Well folks, there's a new Sheriff in town ... and what that means for the cast of A&E's hit reality show "Cajun Justice" is ... they're NO LONGER ON A REALITY SHOW.
If you didn't know ... "Cajun Justice" follows Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois and his team of deputies while they fight crime in the swamps of Louisiana ... that is until a new Sheriff took over (after filming wrapped) and decided to CLEAN HOUSE.
The Terrebonne Sheriff Dept. tells TMZ, the new head honcho -- a guy named Jerry Larpenter -- FIRED 24 people on his first day ... including 5 of the 7 cast members featured on the show. An additional 6th cast member quit to support his fellow comrades.
We're told ... not only did the new Sheriff can most the cast, but as of July 1, he banned producers from following ANYONE in his department.
Fortunately for producers, they had already shot enough footage to finish out Season 1 ... but there will be no NEW episodes featuring members of Larpenter's team.
The Terrebonne Sheriff's Dept. confirmed, "We are no longer participating in the A&E show."
It's unclear if A&E will scrap the show completely or attempt to find a new department to work with. Calls to A&E and the show's production company were not returned.