St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Booked on Felony Battery Charge After Steakhouse Incident

COVINGTON, La. — St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith turned himself in to the Tangipahoa Parish Jail on Thursday afternoon, June 4, 2026, facing a felony second-degree battery charge and two misdemeanor counts of disturbing the peace.

Attorney General Liz Murrill’s Louisiana Bureau of Investigation brought the charges after a six-day investigation into an incident at a Madisonville steakhouse last Friday.

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What Happened at Keith Young’s Steakhouse

According to the arrest warrant affidavit signed by LBI Special Agent Steven Brens, multiple 911 calls came in to the St. Tammany Parish Emergency Communications Center at approximately 4:31 p.m. on May 29, reporting a fight at Keith Young’s Steakhouse at 165 LA 21 in Madisonville.

Couvillion, who was seated at the bar with his wife celebrating his 59th birthday, told investigators that someone approached him from behind, grabbed him in a chokehold and violently pulled him backward off his elevated bar stool, causing him to strike the left side of his head and face on the floor. Once on the ground, the attacker punched and kicked him while repeatedly threatening his life. Multiple witnesses at the scene corroborated that the attack was initiated from behind, with no prior confrontation between the parties.

The suspect, later identified through surveillance video as Smith, was wearing a blue button-down short-sleeve shirt and dark pants. He had already left the scene before St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived. Because the incident involved an off-duty law enforcement officer, STPSO contacted the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office to take over the investigation and avoid any conflict of interest.

What the Surveillance Video Shows

LBI agents obtained approximately one hour of surveillance footage from a camera in the bar area where the incident occurred. Agent Brens, per the affidavit, documented Smith walking quickly toward Couvillion from behind, lunging toward him, and wrapping his right arm around Couvillion’s neck before pulling him violently to the ground. On the ground, Smith is seen maintaining a side control position on top of Couvillion and delivering a strike with his right hand. Restaurant patrons are seen attempting to pull Smith off the victim.

Agents also obtained Smith’s bar tab from the restaurant. It totaled $346.21 and included five glasses of Walking Fool wine, four Happy Hour vodka martinis, seven Titos Vodkas, one Tanqueray, and one Ketel One Vodka.

The victim told investigators he could smell a strong odor of alcohol on Smith’s breath during the attack. In the affidavit, Agent Brens noted that Couvillion said he is now in fear for his life given Smith’s threats and his position of authority as sheriff.

The Injuries

Medical records obtained by LBI agents during the investigation confirmed that Couvillion suffered a level-two concussion as a result of the altercation. Medical providers also documented that two of Couvillion’s front teeth were moved from their normal positions. Under Louisiana law, those injuries constitute serious bodily injury, which includes neurological impairment and potential long-term or permanent disfigurement.

Couvillion sought additional medical care from a dentist and physician in the days following the incident.

How the Investigation Unfolded

On May 30, LBI agents obtained a court-authorized search warrant to seize the restaurant’s digital video surveillance recording device, which was transported to the LBI office in Baton Rouge for forensic examination. On June 1, a second search warrant was obtained authorizing a complete forensic examination of the DVR to review footage from multiple camera angles and identify all participants.

Special Agents Johnny Morse and Brian Phillips interviewed Couvillion at St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington and photographed his injuries. LBI Supervisory Special Agent Michael Moore also assisted in the on-scene investigation.

Attorney General Liz Murrill said Thursday: “My office was asked to conduct an investigation into this matter. After the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation conducted a thorough investigation, charges were filed against St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith.”

Smith Turns Himself In, Issues Apology

Smith surrendered to the Tangipahoa Parish Jail Thursday afternoon alongside his attorney. He released a written statement apologizing to parish residents, his office’s employees, the staff and patrons of Keith Young’s Steakhouse, and his family, but did not dispute or describe the events at the restaurant.

In the statement, Smith said the incident came after ten years of online attacks on him and his wife from an individual he did not name:

“For the past ten years I have ignored hundreds of personal attacks directed at me by an individual who hides behind a computer screen. His actions were direct and intentional. As Sheriff, I have ignored the attacks, threats and lies directed at me. As a husband and father, the continued and worsening public harassment of my wife, the false statements against her and the body shaming of her are not only despicable, but unacceptable.”

Smith said he would remain in office while the case moves through the courts: “Actions have consequences. I will fully address my actions through the legal process. While doing so, I remain committed serving the citizens of St. Tammany Parish as your elected Sheriff.”

Bobby Couvillion has been a frequent and public critic of Smith on social media for years. Smith’s office previously sought a misdemeanor cyberstalking charge against Couvillion, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office was ruled against in a separate 5th Circuit civil rights case involving the arrest of a former STPSO deputy turned federal agent over critical private emails.

The arrest warrant lists a $10,000 bond with the special condition of no contact with the alleged victim, signed by a judge of the 22nd Judicial District Court, Parish of St. Tammany.

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Smith’s Background and the Road Ahead

Smith has served as St. Tammany Parish Sheriff since 2016, winning his third term in 2023 with 62 percent of the vote, according to NOLA.com. Before taking the sheriff’s post, he served as Slidell’s chief of police for six years and worked as a St. Tammany Parish deputy beginning in the late 1980s.

The case is filed in the 22nd Judicial District Court, Parish of St. Tammany, under Case Number 5-179.

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