Man Pretends to Be Judge, Tricks Jail into Letting Inmate Go
Background: The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Department's Administration Building and Correctional Center (Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Department). Inset: Adrian James St. Romain (Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Department).
A Louisiana man is facing multiple charges after allegedly impersonating a judge to secure the release of an inmate from jail, according to the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Adrian James St. Romain, 42, was arrested Tuesday on an unrelated warrant, but investigators say he is also responsible for a bold scheme in which he posed as a local judge to have an inmate’s bond reduced — leading to the inmate’s release.
The incident dates back to April, when someone called the Calcasieu Correctional Center claiming to be a judge and successfully arranged for the inmate to be released on their own recognizance. That inmate, 46-year-old Demond Lynn Delahoussaye Sr., was let out of jail in June.
It wasn’t until Delahoussaye appeared in court on July 17 that officials realized his earlier release had been based on false information. He was immediately taken back into custody.
Delahoussaye, who faces an aggravated assault charge, remains in jail. Authorities have not confirmed the nature of his relationship with St. Romain.
According to the sheriff’s office, St. Romain tried twice more in July to impersonate a judge in hopes of securing another fraudulent bond for the same inmate, but those attempts failed. Investigators eventually identified him as the suspect, and with help from the U.S. Marshals Service, took him into custody. He now faces charges including false impersonation, assisting escape, attempted escape, and injuring public records.
The sheriff’s office said changes have already been made to prevent similar incidents.
“This was an honest error that occurred due to lack of training, and we have addressed it,” said Sheriff Stitch Guillory. “We have policies in place and have already made changes to ensure this type of situation does not happen again.”
He also praised his team for their investigative work. “I want to commend our detectives, corrections deputies, and the CPSO Real Time Crime Center for the work they did using multiple law enforcement tools and techniques to connect the dots and identify the suspect responsible.”
As of Wednesday, St. Romain remained in custody without bond. The investigation is ongoing.
About Post Author
