LIVINGSTON — A high-ranking deputy in the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office was arrested for boating while intoxicated in March, an incident the agency never publicly disclosed.
Major Cedrick Paul Brignac, who oversees training for the sheriff’s office, was arrested by agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on March 22, 2025. According to the LDWF arrest report, Brignac was driving a pontoon boat near the Clio Bridge on the Amite River when agents suspected him of operating the vessel under the influence.
The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office did not issue a press release or public statement about the arrest until UWK submitted a public records request to LDWF seeking arrest reports involving high-ranking LPSO personnel. Minutes before LDWF released the documents, the sheriff’s office sent UWK a statement confirming Brignac’s arrest and claiming the incident had been “self-reported” by the deputy.
While it’s not legally required for law enforcement agencies to publicly announce when their own officers are arrested, it is widely considered standard practice, particularly in the interest of transparency. Many departments issue press releases and place officers on administrative leave immediately. But in rare instances, agencies withhold such information until compelled by public records laws or media inquiries.
This appears to be one of those cases.
‘Slurred speech & many open Natural Light beer cans’
According to LDWF’s report, agents were patrolling Lake Maurepas and the Amite River on March 22 in response to complaints about illegal night hunting. Around 7:20 p.m., they reportedly encountered a pontoon boat traveling at high speed in a designated “No Wake Zone” near the Clio Bridge, a low, unmanned drawbridge near the Lake.
“The vessel proceeded at a relatively high rate of speed that created substantial wake well into the No Wake Zone before slowing to an idle. As the vessel approached, we recognized it as the same pontoon we had encountered earlier, still operated by Brignac,” one agent wrote.
When the two boats came alongside one another, agents noted that Brignac appeared confused and disoriented. The agent wrote that Brignac’s mouth was “agape and face flushed, staring blankly in my direction” when asked why the LDWF boat had turned around. Agents said they were attempting to go beneath the bridge but had to reverse because they were too tall.
Brignac then reportedly put his vessel in reverse, seemingly unaware it was in gear, and began backing into a boat way, prompting agents to physically grab the pontoon to prevent a crash and asked him to kill the engine.
“Brignac replied that he could not kill his engine because his batteries were dead, and the boat would not be able to restart, but that he would leave it in neutral,” the report states. “Considering that Brignac’s boat was continuing backward toward the barrier, I asked, ‘Are you in neutral?’ It was not until I asked this that Brignac realized he was in reverse and shifted his vessel into neutral.”
The agent noted a strong smell of alcohol coming from Brignac, slurred and uneven speech, and “many open Natural Light (beer) cans” scattered throughout the boat, including near the operator’s seat.
Sobriety test refusal and arrest
Brignac initially complied with a boating safety check and a field sobriety test on the water. When asked about life jackets and fire extinguishers, he swayed, stumbled, and had “difficulty maintaining balance” and motor skills, according to the report.
Agents said that Brignac admitted to drinking “about four Natural Lights.”
Agents asked Brignac to come ashore for further testing, and he allowed one of the agents to drive the boat. On land, agents observed continued signs of impairment, including “swaying” and a “slow, unsteady gait.” When asked to perform additional standardized field sobriety tests, Brignac reportedly refused.
Brignac was arrested and charged with operating a vessel while intoxicated (1st offense). LDWF agents waited for the boat’s other three passengers, who were also reportedly heavily intoxicated, to arrange transportation home.
Brignac told agents he was “severely claustrophobic” and would “freak out” if placed in the back of the patrol car with the cage, so agents placed him in the front and transported him first to the Killian Police Department. There, the agent repeatedly asked Brignac to submit to a breathalyzer test, but he refused, according to the report. He was then transported to the Livingston Parish Courthouse, not the jail. He was fingerprinted and issued a citation, which is standard for a first-offense DWI, meaning he was not booked into the jail and no mugshot was taken.
Sheriff: Disciplinary action will be decided at conclusion of DA’s proceedings
The day LDWF released the records to UWK, LPSO Public Information Officer Lori Steele texted UWK a statement on behalf of Sheriff Jason Ard.
“I am aware. The off duty incident was self-reported by Brignac (Training Division). The matter was turned over to the District Attorney’s Office for processing – just as all other cases are. Disciplinary action by this department will be decided and administered at the conclusion of the DA’s proceedings,” the statement read.
According to the LDWF report, Brignac’s driver’s license was seized following his refusal to take a breathalyzer test. Under Louisiana law, such refusals result in an automatic 180-day license suspension unless the individual requests a hearing within 30 days. Brignac was provided paperwork to request a hearing.
The Livingston Parish District Attorney’s Office confirmed the case is currently under screening, meaning it has recently been received and is under review. For first-time DWI arrests, it’s common for the accused to be offered a pretrial diversion program. That may include conditions like alcohol education classes, community service, or drug and alcohol testing, after which the person can sometimes seek to have the charge expunged.
Brignac remains employed as a major with the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office. According to Sheriff Ard, any disciplinary action will be decided after the District Attorney’s Office completes its review. While it is standard practice for many law enforcement agencies to place officers on administrative leave following a DWI arrest, some smaller departments may make exceptions due to staffing shortages.
LPSO has not said whether Brignac is currently allowed to drive his patrol unit while the investigation is ongoing.
UWK did not seek comment from Brignac for this report, as LPSO policy prohibits deputies from speaking to the media.
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