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INVESTIGATIVE UNIT: Dangerous trooper placed back in marked unit despite crash history
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MONROE - One week after the WBRZ Investigative Unit exposed that the son of former State Police Colonel Kevin Reeves is back in a marked unit and on patrol, we've uncovered even more taxpayer-issued units he wrecked for his previous employer.
The Investigative Unit exposed Kaleb Reeves wrecked three State Police units during his short tenure there. In two of those crashes, Reeves was deemed at fault. One of the at-fault crashes resulted in the deaths of two people.
Prior to arriving at Louisiana State Police, Kaleb Reeves worked for the Jackson Parish Sheriff's Office.
Through a public records request, the WBRZ Investigative Unit uncovered Reeves was involved in three crashes involving units in Jackson Parish. Just like State Police, Reeves was considered at-fault in two of the wrecks.
One of them involved Reeves smashing into a light pole in a parking lot at 3:30 in the morning. The crash totaled the department's brand new Ford Taurus at the time. The airbags deployed, and reports indicate Reeves' head smashed into the windshield.
Jackson Parish Sheriff Andy Brown told WBRZ at the time of Reeves' hiring at State Police, no one inquired about the crashes Reeves had with Jackson Parish. None of the Jackson Parish crashes were reported to Reeves' driving record because the two at-fault wrecks happened on private property.
In October, Reeves claimed he was racing to a call when he hit another vehicle. Witnesses said he did not have his lights or sirens activated at the time.
"It was horrifying," Witness Crystal Bracknell said. "Seeing the car when it flipped and knowing something was wrong."
Bracknell said it was clear that Reeves was not paying attention at the time of the crash. Sources said his history of wrecking police units supports that.
In 2017, lawmakers passed an exemption to Louisiana's ethics code to allow Reeves' son to keep working as a state trooper despite his father's promotion to the top spot. Kevin Reeves resigned amid numerous controversies weeks after his son's most recent wreck.
The State Office of Risk Management said it considers drivers high risk if they've been convicted of three or more moving violations in a year or a single conviction for a serious driving offense. Because Reeves has never been issued a citation in any of the crashes he's caused, he can keep driving.
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