Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a Lockport man has been arrested in connection with the theft of a boat and trailer in Larose. Francis Fonseca Jr., 39, was arrested Thursday.

On October 15, 2026, detectives began investigating the theft of a boat and trailer which had been parked on Le Village Drive in Larose and stolen overnight. Through the use of automated license plate recognition cameras, investigators were able to determine a blue Ford F-150 registered to Fonseca was used in the theft. Fonseca, who is also fitted with GPS monitoring device due to a previous arrest, was also found to be in the Larose area during the time of the theft.

Deputies located Fonseca at a boat launch in Larose, and he had one of the motors from the stolen boat in his possession. The other motor was located hidden in Lockport, and the boat and trailer were later located at a Lockport residence.

Fonseca was arrested and charged with theft of a motor vehicle and obstruction of justice. He was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux. Bail is set at $275,000.

“With all the rumors and misinformation about automated license plate recognition cameras, we wanted to highlight this case as an example of what they can do,” said Sheriff Webre. “We certainly understand privacy and surveillance concerns, but the use of the database is closely monitored, and most concerns are stemming from misinformation. These cameras are valuable law enforcement tools that help us every day to catch criminals and even locate stolen property as we did in this case.”

Francis Fonseca Jr