Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office

Agents Arrest Four Men as Part of Ongoing Investigation into “Fentanyl Pills”

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced narcotics agents have arrested four men in connection with an investigation into fentanyl pills. The fentanyl is being pressed into pill form to be disguised as oxycodone and other prescription drugs.

Over the past several months, narcotics agents have been conducting the investigation, with a concentration in the central area of Lafourche Parish. As part of that investigation, agents obtained several search warrants and arrest warrants for individuals who were distributing the fentanyl pills.

The following individuals have been arrested as part of this investigation:

Zavier Triplett, 23, of Lockport was arrested on August 18 with assistance from the Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office. He was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex on two counts of distribution of fentanyl. His bail is set at $350,000.
Jeremy Arceneaux, 32, of Lockport was arrested on August 18. He was booked into the Correctional Complex on two counts of distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, misbranding or adulteration of drugs with intent to defraud or mislead, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, illegal carrying of a weapon in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance, and illegal use of a controlled drug in the presence of persons under 17 years old. His bail is set at $250,000.
Kerry Wheaton, 21, of Lockport was arrested on August 18. He was booked into the Correctional Complex with distribution of fentanyl, principal to distribution of fentanyl, and illegal carrying of a weapon in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance. He was also charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, marijuana and oxycodone.
Laquindin Randle, 25, of Houma was arrested on August 19 with the help of Louisiana State Police in Terrebonne Parish. He was booked into the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex on a Lafourche Parish warrant for distribution of fentanyl. He was additionally charged with illegal use of a controlled drug in the presence of persons under 17 years old, transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses, and possession of Schedule I and III controlled dangerous substances, as well as two counts of Schedule II controlled dangerous substances. He remains in custody in Terrebonne Parish.

Narcotics agents indicate the investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are expected. Agents also caution the public to be on the lookout for these pills and monitor children and family members for any and all medications they are taking.

Citizens are reminded that they can report any drug-related or suspicious activity. Information can be reported directly to the Narcotics section commander, Lieutenant Derek Champagne, at (985) 532-4365 or derek-champagne@lpso.net. Information can also be reported anonymously through Crime Stoppers Bayou Region at 1-800-743-7433, online at CrimeStoppersBR.org, or via the Bayou Tips app on mobile devices.

NOTE: Per Act 494 (effective June 2022), these mug shots will not be released.

Thibodaux Man Arrested Following Shooting on Paula Drive

One man was injured and another is in custody following a shooting on Paula Drive on Sunday. Blake Chiasson Jr., 20 is charged with aggravated second degree battery in the incident.

Just after 3 p.m. on August 21, 2022, deputies responded to a reported shooting in the 500 block of Paula Drive in Thibodaux. They found a 40-year-old man who had been shot in the leg. Deputies performed emergency care for the victim until medical personnel arrived at the scene. He was transported to a hospital by helicopter for treatment of his injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening.

Through investigation, detectives learned Blake Chiasson was sitting in a car parked on Paula Drive when the victim and two others walked up. Chiasson got into an argument with the victim. At one point, Chiasson pulled out a pistol and fired a single round striking the victim in the left leg. Chiasson then fled the scene in the car.

Later that afternoon, the car was located at a truck stop on LA 3185 in Thibodaux, and Chiasson was taken into custody. Following questioning, he was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux. He was charged with aggravated second degree battery. Bail is set at $100,000.

Seat Belt and DWI Checkpoints Planned for August 19, 2022

Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will conduct a seat belt checkpoint and a DWI checkpoint on Friday, August 19, 2022, in Lafourche Parish. These checkpoints are designed to help raise awareness for these types of violations and make the highways of the parish safer for all motorists.

A seat belt checkpoint will be conducted Friday evening in Lafourche Parish, and deputies will focus on checking motorists for seat belt and child safety seat violations. A DWI checkpoint will begin Friday evening following the seat belt checkpoint and will continue into the early morning hours of Saturday, August 20. During the DWI checkpoint, deputies will be looking for drivers who are possibly impaired while checking for other traffic safety issues.

