The former police chief of Oakdale is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with an underage female following a grand jury indictment.

Joseph Wayne Lockett, 49, of Oakdale was formally charged with indecent behavior with juveniles and molestation of a juvenile after a grand jury heard testimony in the case.

The incident, which involved a victim under the age of 13, reportedly occurred in early August.

It was investigated by the Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office and turned over to the District Attorney’s Office.

Lockett turned himself into the Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office on Friday where he was booked and later released on a $120,000 bond, according to Chief Deputy Blair Fontenot.

Lockett, who also ran unsuccessfully for sheriff, served as police chief from 2016 until his resignation in 2020, after being indicted by a grand jury for cyberstalking and obstruction of justice involving the nonconsensual disclosure of a private image. He was accused of posting inappropriate photos of a female victim on social media without her consent.

The charges were investigated by state police and presented to the district attorney’s office and taken up by the grand jury.

Lockett was previously indicted in 2019 for malfeasance in office for removing inmates from the city jail for personal reasons and injuring public records by ordering jail reports to be falsified. He was also indicted for public payroll fraud for paying at least one jailer for a full shift after sending the officer home.

An investigation found that inmates, including Lockett’s son, were not being logged out when taken from the jail. Some of the inmates were taken out of jail to mow officers’ yards and work at a camp.

Lockett also came under fire by the city during his term as police chief after a routine audit questioned the use of a take-home unit and inconsistent odometer readings associated with his vehicle use.