BATON ROUGE — Gov. Jeff Landry on Thursday promoted a deputy secretary to be the new leader of the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

Gary Westcott replaces James LeBlanc, who left the post last week citing health reasons. Landry told the WBRZ Investigative Unit on Monday that he has asked State Police to investigate the prison agency amid allegations of rampant drug problems at its Elayn Hunt Correctional Facility at St. Gabriel.

Westcott had most recently been deputy secretary of the corrections agency.

“At a time where public safety is a top priority for citizens across our state, I can think of no better person to lead the Department of Public Safety and Corrections than Gary Westcott. He has the leadership, experience, and knowledge that is necessary to ensure this department is running in an efficient and effective manner,” Landry said in a statement.

Westcott worked for the prison system's division of probation and parole for 29 years before retiring in 2020, then was the corrections warden in Iberia Parish until earlier this year. He also has been the volleyball coach at Catholic High of New Iberia since 2017.

In February, Landry named him as deputy secretary of the corrections department. 

“Governor Landry has made it abundantly clear that fixing our prison system and enhancing public safety is of utmost importance. I am honored by his confidence in me to get the job done, and I am looking forward to getting to work,” Westcott said.

The WBRZ Investigative Unit has reported in recent days that drug use is widespread within the Elayn Hunt prison. 

"Over the weekend I had a number of conversations with (State Police) Colonel Hodges and I have instructed them to begin an investigation into the allegations that appeared in the WBRZ report and other reports that came from that particular story," Landry said Monday.