Two Former Bogalusa City Officials Indicted for Malfeasance in Office

Published 5:06 pm Thursday, July 24, 2025

CARIE EDWARDS

CORRESPONDENT TO THE DAILY NEWS

Two former City of Bogalusa officials have been indicted by a Washington Parish Grand Jury on charges of Malfeasance in Office, accused of misusing city resources for private gain and attempting to conceal their actions through a series of falsified records.

James M. Patterson, Jr., 64, and James Morris, 58, were formally indicted on July 23, 2025. Both men were public employees of the City of Bogalusa between January 3, 2023 and May 5, 2023, the period during which the alleged misconduct took place.

According to the indictment, James Morris, acting at the direction of “Elected Official A,” instructed a City of Bogalusa public works crew to perform repair work at a private residence owned by Elected Official A’s mother. The repairs were the responsibility of the homeowner, not the city, and resulted in the theft of taxpayer-funded services and materials valued at more than $1,000. Morris’s actions constituted a misuse of public resources for private benefit, and the indictment alleges that he actively participated in efforts to disguise the benefit provided to Elected Official A and/or their family.

Patterson is accused of creating a falsified paper trail to conceal the unauthorized work conducted on April 11, 2023. These falsified records included a fraudulent entry into the city’s I-Worq system, a backdated work order, and fabricated emails claiming that city workers had damaged plumbing at the residence, thereby justifying the repair. These efforts were intended to protect Elected Official A from public scrutiny related to the improper use of public labor and resources. Despite knowing these records were false, James Morris made no effort to correct the misinformation.

This indictment follows Patterson’s nomination by Mayor Tyrin Truong to serve as the city’s Director of Public Works in January 2023. His appointment placed him in a position of significant responsibility over city infrastructure and public works crews at the time the misconduct occurred.

Both Patterson and Morris are expected to be arraigned in the coming days. Elected Official A has not been identified or charged, but the case has raised serious concerns about ethics and accountability in Bogalusa City government. This is a developing story.

UPDATE: District Attorney Collin Sims stated that the indictments are the initial results of what remains an ongoing multi-agency investigation.  The two men, employed by the city of Bogalusa, are accused of intentionally performing their job-related duties in an unlawful manner and/or knowingly permitting another public employee to intentionally refuse or fail to perform his duties in a lawful manner.  Arrest warrants have been issued for both men but have not yet been executed at the time of this release.  Arraignment dates remain to be set.  Doug Freese, Chief of the District Attorney’s Criminal Division, and Assistant District Attorney Butch Wilson handled the presentation of the case to the grand jury.