Committee on Parole issues mixed rulings Oct. 14; one parole grant, multiple revocations and alternatives to revocation

The Committee on Parole met Oct. 14, 2025, in a series of hearings at multiple Department of Corrections locations and remote sites. Chairman Carolyn Stapleton and panel members Jerry LeDoux and Danny Barra reviewed individual parole and revocation cases, issuing a mix of revocations, continuances and conditional reinstatements. The panel also granted parole to one eligible inmate with placement in a community reentry program.

Why it matters: The panel’s rulings affect individual supervision status and public-safety supervision conditions across several Louisiana parishes. Decisions ranged from full revocations and recommitment to custody to conditional reinstatements and a planned parole placement linked to a structured reentry provider.

Votes at a glance

- Victor Gaines (DOC 1067106774): The panel voted 2–1 to reinstate Gaines with conditions rather than revoke. Outcome: in lieu of revocation, Gaines will be sent to a DOC substance‑abuse facility for six months, then released to a community program (Integrity/Project Lazarus) if available; the panel recorded one vote to revoke. (Votes: Carolyn Stapleton — in‑lieu; Jerry LeDoux — in‑lieu; Danny Barra — revoke.)

- Devin Green (DOC 519372): Parole revoked following the offender’s admissions to multiple serious charges (including firearm‑related counts). Panel vote: unanimous to revoke.

- Denard Smith (DOC 120613): Panel voted not to revoke and imposed conditions in lieu of revocation: pay restitution of $581.24 to the victim, have no contact with the victim, and attend a domestic violence offender program (DVOP). Vote recorded as a concurrence for in‑lieu conditions.

- Travis Adams (DOC 548532): Panel revoked parole after reviewing guilty pleas and related charges, including illegal possession of a firearm and arrearage of supervision fees ($2,938). Vote to revoke was unanimous.

- Lewis (Louis) Alexander (DOC 300607): The panel continued Alexander’s case pending adjudication of active criminal charges in Jefferson Parish; the board did not revoke and continued the matter to await trial disposition.

- Chad (Chad/Chad Latchney / Lesney on the record) (DOC 605783): Parole reinstated with special conditions: no contact with the identified victim or persons using drugs, a 10 p.m.–6 a.m. curfew until employed, random drug testing, and continued reporting and monthly fee payments. Vote to reinstate with conditions was unanimous.

- Lee Lewis (DOC 756467): The panel voted to revoke supervision (reported police account of weapon possession and resisting arrest formed the basis of the revocation vote). Vote to revoke was unanimous.

- Lakisha Parker (DOC 740818): Parole revoked with recommendation that Parker be evaluated and receive mental‑health treatment at an appropriate DOC mental‑health facility. Panel vote to revoke and to seek inpatient/mental‑health evaluation was unanimous.

- Ezekiel Rubin (DOC 735377): Parole denied. Panel cited outstanding concerns: victim and law‑enforcement opposition and incomplete sex‑offender programming. Vote to deny parole was unanimous.

- Leotis Thomas (DOC 331970): Parole granted when he becomes eligible; placement to the Louisiana Parole Project for a minimum residential reentry stay (panel recommended nine months). The Parole Project representative told the board, “we would be willing to take him into our reentry program.” The panel’s vote to grant parole with Parole Project placement was unanimous.

Panel reasoning and conditions

For cases the panel continued or reinstated with conditions, members emphasized supervision goals (treatment, restitution and no‑contact orders) rather than immediate revocation when the record showed mitigation, pending treatment placement, or victim recantation. Where members found admissions to serious criminal activity or strong corroborating evidence (weapon possession, resisting arrest, or multiple felony arrests), the panel voted to revoke and return the individual to custody.

What happens next

For those revoked, the Department of Corrections will process recommitment. Those reinstated must comply with the board’s specified conditions (treatment, restitution, curfew and no‑contact orders). The single parole grant (Leotis Thomas) is conditioned on parole eligibility and confirmed placement with the Louisiana Parole Project, which the board asked to host the parolee for a minimum residential period to support reentry.

Sources and quotes

The account is based on the Committee on Parole hearing transcripts for Oct. 14, 2025. As Andrew Hundley of the Louisiana Parole Project told the board about Leotis Thomas’ placement: “we would be willing to take him into our reentry program.”

The board’s actions were recorded on the hearing record for each case and reflected the panel votes announced at the end of each hearing segment.

Ending

The Committee on Parole will monitor compliance with the conditions it imposed and will reconvene or accept notifications as cases progress, including when criminal proceedings referenced at today’s hearings reach disposition.