Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a man wanted for stealing several hundred dollars of merchandise from a Mathews department store has been identified and is in custody. Matthew Gasser (age 35) of Theriot was identified via an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers Bayou Region.
On March 24, 2018, a man, later identified as Gasser, stole a shopping cart full of items from the Walmart Supercenter located at 4858 Highway 1 in Mathews. The man arrived to the parking lot at around 5:45 p.m. and left the business with the several hundred dollars in merchandise over an hour later.
The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office released photos of the suspect and his vehicle. This led to numerous tips being submitted to Crime Stoppers Bayou Region identifying the suspect as Matthew Gasser, and deputies obtained a warrant for his arrest.
Gasser was subsequently arrested on April 8, 2018, in Terrebonne Parish for Domestic Abuse Battery Involving Strangulation. He will be charged with Theft of Goods in relation to the incident in Lafourche Parish. He is currently being held on $30,000 bond in Terrebonne and will be transferred to Lafourche Parish upon his release.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a man is wanted in connection to a shooting that occurred Thursday in Raceland. Cortland Patterson (age 27) of Raceland is wanted for Attempted Second Degree Murder in the incident.
Around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 12, deputies responded to a shooting on St. Patrick Street in Raceland. Upon arrival, deputies learned Patterson and a woman were involved in a verbal altercation at a residence. During the altercation, the woman told Patterson to leave the residence. Patterson exited the residence, brandished a firearm, and fired two rounds back in the direction of the woman. One of the rounds hit the residence, but the woman was not struck in the shooting. Patterson then fled the scene.
Investigators were unable to locate Patterson on Thursday, and they obtained a warrant for his arrest for Attempted Second Degree Murder. Patterson also has three outstanding warrants for Contempt of Court and a warrant for Second Degree Battery in reference to a March 2018 incident where he struck another female, causing multiple broken bones in her face. His total bond on all warrants will be set at $555,500.
Patterson’s last known address is 535 Dantin Street in Raceland. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers Bayou Region by phone at 1-800-743-7433 or online at www.crimestoppersbr.org. Tips can also be submitted using the P3 Tips app on your mobile device. Tipsters could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 in cash if the information leads to an arrest.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced one person has been arrested and three others are being sought after two people were shot during an armed robbery in Thibodaux early Thursday morning. Kyrie Verdin (age 20) of Thibodaux has been charged in the incident, and Justen Harris (age 21) of Houma is being sought as well as two other unidentified male suspects.
At around 2:40 a.m. on Thursday, April 12, deputies responded to an incident at the Cypress Court Trailer Park in Gray wherein two people had been shot. Upon arrival, deputies learned a 22-year-old male and an 18-year-old female sustained injuries in the shooting. The male was struck in the right foot and left index finger, and the female was struck on the thigh, just above the knee. Both were transported to Thibodaux Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Investigators learned Verdin had contacted the female victim earlier in the evening and told her she would be stopping by the residence. Verdin traveled to the residence with Harris and the two other men who planned to rob the male victim. Verdin was the first to approach the residence, and she made contact with the female victim outside. Investigators learned Verdin pulled the female victim aside as Harris and the other two men entered the residence. All three men were wearing hooded sweatshirts, and at least one was armed with a handgun. They allegedly broke down the male victim’s bedroom door and fired multiple rounds at him. The male victim fired several rounds back at the suspects. The female victim was in another bedroom and was struck during the exchange of gunfire.
Following an investigation, detectives obtained warrants for Verdin and Harris. Verdin was taken into custody on Thursday. She was booked on two counts of Attempted First Degree Murder and Attempted Armed Robbery. Her bond is set at $1.1 million.
Justen Harris also has active warrants for two counts of Attempted First Degree Murder and Attempted Armed Robbery. Anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts, or anyone who can possibly identify the other two male suspects in the case is asked to submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers Bayou Region by phone at 1-800-743-7433 or online at www.crimestoppersbr.org. Tips can also be submitted using the P3 Tips app on your mobile device. Tipsters could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 in cash if the information leads to an arrest.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre reported an inmate who escaped from the Lafourche Parish Detention Center Wednesday evening was captured within a few hours of his escape. Inmate Donald Jackson (age 50) was located in the area of Johnson Ridge in Terrebonne Parish.
