LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – News 10 is learning more about the Lafayette police officer arrested for showing juveniles sexually explicit videos. Jacob Desormeaux’s police powers have been revoked, as he faces two charges of obscenity.

The officer’s arrest comes four days after police received a complaint that Desormeaux showed sexual videos to two juveniles under the age of 17. Desormeaux is now on administrative leave, as the police department’s internal affairs and criminal divisions investigate the allegations.

Meanwhile, our News 10 investigation revealed that the officer was not only on administrative leave for another incident at the time of his arrest, but he was looking to become a police officer in Abbeville.

Exclusive video shows Desormeaux in Abbeville, sitting next to Police Chief Mike Hardy at a city council meeting when he was attempting to join the department. When News 10 contacted the chief, Hardy said that after his arrest, he has thrown out Desormeaux’s application.

News 10 also learned that Lafayette police first investigated Desormeaux back in 2020. Through documents from Lafayette Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service, News 10 discovered Desormeaux had a history of failing to turn on his body camera.

This happened five separate times in 2020, the final time it happened, he was working off-duty at a restaurant.

Records from the civil service board said that Desormeaux took a man outside and put him in handcuffs after he walked into the restaurant with an unauthorized cup. The man later filed a complaint, alleging that Desormeaux used unnecessary force.

That incident, combined with Desormeaux’s prior history of failing to turn on his body camera, landed him in front of the civil service board.

Under the administration of former Lafayette Police Chief Thomas Glover, Desormeaux was suspended for 20 days without pay. Desormeaux appealed the decision in 2021, though it was never heard by the board, and he dropped the appeal.

He found himself back in the spotlight this week after he was arrested for two counts of obscenity.

“These allegations stem from a complaint we received that our officer showed videos with sexual content to juveniles,” Sergeant Robin Green with the Lafayette Police Department said.

Upon his arrest, News 10 also learned Desormeaux was already at the center of an internal affairs investigation and was on administrative leave from the department at the time of his arrest.

It’s still unclear why he was initially placed on leave, though he will not be going back to work anytime soon, as another internal affairs investigation has been opened up into his actions involving juveniles.

“Lafayette Police Department has an obligation to the citizens of this community to do what is right. What I mean by this is that we have to police our own. We are held to a higher standard, so we will not tolerate this type of behavior within our department,” Green said.

“It’s a tough job when you have to police your own, but our officers do understand that we have to do what is right, and we have to do these types of investigations. That is part of our job, so the officers here do understand that is our job. That’s the whole purpose of us having our internal affairs division. It is to police our own and make sure that when we come to work, we are doing what is right,” she added.

Desormeaux was booked into the Lafayette Parish jail Friday. His bond was set at $50,000, though he bonded out the same afternoon.

Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.