Baton Rouge Police are investigating the disappearance of items like a copier and treadmill from a local community center in Scotlandville, Chief Thomas Morse said Friday, after an audit raised questions about the center’s management.
Published by the East Baton Rouge Parish auditors last month, the report said at least $30,000 worth of items — including a $13,000 copier, a treadmill, 10 computers and more — were gone from the Jewel J. Newman Community Center.
It also questioned leadership appointed by previous District 2 Metro Council member Chauna Banks. The auditor found that items bought by the center were delivered to Banks’ home.
Morse said that Banks herself was currently “not specifically” the subject of the criminal investigation.
“What we’re investigating is whether any criminal activity took place in correlation with that audit that shows missing property,” Morse said.
An audit of the center was conducted after Banks left office at the end of 2024 when new District 2 council member Anthony Kenney took over the seat.
Banks has said the audit was prompted by “an agenda” that Kenny and Parish Attorney Greg Rome had against her.
Like Kenney, Banks also had the same type of audit completed when she took office in 2013.
City-parish auditors found that management lacked internal financial controls. They said credit card spending at the center surged by more than 400% during Banks’ final year in office compared to the average over the previous eight years; Banks has said that was part of an effort to improve the property.
Investigators discovered several items belonging to the center at another city-parish facility, where Banks’ nonprofit operated. At the final Metro Council meeting of 2024, members approved allowing Banks’ nonprofit to operate there — though the agreement has not yet been signed or executed, city-parish officials said.
When asked to comment on BRPD’s investigation Friday, Banks said “They can if they want to, I mean, what’re they gonna do?”
She added that she still had yet to review the city-parish’s audit.
Councilman Kenney declined to comment.
