UPDATE: Darline Leonard has been found and is safe.
ORIGINAL RELEASE:
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre is asking for the public’s help in locating 63-year-old Darline Leonard of Emile Street in Lockport. Leonard suffers from dementia, and she has left the residence before. She was last seen at the residence at around 8:30 p.m. on June 2, 2022. She was last seen wearing a green shirt with black capri pants and black shoes. She also has a tattoo of a bird on her shoulder and a leopard on her ankle.
Darline Leonard is described as 5’2” tall, weighing approximately 110 pounds with gray 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.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a Cut Off man has been charged with sex crimes involving a teenage girl. Ralph Cheramie Jr., 62, was arrested on Tuesday. The crimes took place nearly 20 years ago.
Through investigation, detectives learned Cheramie had inappropriate sexual contact with a juvenile girl beginning approximately 20 years ago. The first incident occurred when the girl was a young teenager. Following the investigation, detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest.
Investigators contacted Cheramie on May 31, 2022, and he was arrested. He was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex on the warrants for charges including two counts of Oral Sexual Battery, Sexual Battery, and Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile. Bail is set at $300,000.
Due to the nature of these crimes, no additional information will be released.
The investigation into Cheramie is continuing. Any other victims are encouraged to contact Lieutenant Rodney Morrison of the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at (985) 532-4359.
Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will conduct a seat belt checkpoint on June 2, 2022, in Lafourche Parish. The checkpoint will be conducted during the daylight hours on Thursday. This checkpoint is being conducted in coordination with the Click It or Ticket campaign which runs from May 23 through June 5, 2022. The campaign is coordinated and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.
During the seat belt checkpoint, deputies will be checking motorists for seat belt and safety seat violations, as well as for proper inspection tags and other potential violations. These checkpoints are designed to help raise awareness for these types of violations and make the highways of the parish safer for all motorists.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced detectives are investigating a shooting incident that resulted in the death of a Bayou Blue man on Sunday. Brandon Bradley, 43, died as a result of his injuries sustained in the shooting.
Just after 3:45 p.m. on May 29, 2022, deputies from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, as well as troopers from Louisiana State Police, responded to a report of a man being shot in Bayou Blue. The incident occurred inside a small camper in the 200 block of Lake Long Drive. Some citizens who were nearby, as well as volunteer firefighters, were already on the scene attempting life-saving measures until EMTs arrived. Bradley had suffered what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the chest, and he died at the scene as a result of his injuries.
The initial investigation revealed that a domestic argument led to Bradley being shot. The investigation into this incident is continuing.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a Thibodaux woman faces theft charges after stealing packages from mailboxes in a Chackbay subdivision. Taylor Lachney, 28, was charged after admitting to the crimes on Thursday.
Last week, detectives began investigating the theft of packages in the Sugar Ridge subdivision in Chackbay. Through investigation, detectives obtained images of a female suspect and a black Chevrolet Camaro used in the commission of the crime. After identifying the owner of the car, detectives also learned the car was sometimes used by Taylor Lachney who was identified as the female suspect in the video.
On May 26, 2022, detectives made contact with Lachney. During questioning, she admitted to stealing packages from mailboxes. Lachney was charged with three counts of misdemeanor theft in the incident.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a Labadieville man has been arrested for an attempted carjacking in Thibodaux after someone reportedly shot at him. Patrick Gilton, 41, was arrested early Wednesday morning following the incident.
At approximately 10:15 p.m. on May 24, 2022, deputies responded to an attempted carjacking at a gas station on St. Mary Street in Thibodaux. When deputies arrived, they made contact with a husband and wife who had been fueling both of their vehicles when a man, later identified as Gilton, began running toward them. The woman entered her vehicle in an attempt to leave the area, but Gilton opened the passenger door and entered the vehicle. Gilton told the woman to drive him away from the area. The woman exited her car as her husband approached the man, telling him to get out of the car. Gilton refused and made a threatening statement indicating he was armed with a weapon. Believing the man had a gun, the husband then returned to his vehicle. The man attempted to start the woman’s car, but could not, so, he ran away from the area.
As deputies searched the nearby area, they were able to locate Gilton. When deputies questioned him about the carjacking incident, he said he was trying to get away from someone shooting at him. Deputies searched the area where the alleged incident took place but could not locate any shell casings or any other signs of a shooting incident. Gilton also did not provide any other information such as who was allegedly shooting at him or why.
Gilton was arrested and booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex. He was charged with Attempted Carjacking. Bail is set at $100,000.
Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office is joining other local law enforcement agencies in participating in the Click It or Ticket campaign which runs from May 23 through June 5, 2022. The campaign is coordinated and funded by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Additional deputies will be assigned to saturated patrol efforts in conjunction with the campaign. Deputies will be checking motorists for proper seat belt and safety seat use, as well as other violations. A checkpoint will be scheduled and announced at a later date.
Click It or Ticket is a seat belt enforcement campaign aimed at increasing the national seat belt usage rate. Louisiana’s seat belt usage rate is 85.7%, which is below the national rate of 90.3%.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced narcotics agents made two arrests following a search of a Larose residence. Tevin Robinson, 30, and Taler Bryant, 32, both of Larose, were arrested on Friday.
Narcotics agents had been investigating Tevin Robinson and the sale of illegal narcotics at a residence on West 6th Street in Larose. Through investigation, agents had obtained a warrant for his arrest for Distribution of Heroin as well as a search warrant for the residence.
On May 20, 2022, agents arrived at the residence where they found Robinson with Taler Bryant. During the search, agents found a digital scale with suspected heroin and Klonopin, as well as various items commonly used in the sale of illegal narcotics. They also found suspected marijuana and a handgun with an obliterated serial number which were found to belong to Bryant. Robinson and Bryant were both arrested and transported to the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex for booking.
Robinson was booked on warrants for Distribution of Heroin and three counts of Contempt of Court. He was also charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, Possession of Klonopin and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bail is set at $56,000, and he has also been ordered to pay $2,135 in fines and costs related to the contempt warrants. Narcotics agents are continuing their investigation into Robinson, and additional charges are possible.
Bryant was booked on three warrants for Contempt of Court. She was additionally charged with Possession of Firearms with an Obliterated Number and Possession of Marijuana. She was released on Saturday, May 21 after posting bail in the amount of $16,500.
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.
Sheriff Craig Webre announced Central Lafourche High School senior Amy Chiasson has been awarded the 2022 Louisiana Sheriff’s Association Scholarship for Lafourche Parish. Chiasson will receive the $500 scholarship to assist her with expenses as she plans to attend Nicholls State University and major in Pre-professional Allied Health. On her application, Chiasson indicated plans to pursue a career in physical therapy after college. Chiasson was notified of the scholarship award and presented with a certificate on May 16, 2022, at Central Lafourche High School’s senior awards night.
Sheriff Webre congratulated Chiasson on receiving the scholarship. “Ms. Chiasson is involved in numerous school organizations and has been honored with several awards. I wish her the best of luck as she pursues her dream of a career in physical therapy.”
The Louisiana Sheriffs’ Educational Scholarship Program awards $500 to graduating high school students in parishes where the sheriffs are members of the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Honorary Membership Program. Funding for this scholarship is made possible through the generous support of Lafourche Parish’s Honorary Members. The goal of the program is to provide assistance to worthy Louisiana students in furthering their education and training with resources made available through the program.
To be eligible for the LSA scholarship, each applicant must be a Lafourche Parish resident and a high school senior planning to enroll as a full-time student at Nicholls State University or Fletcher Technical Community College. The scholarship is awarded as a gift, not a loan, to defray the rising costs of tuition and related expenses in higher education. An independent board of review selects the winner of the scholarship.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced one man has been arrested and another is being sought in an attempted armed robbery that occurred in Thibodaux on Sunday afternoon. Jayden Woods, 18, of Houma was arrested on Sunday. Investigators are still trying to identify the second person involved.
Shortly after 1 p.m. on May 15, 2022, deputies received a call of an attempted armed robbery near a pavilion in the Live Oaks subdivision just off LA 308 in Thibodaux. Deputies learned a male and female, both teenagers, were walking in the area when a black car pulled up to them with two men inside. The rear seat passenger was holding a gun and demanded whatever they had on them. The girl began to run and the driver of the car drove away from the area.
Through investigation, detectives identified the driver as Jayden Woods and obtained a warrant for his arrest. On Sunday afternoon, he was located at his residence by the Houma Police Department and taken into custody.
Woods was booked into the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex on several active warrants for Terrebonne Parish including Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule I Controlled Dangerous Substance, Transactions Involving Proceeds from Drug Offenses, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Contributing to the Delinquency of a Juvenile, and Battery of a Dating Partner (Strangulation). He remains in Terrebonne Parish where he is also being held for Lafourche Parish on a warrant for Attempted Armed Robbery in which the bail in Lafourche Parish is set at $250,000.
As detectives continue their investigation to identify the rear seat passenger, they are asking for the public’s help in this case. Anyone with information on this incident can submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers Bayou Region by phone at 1-800-743-7433, online at CrimeStoppersBR.org, or through the Bayou Tips app on mobile devices. Tipsters could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 in cash if the information leads to an arrest.
