Picayune officer arrested on injuring public records charge

Picayune Police Officer Mike Alquist was arrested Aug. 11, 2026, by the Pearl River, La., Police Department and charged with injuring public records, police and city officials said.

Alquist worked for the Pearl River Police Department from April 2016 until May 2025 and has been employed with the Picayune Police Department since March, according to a statement from Picayune Chief Joe Quave. Quave said the arrest stems from a body camera video that was shared on the APR St. Tammany Facebook page.

The video shows a man identified as John Polk, a candidate for Pearl River police chief, the department statement said. APR St. Tammany posted that it did not receive the video from Alquist, and the post is among materials Quave said were attached to his public statement, along with an affidavit and the Louisiana statute cited in the charge.

Quave said Pearl River Chief Jack Sessions and Capt. Gerald Young met with him on July 6, 2026, in reference to comments Quave said Alquist made about the Pearl River department. Quave said no employment action will be taken against Alquist at this time and that Alquist will continue to serve as a Picayune police officer while the judicial process proceeds.

Quave’s statement noted his long career holding officers to a high standard and said wrongdoing by officers should be addressed, while also warning against use of the judicial system for personal or political vendettas. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.