AMITE — The man who ran the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office work release program for more than a decade has been arrested on allegations that he supplied inmates with cell phones and other contraband, the sheriff’s office said.
Charles Burise, 76, was booked Friday with malfeasance in office, abuse of office, principal to introduction of contraband and obstruction of justice. He was later released on bond.
Burise was a TPSO deputy for 30 years, the sheriff’s office said, and he managed the Transitional Work Release program for more than 10 years. He resigned in February when TPSO amid the investigation.
About a year ago, the sheriff’s office repeatedly found contraband in the work release program’s dorm and began to investigate Burise, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Burise resigned “at the height of the investigation,” the sheriff’s news release said.
The investigation connected Burise to smuggled cell phones in the work release dorm and inside the jail. After his resignation, investigators found communication between Burise and the smuggled cell phones, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information about Burise or his role in the work release program can contact the TPSO Criminal Investigations Division at 985-902-2088.
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