Jackson was initially arrested by Thibodaux Police on Monday, April 9, for Felony Theft by Shoplifting and Resisting an Officer, and he was found to have a warrant for Misdemeanor Theft in the City of Thibodaux. Officers also found Jackson was wanted in Terrebonne Parish for five counts of Felony Theft, three counts of Issuing Worthless Checks, and 1 count of Resisting an Officer. He was booked into the Lafourche Parish Detention Center on Monday. Jackson was assigned to the trustee dormitory at the jail due in part to him having previously been assigned as a trustee at the Detention Center and also in part due to him being considered a low risk for escape. Due to this assignment, he was afforded opportunity to access less restrictive parts of the facility.
At around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jackson exited the Detention Center facility through the kitchen, and walked to a portion of the perimeter fence inmates normally do not have access to which he then scaled to escape. A white SUV passing by the area stopped and picked up Johnson, transporting him away from the facility. Investigators began working to track him down and established that he was in the Johnson Ridge area in Terrebonne Parish. With assistance from the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office and Louisiana Probation and Parole, deputies located Jackson in that area shortly after midnight, and he was taken into custody.
Due to being arrested in Terrebonne Parish, Jackson was booked into the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex where he remains at this time. His bond on the charges in Terrebonne is set at $134,300. Upon his return to Lafourche Parish, he will be booked with Simple Escape in addition to the aforementioned charges for Thibodaux, and his bond amount in Lafourche will increase to $60,750.
The investigation is continuing into the white SUV, which appears to have exposed sheet metal in several places on the vehicle. Anyone with information on this vehicle and its possible owner or driver asked to submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers Bayou Region by phone at 1-800-743-7433 or online at www.crimestoppersbr.org. Tips can also be submitted using the P3 Tips app on your mobile device. Tipsters could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 in cash if the information leads to an arrest.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a suspect has been arrested following an investigation into a burglary at a lumber company in Cut Off. Cameron West (age 30) of Harvey was arrested following an investigation after a tip through Crime Stoppers Bayou Region identified him as the suspect.
On the morning of February 6, 2018, deputies and detectives responded to Dufrene Building Materials at 14502 West Main Street in Cut Off in reference to an overnight burglary. Investigators determined entry was made into an office on the property. Several items were stolen including tools, communication devices, and computers which were collectively valued at several thousand dollars. Surveillance cameras captured a white male subject on video during the crime, and those photos were released to the public asking for help in identifying the suspect.
An anonymous tip submitted through Crime Stoppers Bayou Region identified Cameron West as the suspect. West already had an outstanding warrant for Illegal Possession of Stolen Things in reference to a case from January 2018 wherein deputies found he had pawned a stolen engagement ring.
Through investigation, detectives recovered some of the items from the lumber yard burglary, including items which he had sold at a pawn shop in Metairie. After obtaining a warrant for West’s arrest, detectives learned West was out of state and began working with other jurisdictions hoping to locate him. On April 3, 2018, West was taken into custody in Pike County, Mississippi. He was transported to Lafourche Parish on Tuesday, April 10 where he was booked into the Lafourche Parish Detention Center on warrants for Simple Burglary and Illegal Possession of Stolen Things. His bond was set at $25,300, but he is also being held for Louisiana Probation and Parole.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced the body of man found in a canal in Larose last month has been identified as an Ohio native. Following extensive testing and research, DNA tests and medical records confirmed the identity of the man as 68-year-old Kenneth Verbus. Originally from Ohio, Verbus had lived in the area for the past several years. Most recently, he had been staying in the Houma area.
Verbus’ body was found by two fisherman in a canal just off LA Highway 24 (Bourg-Larose Highway) in Larose on the morning of Wednesday, March 21. Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office Water Patrol deputies and detectives responded to the scene and retrieved the remains.
Detectives were unable to determine the identity of the deceased male through the initial investigation. An autopsy was conducted, and while the cause of death was not able to be determined, detectives do not suspect foul play in his death.
Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will conduct seat belt checkpoints in Lafourche Parish during the daytime hours of Wednesday, April 11 and Thursday, April 19, 2018. During these checkpoints, deputies will be checking motorists for seat belt and safety seat violations, as well as for proper inspection tags and other potential violations. Checkpoints are designed to help raise awareness for these types of violations and make the highways of the parish safer for all motorists.
The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will host a Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) course on May 14, 15, and 16, 2018, at the LPSO Law Enforcement Complex, located at 1300 Lynn Street in Thibodaux.
This self-defense course is designed exclusively for women and will take place over the course of all three days. The class will begin at 6 p.m. and end around 9 p.m. each day. Participants must attend all three days. Course instruction will be provided by certified R.A.D. instructors from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The cost of the course is $10 to cover the cost of course materials. Class size is limited, and advance registration is required. You can register online here: www.LPSO.net/RADsignup. Payment cannot be made through the online sign-up form, but the fee must be pre-paid and is non-refundable. Please send payment by mail, along with your name, address, and phone number to Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, Attn: Captain Lafate Day, 1300 Lynn Street, Thibodaux, LA 70301. Please make checks payable to the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office. The deadline to register for the class is Friday, May 11, 2018 at 11 a.m.
For more information, please contact Captain Lafate Day at (985) 449-4485 or by email at lafate-day@lpso.net.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a convicted felon was arrested during a traffic stop after deputies found him in possession of a stolen firearm. Todd Chenier (age 25) of Thibodaux also had a suspected marijuana cigarette behind his ear.
At 1:40 p.m. on Monday, April 2, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on West 8th Street in Thibodaux. Deputies made contact with the driver who was not wearing his seat belt and identified him as Lynes Jones (age 25) of Thibodaux. While speaking to Jones, deputies noticed the passenger, identified as Todd Chenier, had a suspected marijuana cigarette behind his ear. Chenier then removed the cigarette from his ear and reached into the console area, but deputies quickly removed him from the vehicle.
A K-9 unit from the Thibodaux Police Department arrived on scene and alerted to the possible presence of narcotics inside the vehicle. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, deputies recovered a loaded handgun under the passenger seat where Chenier had been sitting. No other contraband was located inside the vehicle. Chenier admitted to being in possession of the firearm, but deputies found the weapon had been reported stolen in St. Tammany Parish.
Chenier was arrested and transported to the Lafourche Parish Detention Center in Thibodaux. He was booked with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Illegal Possession of a Stolen Firearm, and Possession of Marijuana. His bond is set at $25,300.
Jones was issued a citation for the seat belt violation.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced one of the suspects in an attempted murder and armed robbery case in March now faces additional charges. Cody Dantin (age 30) of Thibodaux was charged in connection with a vehicle pursuit the preceded his arrest as well as other investigations. Preston Law (age 36) of Gray and Amber Scott (age 32) of Thibodaux were also previously arrested in the attempted murder and armed robbery case.
As previously released, a man arrived at Scott’s residence during the early morning hours of March 8, 2018, after she reportedly invited him over following several days of exchanging messages. When he arrived, Dantin pointed a rifle at the man while Law began striking the victim with an aluminum baseball bat. They allegedly stole the victim’s cell phone, shoes, and wallet, and they made statements that they desired to kill the victim. The victim was able to escape the residence and drive himself to a hospital. Dantin and Law were subsequently arrested on March 21, and Scott was arrested on March 30. All remain incarcerated at the Lafourche Parish Detention Center in Thibodaux.
On the day prior to Dantin’s arrest, at around 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20, deputies and officers with the Thibodaux Police Department began a pursuit with Dantin. He was driving a truck on St. Charles Street, which he had taken from an acquaintance without permission. Dantin continued southbound onto LA Highway 1, later turning onto St. Charles Bypass Road where he abandoned the truck in the 700 block, continuing on foot. Law enforcement officers searched the area for several hours but were unable to locate him. Then, on Wednesday morning, deputies found him hiding under his residence, and he was taken into custody without further incident. Detectives have since obtained additional warrants in relation to this incident.
In other investigations, detectives found Dantin had allegedly stolen two all-terrain vehicles and a “dirt bike” (off-road motorcycle) from residences in Raceland and Thibodaux. Investigators not only obtained warrants for Dantin in these cases, but they also recovered the stolen vehicles.
In all, Dantin is now charged with Armed Robbery with Use of a Firearm, Attempted First Degree Murder, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon in reference to the incident on March 8. He is charged with Aggravated Flight from an Officer and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle in reference to the pursuit on March 20, and he is charged with two counts of Theft in reference to the stolen vehicles in the other investigations. His total bond has increased to $4,607,000.
