An ICE officer was arrested Friday morning after he allegedly entered his ex-girlfriend’s Covington-area apartment without her permission, according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.
58-year-old Thomas Bailey of Lecompte was taken into custody and booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center on a count of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling. He is employed at the ICE office in Oakdale, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
His ex-girlfriend was not home at the time when he entered her apartment.
“Regardless of where you work or what position you hold, the law applies equally to everyone,” St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Bret Ibert said in a statement. “When someone enters another person’s residence without permission, we are going to investigate the circumstances and take the appropriate action based on the facts of the case.”
Bailey’s employment status with ICE was unknown as of Friday afternoon.
“ICE stresses integrity and ethical behavior, and the vast majority of ICE employees perform their duties with professionalism and honor,” Department of Homeland Security officials said in a statement.
“ICE takes swift and appropriate action to investigate and cooperate with outside law enforcement agencies when allegations of criminal conduct by an employee are suspected or alleged. Due to the sensitive nature of these charges and pending litigation, ICE is unable to comment any further and defers to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.”