Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office

Narcotics Investigation Leads to Arrest for Unlicensed Dental Practice

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced an investigation into drug activity at a Galliano residence led to the discovery of an unlicensed dental practice. Victoria Cheramie, 35, faces multiple charges stemming from the investigation.

As part of an investigation, narcotics agents obtained a warrant for Cheramie’s arrest and a search warrant for her residence on West 209th Street in Galliano. On August 10, 2023, narcotics agents went to the residence to conduct a search. When agents arrived, they located Cheramie inside the residence, and she was taken into custody. During a search, agents found suspected marijuana and various drug paraphernalia. Agents also discovered a large amount of dentistry tools inside the residence. Through further investigation, they determined Cheramie was conducting an unlicensed dental practice.

Cheramie was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex. She was booked on active warrants for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and obstruction of justice. She was additionally charged with possession of marijuana (2nd offense), possession of drug paraphernalia, and failure to license as a dental hygienist (R.S. 37:788). Bail is set at $126,500.

The investigation into Cheramie is continuing.

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

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NOTE: Per Article 234 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure, a booking photo cannot be released for this arrest.

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over: Checkpoint Scheduled for Friday in Lafourche Parish

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced plans for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign which runs from August 18 through September 4, 2023. The campaign is coordinated and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.

To kick off these efforts, deputies will conduct a DWI checkpoint in Lafourche Parish beginning on the evening of August 18, 2023, and it will continue into the early morning hours of August 19, 2023. During the checkpoint, deputies will be looking for drivers who are possibly impaired while checking for other traffic safety issues.

Throughout the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, additional deputies will be assigned to saturated patrol efforts to target impaired drivers and help keep motorists safe.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk driving is a deadly epidemic that takes the lives of more than 10,000 people each year, on average.

Sheriff Craig Webre reminds citizens to have a plan to get home safely before you decide to drink. NEVER drive if you have had anything to drink containing alcohol. Remember that driving under the influence of illegal narcotics can also lead to a DWI arrest. In fact, some legal medications can impair your ability to drive. Always read warning labels and instructions on prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Sheriff Webre also thanks citizens for their cooperation and patience when passing through these checkpoints and for recognizing the importance of raising awareness for safety issues.

Cut Off Man Charged with Second DWI after Driving Impaired over 100 Miles Per Hour

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced the arrest of a Cut Off man who was reportedly driving over 100 miles per hour while impaired. Matthew Carrell, 42, was arrested early Sunday morning.

At around 2:30 a.m. on August 13, 2023, deputies attempted to stop a pickup truck that they found traveling southbound at 104 miles per hour in a 55-mile-per-hour zone along LA Highway 308 in Mathews. The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Carrell, refused to stop and accelerated in an attempt to speed away from deputies. Carrell disregarded a red light and passed several vehicles In no passing zones. Carrell eventually stopped the vehicle in the 10000 block of LA Highway 308, and he was taken into custody.

Deputies identified the driver as Carrell who was showing obvious signs of impairment and had an open container of an alcoholic beverage inside the truck. During the investigation, Carrell clinched his fist and slammed it into a desk. He then approached a deputy in an aggressive manner, but deputies were able to detain Carrell without further incident. Carrell refused to submit to a field sobriety test or a breathalyzer test. Deputies later obtained a search warrant to collect Carrell’s blood for testing which was granted. They also found him to have a suspended license due to a prior DWI arrest.

Carrell was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux. He was charged with aggravated flight from an officer, DWI (2nd offense), possessing an alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle, driving under suspension, speeding, and simple assault. He was released on Sunday evening after posting bail in the amount of $38,000.

UPDATE: Arrest in Made in May 2023 Shooting Incident in Marydale

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced an arrest has been made in the investigation into a shooting in May 2023 in Thibodaux where seven people were shot. Keshon Taylor, 18, of Schriever is charged with multiple accounts of attempted murder. Detectives believe Taylor was one of at least two gunmen involved in the shooting.

At around 9:30 p.m. on May 21, 2023, deputies responded to a call of a shooting in the 300 block of Hyland Drive in Thibodaux with multiple victims. Deputies provided medical assistance to victims still on the scene. They also learned that other victims were already taken to a local hospital. Investigators identified a total of seven people shot and injured. Those victims ranged in age from 17 to 25 years of age. Another two females, ages 21 and 22, suffered injuries as the crowd was running from the scene. All nine injured were transported to hospitals for treatment.

