St. Tammany Sheriff Pleads Guilty and Retires After Steakhouse Beating of Podcaster

Randy Smith, the elected sheriff of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, pleaded guilty and announced his immediate retirement after admitting to battering a local podcaster at a Madisonville steakhouse in late May. The plea ends a policing career that spanned more than three decades and follows an investigation by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation after the sheriff’s office recused itself.

What Happened

State investigators say the incident occurred on May 29 at Keith Young’s Steakhouse in Madisonville. Smith, 61, approached local blogger and podcaster Bobby Couvillion, who was celebrating his 59th birthday, and allegedly put him in a chokehold, slammed him backward onto the floor, then punched and kicked him while he was prone.

“I’m going to kill you, you motherfucker,” and “You’re a dead motherfucker,” Couvillion reported Smith saying, according to investigators.

Witnesses and surveillance footage were cited in the investigators’ sworn statements. Couvillion was taken to a hospital, where medical records documented a concussion and two displaced front teeth.

Investigation and Arrests

Deputies from the sheriff’s office initially responded to emergency calls but recused themselves once it became clear the alleged assailant was the sheriff. The Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (LBI) took over the probe, interviewed bystanders and reviewed surveillance video.

Agents noted that Smith and his party had 18 alcoholic beverages on a single $346 tab that day: five glasses of wine, four vodka martinis, eight vodkas and one gin. Smith was arrested on June 4 on one count of second-degree battery and two counts of disturbing the peace. Authorities also arrested bail bondsman Gregory Saurage, who investigators allege identified Couvillion to Smith and encouraged the attack, and later drove Smith away in a sheriff’s office vehicle at Smith’s request.

Legal Outcome and Retirement

In a court hearing before St. Tammany state judge Reginald Badeaux, Smith pleaded guilty to felony second-degree battery and a misdemeanor for disturbing the peace by public intoxication. Under the plea agreement he faces between 15 and 18 months of probation and was required to vacate his office. Smith announced his retirement that afternoon, ending roughly 33 years at the St. Tammany sheriff’s office and a six-year stint as Slidell police chief beginning in 2010.

St. Tammany District Attorney Collin Sims said the resolution affirmed that public officials are not above the law and emphasized that Smith would not receive special treatment. Several local judges had recused themselves from the case before it was heard.

Local Impact

Chief Deputy Bret Ibert was named acting sheriff and said his priorities are “stability, continuity, and leadership” until voters choose a successor. Officials said the sheriff’s office finances were reportedly about $60 million in the black as of the end of June 2025. Local leaders also noted that Smith’s departure could influence a nearby ballot measure asking voters to renew a parish tax that generates more than $13 million a year for the sheriff’s office.

Background: Smith was sworn in as St. Tammany sheriff on July 1, 2016, succeeding a predecessor who later pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges and was separately convicted of child sexual molestation. Reporting contributions for this story were provided by Katie Moore and Danny Monteverde of Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana.