by Wes Harris
The Office of the Louisiana Attorney General has arrested the Mangham police chief and former assistant chief over theft of funds intended for the family of a deceased police officer, criminal conspiracy, and the destruction of public records.
The Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (LBI) made the arrests on October 26 following an extensive investigation into alleged misconduct involving the theft of funds intended for the family of a deceased Mangham police officer.
Mangham Police Chief Perry Fleming, 68, of Hixson Street in Mangham, was arrested for one count of felony theft, one count of money laundering, two counts of injuring public records, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of criminal conspiracy, and two counts of malfeasance in office.
Former Assistant Police Chief Dakota McKinney, 32, of Comeaux Road in Rayville, was arrested for injuring public records, obstruction of justice, malfeasance in office, and two counts of criminal conspiracy.
LBI opened a criminal investigation in April 2026 after elected officials from the Village of Mangham requested assistance regarding concerns about potential criminal conduct occurring within the police department.
During this investigation, agents discovered a financial account opened by Fleming titled as a “Beneficiary” account in the name of Mangham Police Officer Marshall Waters who was killed in a line-of-duty shooting in October 2020. LBI agents discovered various law enforcement organizations and individuals donated seven checks totaling more than $6,400, made payable to the fallen officer’s family.
The checks were deposited into the “Beneficiary” account, but the officer’s family did not receive the funds. The fallen officer’s family members said they were unaware of the account and had not received any disbursements from the purported beneficiary fund.
LBI agents discovered Fleming used funds from the beneficiary account to finance personal travel to Washington, D.C. in October 2021 for National Police Week, including airfare, hotel lodging, meals, and merchandise purchases totaling $1,844.61. During the same event, the fallen officer’s three adult children paid their own way to attend the memorial service for their father.
As the investigation continued, agents also discovered Fleming and McKinney had allegedly destroyed public police records stored on a Mangham Police Department computers. After executing a search warrant at the Mangham Police Department, LBI personnel conducted a digital forensics examination of a department computer.
The examination revealed police reports, arrest records, warrants, and other public documents were transferred to an external storage device and subsequently deleted from the department computer. Agents also obtained surveillance video showing Fleming removing a town-owned computer from the police department. Fleming was also captured on video as he returned the department computer a few days later, after it had been reset to factory settings, destroying all stored data.
LBI agents also discovered McKinney had knowingly facilitated the destruction of records on a second computer by arranging for it to be wiped through an IT vendor. McKinney was on duty as a public employee and knowingly utilized a public vehicle to transport the town computer, which he had received from Fleming, to the IT vendor. McKinney caused the unsuspecting IT vendor to remove all records from the town’s computer.
LBI agents obtained arrest warrants for Fleming and McKinney, and both were arrested and booked into the Richland Parish Detention Center on October 26.
“One of our most solemn duties is honoring our fallen officers and helping look after their families. The chief and the former assistant have a lot to answer for,” said AG Liz Murrill.
Fleming’s bail was set at $5,500, while McKinney’s was $2,500. The investigation remains ongoing.