Through investigation, detectives identified Taylor as a suspect in the shooting. Based on the evidence and the investigation, they were able to tie him to six of the seven victims and obtained a warrant for his arrest for six counts of attempted second degree murder.

On August 8, 2023, Taylor appeared in 17th Judicial District Court in Thibodaux on an unrelated matter and was taken into custody on the active warrant. He was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux. Bail is set at $500,000.

The investigation is ongoing, and detectives are asking anyone with information on this incident to submit a tip anonymously through Bayou Region Crime Stoppers 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.

REMINDER: Rape Aggression Defense Course Scheduled for August in Larose

Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will host a Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) course on August 21-23, 2023, at Larose-Cut Off Middle School located at 13356 West Main Street in Larose.

This self-defense course designed for women will take place over the course of three days. The class will begin at 6 p.m. and end around 9:30 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 and is non-refundable. Class size is limited, and advance registration is required. You can register and pay for the course online at www.LPSO.net/classes. The deadline to register for the class is August 18, 2023, at 11 a.m.

For more information, please call Lucie Morvant at (985) 446-2367 or email Captain Kevin Johnson at kevin-johnson@lpso.net.

RUNAWAY TEEN: Hae’vyn Gale

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre is asking for the public’s help in locating 15-year-old Hae’vyn Gale of Ayo Street in Raceland. He ran away from home on or around June 7, 2023. Gale is described as 5’7” tall, weighing approximately 150 pounds with black hair. He was last seen wearing a white shirt and black shorts. He is believed to still be in the central area of Lafourche Parish. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office at (985) 532-2808, or simply dial 911.

Sheriff Webre Launches Comprehensive Effort to Battle Opioid Addictions in Lafourche Parish

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced the launch of a project aimed at battling opioid addiction in Lafourche Parish. It will be called Project COPE in which “COPE” is an acronym for “Comprehensive Overdose Prevention Effort.” This effort, funded largely by a grant of over $1 million from the U.S. Department of Justice, will promote civil rights and racial equality in the identification, response, treatment, and support of those impacted by illicit opioids, stimulants and other drugs in Lafourche Parish.

“As a law enforcement agency, our interaction with drug addicts is typically when we are called to an overdose or when we are making an arrest,” said Sheriff Webre. “Sometimes that involvement doesn’t come early enough leading to devastating consequences for those involved. Through Project COPE, we are creating an opportunity for us to address the problem of addiction before it results in those serious consequences.”

The goal of Project COPE is to educate those whose lives are impacted by addiction in an effort to reduce overdose deaths and promote public safety, as well as support access to prevention, harm-reduction, treatment, and recovery services both in the community and the justice system. Project COPE will function under the direction of a steering committee comprised of representatives from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, the local court system, Lafourche Parish Government, the Lafourche Parish Coroner’s Office, Lafourche Parish public and private schools, Nicholls State University, and agencies specializing in prevention, intervention and treatment.

As a practical matter, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will reach out within the community to identify families who are struggling with loved ones using and abusing drugs. Project COPE Team members will work with families to establish services to address the needs of those battling active drug addiction. Services are designed to assist with placement in a treatment facility, aftercare services, local behavioral health services, and other referrals to resources to support recovery efforts.

According to the statistics from the Lafourche Parish Coroner’s Office (which includes statistics from area hospitals), the number of opioid overdose deaths had been steadily on the rise with 15 reported in 2017 and 23 in 2020. This number ballooned to 40 in 2021. While deputies continue to respond to overdoses, use Narcan on overdose victims, investigate and make arrests, these actions do not address the root of the issue itself which is opioid addiction. Project COPE seeks to assist in that area.

In addition to community intervention, a primary focus will involve providing more extensive substance abuse treatment to the incarcerated population, including medically assisted treatment. For years, Louisiana’s imprisonment rate was the highest in the nation, and approximately 80% of inmates who enter correctional facilities have substance use issues that contribute to criminality. The Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex already provides a comprehensive education and reentry program. Project COPE brings in the specialized components of addiction identification, expanded rehabilitation, and aftercare planning. Through this effort, all aspects of addiction can be addressed allowing intervention with each inmate booked into the Correctional Complex.

“Through Project COPE we are setting out to make a serious impact in the effort to fight opioid addiction in our community,” said Sheriff Webre. “It will take more than just one agency or one effort to overcome this issue, but we want to be a proactive partner with the community. Project COPE represents yet another way we are living out our motto of doing whatever it takes to properly serve the public.”

