Attorney arrested for allegedly bringing gun and drugs onto prison premises
A Louisiana attorney faces felony charges for allegedly transporting drugs, a firearm and other items onto the grounds of the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, after the facility began cracking down on smuggled contraband. (Image from Shutterstock)
A Louisiana attorney faces felony charges for allegedly transporting drugs, a firearm and other items onto the grounds of the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, after the facility began cracking down on smuggled contraband.
Lawyer Hunter Thomas had intended to visit his client, who was incarcerated at the center, when the lawyer was intercepted for carrying inside his car a jar containing a leafy substance consistent with marijuana, a firearm with three magazines, a pair of brass knuckles, one pocketknife and rolling papers.
He was arrested at the facility, according to documents obtained by WAFB.
The Louisiana Department of Corrections had a press conference before Thomas’ arrest regarding intercepting contraband at the prison after a rash of inmate deaths—most attributed to natural causes—in 2025.
The Law Office of Veleka Eskinde, which represents Thomas, released a statement that reads in part: “Prior to meeting with his client, and while engaged in lawful professional duties, Mr. Thomas was detained and subjected to a search in connection with medications that were lawfully prescribed and secured within his privately parked vehicle—not on his person and not introduced into the facility.”
Several other arrests linked to seizing contraband have also been made.
Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.
