ST. GABRIEL — Nearly a dozen Elayn Hunt Correctional Center employees have been arrested since the beginning of the year, with most of them facing malfeasance-in-office charges.

All 11 employees arrested are women. The Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office made most of the arrests, with charges largely tied to communicating with inmates outside of work.

Cadet Calnisha Ruth -- introducing contraband into a penal facility
Master Sgt. Kha’ya Dumas -- introducing contraband into a penal facility
Nurse Canecia Burrell -- malfeasance in office
Sgt. Christiana Hardin -- malfeasance in office
D'shyra Hawkins -- malfeasance in office
Lt. Paula LeBlanc -- malfeasance in office
Maj. Francis Smith -- malfeasance in office
Trenda Parker -- malfeasance in office
Alaysia Brothers -- malfeasance in office, contraband, attempt. criminal conspiracy
De'Ja Lee -- malfeasance in office
Jamie August -- malfeasance in office

A couple of the employees are also accused of bringing in contraband, which is usually drugs or cellphones. Alaysia Brothers is the only former officer arrested by state police, facing malfeasance, contraband, and attempted criminal conspiracy charges.

Just last week, former employees De'Ja Lee and Jamie August were arrested for malfeasance in office. 

Lee, who was a sergeant before the arrest, was found with an inmate inside an employee-only bathroom. According to arrest documents, video surveillance showed the inmate and Lee enter the building where the bathroom was.

In March, Maj. Francis Smith was arrested after a months-long investigation by the sheriff's office into her relationship with an inmate. Smith allegedly gave birth to the inmate's twins in the fall of 2025 and resigned from her job in September 2025.

The crackdown follows a Department of Corrections press conference in December that addressed a series of inmate deaths and an ongoing drug problem, as well as a change in wardens.

Department of Corrections Secretary Gary Westscott addressed the challenge of hiring quality employees.

"This will continue to be a daily fight for our staff trying to do the right thing and unfortunately, yes, it is a financial opportunity for some of our staff that are here for the wrong reason and easily manipulated by the evils that exist," Westscott said.

Following their arrests, eight of the 11 employees were either fired or resigned. Three were placed on administrative leave.

During the same period, according to our records, only three Angola employees were arrested on contraband-related charges.