If you would like more information on the services provided by Project COPE, please contact the Project Director, Captain Karla Beck, LPC at 985-449-4461 or karla-beck@lpso.net, the program coordinator, Alicia P. Toups, at 985-387-4273 or alicia-toups@lpso.net. You can also contact the Project COPE response specialist, Wendy Plaisance, at 985-387-4274 or wendy-plaisance@lpso.net.

Detectives Recover Over $122,000 for Local Phone Scam Victim

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced detectives recovered over $122,000 for a Larose woman who was the victim of a phone scam.

Earlier this month, detectives opened an investigation after a Larose resident reported having been scammed. The week prior, the victim reported receiving a call from a person who identified themself as a special agent with the Social Security Administration. The scammer told the victim she had to wire over $93,000 to a bank account. She received another call the next day from the same individual saying she needed to wire another amount over $50,000 to the same account. A few days later, after wiring both accounts, the victim reported it to the bank after having sent over $146,000 to the scammer.

Detectives were assigned to the case. Upon working with the bank, they were able to locate the scammer’s account which still had over $122,000 of the victim’s money. Detectives then obtained a seizure warrant for the money and returned those funds to the victim. A search warrant for the account holder has also been submitted and investigators are waiting on those results.

While Sheriff Webre was happy to return the funding, he cautioned residents that the victim, in this case, was extremely lucky. “In most of these scam cases, the money has been voluntarily given by the victim to the scam artists and is nearly impossible to recover,” said Sheriff Webre. “This is due to a variety of reasons including the fact that these calls typically originate out of state or even out of the country. Even being able to recover the amount we did in this case, the victim still lost over $23,000 which may never be recovered. We implore residents to stop and think before they ever wire money to anyone.”

Scam artists are forever changing the form in which they present themselves, but the method is often the same: asking people to send payment immediately via prepaid debit, electronic money order, or electronic wire transfer. “They are trying to fast-talk you into parting with your money, and they don’t want you to have an opportunity to think about it or do any research,” said Sheriff Webre. They may take the form of a government agency, a healthcare or utility provider, or even law enforcement.

Anyone who has been a victim of a scam should contact local law enforcement to report it. For more information on how to educate your loved ones on signs and examples of scams and how to help yourself if you’ve been a victim, go to LPSO.net/Scams.

Click It or Ticket: Seat Belt Checkpoint Planned for May 30, 2023

Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will conduct a seat belt checkpoint on May 30, 2023, in Lafourche Parish. The checkpoint will be conducted during the daylight hours. This checkpoint is being conducted in coordination with the Click It or Ticket campaign which runs from May 22 through June 4, 2023. 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.

Concealed Carry Course Scheduled for June 3, 2023

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office has announced a Concealed Handgun Training Course will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at the LPSO Shooting Range Facility located at 3451 Highway 182 in Raceland. The class will begin at 8:00 a.m. and last until approximately 5:00 p.m. with a break for lunch. The actual ending time will vary due to class size.

The course will include the following:

One hour of instruction on handgun nomenclature and safe handling procedures of a revolver and semi-automatic pistol;
One hour of instruction on ammunition knowledge and fundamentals of pistol shooting;
Three hours of instruction on the use of deadly force and conflict resolution (includes a review of R.S. 14:18 through 14:22 and which may include a review of any other laws relating to the use of deadly force);
One hour of instruction on handgun shooting positions;
One hour of instruction on child access prevention;
Two hours of actual live range fire and proper handgun cleaning procedures. Live range fire shall include 12 rounds each at 5 feet, 10 feet, and 15 feet (36 rounds total);
Must perform at least one safe reload of the handgun at each distance; and
Must score 100% hits within the silhouette portion of an NRA B-27 type silhouette target with 36 rounds.

Participants must bring a handgun in good working condition, 50 rounds of ammunition, eye protection (sunglasses or eyeglasses are sufficient), and ear protection (muffs or plugs).

The cost for the course is $110, and a special rate of $55 is offered for seniors (ages 60+). Online registration is required in advance due to the limited class size. This course is a pre-requisite for those applying for a Concealed Handgun Permit from the State of Louisiana. Go to LPSO.net/classes to register for this course online. For more information, contact Captain Kevin Johnson at (985) 449-4481 or by email at kevin-johnson@lpso.net.