Sheriff Webre reminds citizens to designate a driver if they are going to drink. Motorists suspected of DWI who refuse to submit to a breathalyzer test will lose their driver’s license for one year (first offense). For a second offense, the penalty increases to two years. Anyone convicted of a DWI offense while their driver’s license is suspended because of another DWI offense will face automatic prison time. Lafourche Parish is also a “No Refusal” parish, meaning if a suspected drunk driver refuses a breathalyzer test, deputies will seek a search warrant to have that person’s blood tested.

RUNAWAY TEEN: Brooklyn Landry

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre is asking for the public’s help in locating 16-year-old Brooklyn Landry of Second Street in Lockport. Landry attended school at Central Lafourche High School today, but she did not return home after school. She was last seen at school wearing her school uniform. Landry is described as 4’11” tall, weighing approximately 100 pounds with brown hair. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office at (985) 532-2808, or simply dial 911.

RUNAWAY TEEN: Somer Strickland

UPDATE: Strickland has been found and is safe.

ORIGINAL RELEASE:

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre is asking for the public’s help in locating 17-year-old Somer Strickland of North Main Street in Lockport. She was last seen at her residence at 4 p.m. on August 10, 2022, when her grandmother left the residence. When the grandmother returned at around 6 p.m., Strickland was not at the residence, and a suitcase was also missing. Detectives believe that the juvenile had coordinated with friends from her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to come to pick her up while her grandmother was away. It is believed that she may be headed to Mobile or already there.

Somer Strickland is described as 5’2″ tall, weighing approximately 160 pounds with black hair. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office at (985) 532-2808, or simply dial 911.

Suspected Drug Dealer Found with Heroin and Fentanyl

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced narcotics agents arrested a Thibodaux man believed to be selling heroin and fentanyl. Jared Benoit, 31, of Thibodaux faces several charges following his arrest on Saturday.

Narcotics agents had recently opened an investigation into Benoit for drug distribution. On August 6, agents coordinated with patrol deputies who conducted a traffic stop on Benoit in the Raceland area. After obtaining consent to search his vehicle, agents located approximately 58 grams of a substance believed to be a mix of heroin and fentanyl. After learning of additional items at his residence, agents proceeded to Benoit’s Thibodaux home where they found additional amounts of heroin and suboxone.

Benoit was arrested and booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, as well as possession of suboxone. Bail is set at $155,000.

NOTE: Per Act 494 (effective June 2022), no mug shot will be released.

LPSO to Conduct Online Tax Title Sale on August 30, 2022

Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will host a tax title sale on Tuesday, August 30, 2022. The tax sale will begin at 8 A.M. and conclude at 8 P.M. or earlier if all properties are sold. By hosting the sale online, bidders that would not normally be able to attend the auction in person are still able to participate.

This sale is open to the general public. A list of available properties and online registration will be available beginning on August 16, 2022, through our website at LPSO.net/TaxSale. Bidders are encouraged to participate online from the comfort and privacy of their own computer, but if you wish to attend in person, a limited number of computer terminals will be available on the date of the tax sale on the third floor of the Ferd H. Block Building, located at 200 West 2nd Street in Thibodaux. These computer terminals will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. An LPSO representative will be on hand to answer any questions and direct you to a computer terminal.

A tax title sale is the sale of properties that have delinquent taxes due. The tax titles for these properties are sold to the public for the amount of the delinquent taxes due, plus any accrued interest, penalties, costs, and other statutory impositions. The tax title sale is a “low bid wins” style auction in which the property is sold to the purchaser willing to bid on the least percent ownership interest in the property. Winning bidders of the tax sale are expected to pay for their purchases within 72 hours of the close of the auction. Payment must be made in full, and all sales are final.

To avoid having property sold at tax sale, property owners must pay property taxes by 11:59 P.M. on August 25, 2022. Bills not paid in full by that time will result in the property being sold at the tax sale. Tax payments can be made in person at the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office Administration Office (200 Canal Boulevard, Thibodaux) or the South Lafourche Substation (102 W. 91st Street, Cut Off). Only cash, certified check, or money order will be accepted at those locations.

Tax payments can also be made online at LPSO.net/PayMyTaxes until August 15, 2022.

For additional information, property owners can call the Thibodaux office at (985) 449-4430 or the Cut Off office at (985) 632-5843.

This auction and all future tax sales can be viewed online at LPSO.net/TaxSale. Using the convenient search options, bidders can set the parameters for any property that falls within their interests and budget.

