GONZALES — A Gonzales Police officer pleaded guilty to sending anonymous and threatening text messages to multiple people dating back to September 2023, court records show.

Duane Carpenter, 48, pleaded guilty to three counts of improper telephone communication on May 22. According to court records, one of the charges, which he initially pleaded not guilty to when he was arraigned in March, was dropped.

Carpenter will serve 30 days in the Ascension Parish jail and pay a fine of $100 for the misdemeanor charges. Court records also say that he must complete a mental health evaluation and write an apology letter to the victims of the harassing messages.

Carpenter's plea follows an Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office investigation into the threatening messages. Deputies eventually found the messages on a phone belonging to Carpenter. A misdemeanor summons was then issued for Carpenter in December.

Gonzales Police Chief Sherman Jackson said that Carpenter still works at the department. According to Carpenter's LinkedIn, he has been with Gonzales Police since 1999.