ST. GABRIEL — A former Elayn Hunt employee says when she tried to report a higher-up's sexual relationship with an inmate, she was retaliated against and even physically attacked.

Major Francis Smith was arrested last week for malfeasance in office after an Iberville Parish Sheriff's office investigation determined she had given birth to an inmate's twins. 

The former employee who is claiming retaliation spoke with the WBRZ Investigative Unit on the condition of anonymity last fall.

"The whole institution knows about this ongoing thing going on with this particular officer."

We were unable to run the interview for six months because the Department of Corrections ignored our questions about Smith.

"Anybody that's dealing with this incident, something happens."

The employee told us that she had brought their relationship to the attention of higher-ups long before.

"About two years ago, I notified Warden Craig White that an employee was sleeping with an inmate. Once I told him, he told me don't tell anyone that I told him because it's bigger than what I think it is."

The employee tells us she also told another warden about the relationship and nothing was done. She says shortly after that, she was moved to a different, more dangerous unit with no explanation.

"A couple of months flew by, I get attacked by an inmate that they call his 'rat.' You know, in prison you can't really say 'rat,' but it's his confidential informant."

Photos of the injuries she sustained after the attack in February 2025 show a bloodied scalp and eye. She says she ended up resigning in July, after trying to return to work on light duty and being denied.

"I feel like it was a setup to me to get me out of the way because I knew too much that was going on."

When asked if she feels that things don't work out when employees try to report wrongdoing within the prison, she said, "It doesn't work out. It's only a matter of time before either you get put in a situation where you have to resign or they just fire you."

The employee says that this specific situation she tried to report was particularly sensitive.

"She has people that work on the yard with her, like her mom, her brother-in-law, her sister, she has a lot of family, a lot of backup. It's a lot of people involved, and that's probably what he meant when he said it's bigger than what you think, because it's a lot of people involved.

She has since filed suit against the Department of Corrections for discrimination and retaliation.