Golden Meadow Man Charged in Accidental Overdose of Child

Sheriff Craig Webre and Golden Meadow Chief of Police Troy Dufrene announced a man has been charged after his child suffered an opioid overdose. Dontrell Williams Sr., 41, of Golden Meadow was arrested on Wednesday.

Just before 11:30 a.m. on July 27, 2022, Golden Meadow Police officers and other emergency personnel responded to a 911 call of a toddler not breathing on North 3rd Street in Golden Meadow. A bystander began performing lifesaving measures on the child until an ambulance arrived. The child was taken to a local hospital where it was discovered he was suffering from an opioid overdose. The child became stable and was airlifted to a New Orleans hospital for further treatment.

Detectives contacted the family at the hospital. During questioning, the child’s father, Dontrell Williams Sr., eventually admitted to having heroin in his vehicle which led to accidental ingestion. Investigators believe Williams disposed of the heroin before emergency personnel arrived.

Williams was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux. He was charged with Second Degree Cruelty to Juveniles, Possession of Heroin, and violation of a drug-free zone (due to the proximity of a school). Bail is set at $56,000.

Investigation into Drugs and Stolen ATVs leads to Four Arrests

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced an investigation into drugs and stolen ATVs this week led to four arrests. Jordan Tardo, 30, Cedric Tillman, 37, Kyle Massey, 22, all of Thibodaux, were arrested along with Richard Woods Jr., 33, of Raceland.

On July 26, 2022, patrol deputies responded to a robbery at a mini-storage on LA 3185 in Thibodaux where a man had reportedly punched another man and had taken his wallet and phone. Cedric Tillman was developed as a suspect in this incident.

Meanwhile, detectives also began investigating a report of two ATVs having been stolen from a residence on Constant Drive in Thibodaux. Through investigation, detectives found the stolen ATVs were seen at Jordan Tardo’s residence on Ledet Drive in Thibodaux. Tardo had an active warrant for distribution of heroin in an ongoing narcotics investigation.

Narcotics agents, detectives, and patrol deputies located Tardo at his residence and took him into custody. Coincidentally, Tillman was at Tardo’s residence, and so, he was also arrested for the robbery that had occurred earlier that day. Agents obtained a search warrant for the residence and found methamphetamine packaged for individual sale. The stolen ATVs were not at the residence, but detectives learned Tardo had sold the ATVs to Richard Woods for $300, and the ATV’s were taken to the residence of Kyle Massey on St. Charles Bypass Road in Thibodaux. Detectives went to the residence, recovered the ATVs, and arrested Massey and Woods for possession of stolen property.

All four were booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex and charged as follows:

Tillman was charged with Simple Robbery. Bail is set at $75,000.
Tardo was booked on a warrant for distribution of heroin. He was additionally charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and illegal possession of stolen things. Bail is set at $270,000. He is also being held for Louisiana Probation and Parole.
Massey was charged with illegal possession of stolen things. He also had a bond surrender for a previous charge of firearm possession by a convicted felon. Bail is set at $35,000.
Woods was charged with illegal possession of stolen things. Bail is set at $10,000.

NOTE: Per Act 494 (effective June 2022), mug shots will not be released.

Golden Meadow Man Arrested for Placing Hidden Cameras in Woman’s Home

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre and Golden Meadow Chief of Police Troy Dufrene announced a Golden Meadow man has been arrested after hiding cameras in a woman’s home. Ricky Cheramie, 65, was charged with video voyeurism on Monday.

On July 24, 2022, a woman contacted the Golden Meadow Police Department and reported finding a camera hidden inside her home. When she checked the memory card inside the camera, she found nude photos of her were stored on the card. Due to the nature of the investigation, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives were contacted for assistance. Detectives found photos of Ricky Cheramie, a man known to the woman, were also on the memory card. In the photos, he appeared to be setting up the camera. A search of the residence resulted in detectives finding two more cameras at the residence.

On July 25, detectives made contact with Cheramie. During questioning, he admitted to having set up the cameras in an attempt to capture images of the woman. He also confessed to having some of the images on his phone.

Cheramie was arrested and booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex. He was charged with video voyeurism. Bail is set at $10,000.

The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible.