LAFAYETTE, La. – A high-ranking Lafayette Parish School System (LPSS) administrator has been arrested on felony charges in a widening investigation into construction contract irregularities.

Robert Gautreaux, 46, former director of construction, facilities, and maintenance for LPSS, was arrested Tuesday on two state felony charges: filing false public records and injuring public records. He was booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on a $20,000 bond, split evenly between the two charges.

The arrest comes after months of mounting scrutiny over alleged forgeries of contractor quotes on school construction projects valued between $50,000 and $249,999, which require at least three vendor quotes under school system policy. Multiple sources told The Current that Gautreaux is accused of altering legitimate vendor records into fabricated quotes to satisfy bidding requirements. Those same sources say he also took steps to cover his tracks once the probe began.

Superintendent Francis Touchet was reportedly aware Gautreaux was a target of the criminal investigation when he placed him on leave in mid-June. Yet, on July 1, Touchet reassigned him to a teaching position at the W.D. and Mary Baker Smith Career Center, dropping his annual salary from $104,000 to $85,000. Touchet has declined to comment on the reassignment.

The Current has been investigating LPSS construction practices since early 2025, when independent auditors flagged potential violations of public bid laws. The scrutiny intensified after the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors cited Bosco Oilfield Services for operating without a license on a $74,500 drainage project. Investigators later discovered that two quotes in LPSS files appeared falsified.

That revelation triggered a chain reaction: the licensing board referred the matter to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, which in turn led to an internal LPSS investigation and ultimately a criminal probe by Lafayette Police, launched June 18.

Contractors have since come forward with their own allegations. Josh Clements of Clements Construction confirmed that nearly two dozen quotes bearing his company’s letterhead were forged.

After learning about the forgeries, Clements recalled receiving a call from the superintendent’s office “to check in.” His response was blunt:

“I said, let me be very clear. … I’m pissed. I mean, they committed a felony.”

He said he suspected from that point that criminal charges were inevitable.

Records obtained by The Current show that at least six projects tied to forged quotes went to Butch Bergeron, a Scott-based contractor with personal ties to both Touchet and Gautreaux. Since Touchet’s appointment as superintendent in late 2023, Bergeron has received roughly $3 million in no-bid construction work across 55 projects.

Adding fuel to the controversy, public records show Touchet, Gautreaux, and Bergeron (along with their wives) joined a Facebook group for passengers of a Carnival cruise to Cozumel earlier this year. None of the men have confirmed whether they actually sailed together, but the optics have raised questions about conflicts of interest.

Gautreaux, a 23-year veteran of LPSS with no formal construction management degree, was hired as construction director in November 2023, replacing longtime facilities chief Kyle Bordelon. Unlike Bordelon, who had a construction background, Gautreaux came from an agriscience teaching and assistant principal role.

In a March 2025 interview with The Current, Gautreaux admitted he faced enormous pressure from school officials to accelerate construction work:

“The teachers at the school want this done fast, the board members want it done now so they can show things, so that makes the superintendent say let’s hurry and get this done.”

He also expressed concerns about questionable practices:

“I see things from the inside that I don’t agree with. … There are things there that I don’t like that I see, and it infuriates me.”

Gautreaux insisted at the time that he valued his reputation:

“I don’t want to do things that even look not right because it’s not what I do. … I’ve got a great name, and I’m not going to ruin it.”

If convicted, Gautreaux faces up to five years in prison on each count and fines of up to $5,000 per charge. In addition to his LPSS role, he is an elected member of the St. Landry Parish School Board.

Police confirmed the investigation is ongoing.

“I checked with the detective, and at this time, he is unsure if there will be any more arrests regarding this investigation,” said Sgt. Robin Green, spokesperson for Lafayette Police.

The arrest deepens the controversy swirling around LPSS’s handling of school construction projects and raises fresh questions about oversight, transparency, and accountability within the district.

Originally reported by Leslie Turk in The Current.