Louisiana State Police fired Trooper Justin Chiasson — known online as the TikTok cooking personality Stalekracker — on January 6, 2023, for code of conduct violations tied to an off-duty boat crash he left without reporting. A year later, a settlement approved by the Louisiana State Police Commission reversed the firing, replaced it with a 240-hour suspension, and awarded back pay. Chiasson then told the agency he intended to retire.1WAFB. Social Media Personality Stalekracker Reinstated as Trooper After Misconduct-Related Firing
The Boat Crash That Started It
In July 2022, Chiasson was off duty and riding as a passenger in a boat operated by Bryan Nolan on Bayou Magazille. Around 9 p.m., Nolan’s boat collided with another vessel. A passenger on the other boat, Jodi Sheets, suffered a concussion.2WBRZ. State Trooper Famous for Social Media Persona Refused Lie Detector Test After Hit-and-Run, His Wife Says
Chiasson and Nolan left the scene together instead of staying or calling for help. Wildlife agents later stopped both men in Assumption Parish. Nolan was arrested and charged with offenses including operating a vessel while impaired and hit and run involving a vessel.3WBRZ. State Police Fires Trooper Famous for Social Media Persona Chiasson himself was never criminally charged.4WAFB. La. State Police Trooper Fired for Failing to Report Boat Crash
Why Louisiana State Police Fired Him
Chiasson had been with Louisiana State Police since September 2004. Three months after the crash, in October 2022, the agency placed him on administrative leave. His wife, Amy Chiasson, said the leave was triggered by his refusal to take a polygraph examination during the internal investigation, stating that he refused “because he wasn’t taking his lieutenant down with him” and that he had previously discussed the incident with his lieutenant “as a friend.”2WBRZ. State Trooper Famous for Social Media Persona Refused Lie Detector Test After Hit-and-Run, His Wife Says
When the termination came down on January 6, 2023, the agency cited four policy violations: conduct unbecoming, lawful orders, false statements, and employee responsibilities.5KSLA. La. State Police Trooper Fired for Failing to Report Boat Crash State Police did not publicly explain what the “false statements” referred to, saying the full investigative findings would stay withheld through the 30-day appeal window.3WBRZ. State Police Fires Trooper Famous for Social Media Persona His annual salary at the time was $84,182.80.
How He Got His Job Back
Chiasson appealed to the Louisiana State Police Commission, the independent civil service board with authority over trooper personnel matters. Rather than proceed to a full hearing, the two sides negotiated. On January 4, 2024, Chiasson and the agency signed a joint settlement agreement, and at the commission’s January 11, 2024, meeting an attorney for the agency advised that settling was the “wisest course of action” to avoid the risks of protracted litigation. The commission approved it.1WAFB. Social Media Personality Stalekracker Reinstated as Trooper After Misconduct-Related Firing
The settlement wiped the termination from his personnel, internal affairs, and departmental records. In its place came a 240-hour suspension, allocated across four violations:
- Conduct Unbecoming: 40 hours
- Conformance to Laws: 40 hours
- Employee Responsibility: 120 hours
- Lawful Orders: 40 hours
The “false statements” violation from the original firing did not appear in the settlement.6Sound Off Louisiana. LSP Reinstates Justin Chaisson a.k.a. Stalekracker, Costing Taxpayers $128K
Reversing the firing entitled Chiasson to back pay for the roughly year he had been off the force. After deducting 300 hours of annual leave already paid out at the time of the original termination, the reinstatement cost taxpayers more than $128,000. He was reinstated to the rank of Master Trooper effective January 12, 2024.6Sound Off Louisiana. LSP Reinstates Justin Chaisson a.k.a. Stalekracker, Costing Taxpayers $128K
Retirement and What Comes Next
The reinstatement did not last long. Shortly after the settlement, Chiasson informed Louisiana State Police leadership that he intended to submit a request for retirement.1WAFB. Social Media Personality Stalekracker Reinstated as Trooper After Misconduct-Related Firing The practical result: he leaves the agency with a retirement on his record instead of a firing, and with back pay for the time he was off the force. His Stalekracker TikTok following and his Cajun Two Step spice line, run out of a storefront in Kentwood, Louisiana, continued throughout the case and remain active.7The Cajun Two Step. Stalekracker