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'''Jeffery Earl Britt''', known as '''Jeff Britt''' (born February 15, 1965), is a [[business]]man from Monterey in Catahoula Parish, [[Louisiana]], who from 1992 to 1999 served as the [[sheriff]] of his neighboring Tensas Parish, the smallest of the state's sixty-four parishes.

'''Jeffery Earl Britt''', known as '''Jeff Britt''' (born February 15, 1965), is a [[business]]man from Monterey in Catahoula Parish, [[Louisiana]], who from 1992 to 1999 served as the [[sheriff]] of his neighboring Tensas Parish, the smallest of the state's sixty-four parishes.

Britt is the son of the pharmacist Edwin Earl Britt (born April 7, 1941), who opened his practice in Newellton in 1964.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwin-britt-2018467b|title=Edwin Britt|publisher=LinkedIn.com|accessdate=August 20, 2018}}</ref> He has a brother, Jay Kenneth Britt (born May 8, 1970), a captain for the Ouachita Parish Fire Department, whose son, Zechariah Quitman Britt (1991-2108), died at the age of twenty-seven in [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], Louisiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/192089651/zechariah-quitman-britt|title=Zechariah Quitman Britt|publisher=Findagrave.com|accessdate=August 20, 2018}}</ref> Britt graduated in 1983 from the former Newellton High School and attended thereafter the University of Louisiana at [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]]. His father had graduated in the ULM pharmacy program. At the age of barely twenty-six, Britt was elected sheriff in 1991, when he unseated his fellow [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] Fred E. Scott with 56 percent of the ballots cast.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical|title=Election Returns: Tensas Parish|date=October 19, 1991|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=August 20, 2018}}</ref> He was reelected in 1995 but left the office before the expiration of his second term. Britt was accused of mistreating, lying to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], and charging taxpayers for personal expenses. Britt said in his trial that he never struck an inmate except in self-defense. The trial ended in a hung jury as he accumulated more than $500,000 in legal fees.  Rather than face a looming second trial, he accepted a [[plea bargain]], which stipulated resignation from office, four years of [[probation]], payment of more than $21,000 in restitution, and the ending of his law-enforcement career.<ref name=jbe/>

Britt is the son of the pharmacist Edwin Earl Britt (born April 7, 1941), who opened his practice in Newellton in 1964.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwin-britt-2018467b|title=Edwin Britt|publisher=LinkedIn.com|accessdate=August 20, 2018}}</ref> He has a brother, Jay Kenneth Britt (born May 8, 1970), a captain for the Ouachita Parish Fire Department, whose son, Zechariah Quitman Britt (1991-2108), died at the age of twenty-seven in [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], Louisiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/192089651/zechariah-quitman-britt|title=Zechariah Quitman Britt|publisher=Findagrave.com|accessdate=August 20, 2018}}</ref> Britt graduated in 1983 from the former Newellton High School and attended thereafter the University of Louisiana at [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]]. His father had graduated in the ULM pharmacy program. At the age of barely twenty-six, Britt was elected sheriff in 1991, when he unseated his fellow [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] Fred E. Scott with 56 percent of the ballots cast.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical|title=Election Returns: Tensas Parish|date=October 19, 1991|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=August 20, 2018}}</ref> He was reelected in 1995 with 59 percent of the vote<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical|title=Election Returns: Tensas Parish|date=October 21, 1995|accessdate=August 20, 2018}}</ref> but resigned his office prior to the expiration of his second term. Britt was accused of mistreating inmates, lying to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], and charging taxpayers for personal expenses. Britt said in his trial that he never struck an inmate except in self-defense. The trial ended in a hung jury as he accumulated more than $500,000 in legal fees.  Rather than face a looming second trial, he accepted a [[plea bargain]], which stipulated resignation from office, four years of [[probation]], payment of more than $21,000 in restitution, and the ending of his law-enforcement career.<ref name=jbe/>

In 2017, Democratic [[Governor]] [[John Bel Edwards]] pardoned Britt, an action that Edwards' predecessor, [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Bobby Jindal]], had declined. The pardon was endorsed by the sheriff and district attorney of Catahoula Parish. In 2018, Edwards appointed Britt to a state agency, the Used Motor Vehicle Commission. Britt said that he welcomed the appointment and said that the state should not put "a leper bell on someone for the rest of his life." Since resigning as sheriff, Britt has been a vendor selling mostly snack goods to sheriffs and inmates across North Louisiana.<ref name=jbe>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_3bbbf70c-a0de-11e8-a69c-ab023a8e364f.html|title=Gov. Edwards pardons ex-sheriff with felony record, appoints him to board governing car dealers|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=August 19, 2018|author=Gordon Russell and Elizabeth Crisp|accessdate=August 20, 2018}}</ref>

In 2017, Democratic [[Governor]] [[John Bel Edwards]] pardoned Britt, an action that Edwards' predecessor, [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Bobby Jindal]], had declined. The pardon was endorsed by the sheriff and district attorney of Catahoula Parish. In 2018, Edwards appointed Britt to a state agency, the Used Motor Vehicle Commission. Britt said that he welcomed the appointment and said that the state should not put "a leper bell on someone for the rest of his life." Since resigning as sheriff, Britt has been a vendor selling mostly snack goods to sheriffs and inmates across North Louisiana.<ref name=jbe>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_3bbbf70c-a0de-11e8-a69c-ab023a8e364f.html|title=Gov. Edwards pardons ex-sheriff with felony record, appoints him to board governing car dealers|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=August 19, 2018|author=Gordon Russell and Elizabeth Crisp|accessdate=August 20, 2018}}</ref>