Administration

Sheriff Gary Driskell

After graduating from Morgan City High School, Gary Driskell joined the United States Army serving actively until 1990. He then joined the reserve and was called up for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. During his military career, he worked as an MP and reached the rank of Sergeant.

Driskell joined the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office in 1990 at the parish jail. Since then, he has worked his way up through the ranks being promoted to supervisor in each division he was assigned; the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center, Uniformed Patrol Section, Narcotics Section, and Criminal Investigation Section.

On January 8, 2018, Driskell was promoted to Chief Deputy. He was responsible for supervising personnel and managing the overall daily operations of the agency and assisted Sheriff Smith by promoting overall agency efficiency.

In the fall of 2023, Gary Driskell ran for Sheriff and won with 77% of the vote in a 4-candidate race. He was poised to be sworn in to take office on July 1, 2024, when the fiscal year began for Louisiana Sheriffs. 

However, Gary Driskell was sworn in early when Sheriff Blaise Smith passed away in February 2024. Driskell would complete the Sheriff's remaining four months of the current term before his formal swearing-in ceremony to begin his first elected term.

Sheriff Gary Driskell, his wife, Courtney, and son Jase reside in Morgan City. 

John Kahl

Chief Deputy

After graduating from Hanson Memorial High School, John Kahl pursued a degree in criminal justice at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In 1995, he began his career in law enforcement with the Lafayette Sheriff’s Department, working at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. In 1997, Kahl was hired as a Patrol Officer with the Broussard Police Department where he worked until being hired with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office as a Narcotics Agent in 1998.

Since his time with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office, Kahl has been assigned to the Louisiana State Police West District Narcotics Division, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Safe Streets Task Force.

In 2012, Kahl was promoted to the rank of Captain overseeing the Criminal Investigation Section, Narcotics Section, Special Response Team (SRT), Dive Team, and the Federal Liaison Division. In July of 2016, he was promoted to Major and oversees the Criminal Investigation Section.

In 2020, Kahl was promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel. 

In 2024, he was promoted to Chief Deputy by Sheriff Gary Driskell. 

Major Nick Rogers

Warden

St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center

A graduate of Berwick High School, Nick Rogers began his career in law enforcement in 2002 when he joined the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office. That same year, Rogers graduated from the Louisiana P.O.S.T. Academy and worked as a road deputy. In 2006, Rogers was promoted to the Narcotics Task Force. As a narcotics agent, he successfully completed an F.B.I. Instructor Development Course and was promoted to Lieutenant in the Patrol Division. During his time in the Narcotics and Patrol Divisions, Rogers attained multiple instructor certifications including Rapid Response to Active Shooter, TASER, and Standardized Field Sobriety Test. With those certifications, Rogers shares his expertise and experience by teaching fellow law enforcement officers attending the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office Regional Training Academy.

In 2010, Rogers was promoted to the Criminal Investigation Division as a Detective and was re-assigned to serve as a detective in the Marine Section in 2012. In 2014, Rogers led operations at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center in Centerville before returning to the Marine Section. Rogers was promoted in 2018 to command the Uniformed Patrol Section. Rogers built the Uniformed Patrol Section back up to the high standard that the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office requires of the Patrol Section. He was assigned to lead the Investigations Division in 2019. 

In January 2020, Rogers was promoted to the rank of Major and became the Warden at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.

Major Duval Arthur, III joined law enforcement in 2003 for the Berwick Police Department while also attending LSU. After graduating with a degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology, he accepted a position as a full-time law enforcement officer with the Berwick Police Department. In 2008, he accepted a position on the Narcotics Task Force at the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office. In 2016, Arthur was promoted to the rank of Captain supervising the operations of the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division. As a supervisor, he challenged the members of his division to continually strive to better themselves and the work they do in pursuing local drug dealers. In 2021, Arthur was promoted to the rank of Major, and Investigations was added under his command.

Major Arthur also serves as a team leader and sniper for the Sheriff's Office Special Response Team.