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What to know about the Louisiana AG investigation into St.Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith.Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's office is investigating an incident involving St.Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith that includes allegations that he attacked one of his most vocal online critics on Friday at a Madisonville steakhouse.Smith, who has served as sheriff of the northshore parish since 2016, hasn't spoken publicly about the incident and hasn't responded to requests for comment.But Bobby Couvillion, a northshore resident and frequent online critic of Smith, has said he plans to file charges after Smith allegedly choked, punched and kicked him while at Keith Young's Steakhouse.Here's what we know about the investigation and the allegations against Smith.What happened at the steakhouse?Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office issued a statement Friday afternoon that said it was "aware of an incident involving Sheriff Randy Smith that occurred Friday at a Madisonville-area restaurant." In the statement, which didn't provide any details about the incident or how the sheriff's office responded to it, a spokesperson for the department said it had contacted the office of the Louisiana Attorney General to conduct an investigation.Around the same time, Bobby Couvillion, who has been a regular critic of Smith on social media, posted on Facebook that he had been attacked by Smith at Keith Young's Steakhouse near Madisonville.In the post, which has since been deleted, Couvillion claimed he "was punched numerous times" by Smith.In a phone interview, Couvillion alleged that while he was sitting at the restaurant's bar with his wife, someone came up from behind him and started choking him.He said he later identified the man as Smith and claimed that Smith kicked and punched him.He said five people had to remove Smith and that sheriff's deputies responded to the scene."I'm beat up pretty good," Couvillion said during the phone interview, which took place while he said he was being treated at a Covington hospital.Sheriff's Office spokesperson Suzanne Carboni declined to comment on Couvillion's allegations or whether Smith had been arrested or detained.Who is Randy Smith?Smith, a career law-enforcement officer, was elected to his first term as sheriff in 2016.He won his third term in 2023 with 62% of the vote, which helped solidify his standing as one of the most politically powerful elected officials in the parish.Before that, he served as Slidell's chief of police for six years and worked as a deputy in the sheriff's office beginning in 1987.In recent years, Smith has touted a falling crime rate under his watch.In February, he said major crimes in the unincorporated parts of St.Tammany fell to the lowest level in five years in 2025.He's also noted the expanded use of body cameras for deputies.He has also squabbled with other parish officials.Last year, St.Tammany Parish government filed suit against Smith after he threatened to remove deputies from security details in the parish courthouse amid a broader funding dispute.Smith has also at times drawn criticism for his handling of certain high-profile cases on the northshore, including the unsolved 2017 death of Nanette Krentel in Lacombe.Who is Bobby Couvillion?Couvillion, a Madisonville-area resident, has become one of Smith's most ardent critics on social media, regularly issuing criticism of the sheriff and other public officials.He has had other run-ins with Smith.In 2019, he was booked on a misdemeanor cyberstalking charge by the sheriff's office for allegedly sending threatening messages to a person who lived in the Covington area.He accused Smith of targeting him with the allegations for political purposes, a claim that Smith denied.It wasn't immediately clear how the cyberstalking case was resolved.What is the status of the investigation?In response to the St.Tammany Sheriff's Office request, Attorney General Liz Murrill's office said it had received a referral related to the restaurant incident and had accepted it.Through a spokesperson, Murrill declined to comment further on the investigation.The sheriff's office hasn't issued any other statements related to the investigation or the current status of Smith with the department.