Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a Transitional Work Program inmate left his job site and is now missing. Deputies are searching for Inmate John Dufren (age 52) and asking the public to report any information on his whereabouts.

At around 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25, a Golden Meadow Police officer observed a man, later identified as Dufren, walking along the shoulder of LA Highway 3235. The officer made contact with the man, and as he was attempting to verify his identity, Dufren fled on foot into a wooded area. The officer pursued but could not locate him.

Dufren is a Transitional Work Program inmate in Lafourche Parish who had been serving time for a methamphetamine distribution conviction in 2015. He was scheduled to be released in December 2018. He was assigned to a marine service company based in Galliano with a dock in Golden Meadow, but he had been working offshore since June 14, 2017. Investigators have learned that Dufren left the vessel without permission after it docked.

Deputies are now searching for Dufren as the investigation continues. Investigators ask citizens to call 911 if Dufren is seen. Otherwise, anyone with information on his possible 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.