that he worked there, which was pretty long, longer than we were investigating the club.

A meeting between Lafayette narcotics agents and the FBI is slated for later in the week to determine whether any federal laws were also violated by Grogan in his time working security at the club.

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