BATON ROUGE – A Baton Rouge Police drug detective on leave amid two arrests has resigned, WBRZ Chief Investigator Chris Nakamoto learned Tuesday. 

Jason Acree resigned Monday, May 3, following two arrests tied to a corruption investigation within Baton Rouge Police and its drug squad.  Acree was arrested in February and again in April.  Among his charges are ones tied to an investigation of complaints he stole drugs from the evidence locker.

Acree was implicated in wrongdoing by a whistleblower in the department. Video obtained by the WBRZ Investigative Unit also showed Acree smashing evidence while out on a 2018 drug case. 

The whistleblower told investigators he watched Acree steal drugs from the evidence room.  

"We were working a parcel, which we do often, for FedEx," the whistleblower, identified in a TV interview as Jeremiah Ardoin, said.

Jeremiah Ardoin was featured in Chris Nakamoto’s bombshell report on allegations of wrongdoing within the BRPD drug squad.

In his TV interview, Ardoin, who was a drug squad detective, said, "we made an arrest relative to a large quantity of marijuana. Several vacuumed sealed bags. When we arrived into the processing room to package the evidence I observed Acree cut open one of the Ziplock bags with a pocket knife, and he went and retrieved smaller Ziplock baggies and placed the marijuana inside that bag as well as some thc vape pens, cartridges, and he made a statement that he was bringing the drugs to his friend and his friend liked the vape cartridges and has brought it to him on other occasions. After he packaged it, he resealed the vacuumed sealed baggie with evidence tape, and he took the drugs and had taken them outside to his unit."

Baton Rouge Police have investigated every complaint, including some against Acree, and have handed down suspensions and transfers in addition to the two arrests of Acree.

Ardoin, the whistleblower, was arrested late last year in what Ardoin believes was a setup by Acree when word spread he wanted to be transferred out of the drug division.  Ardoin faces misdemeanor charges for buying stolen merchandise.  Ardoin said the person who sold him the items was an acquaintance of Acree.

"As time went on, I started looking into things," Ardoin said. "I realized the informant, the person that I purchased items from, was a confidential informant for detective Jason Acree."

Ardoin resigned from Baton Rouge Police early last week.