Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre and Thibodaux Chief of Police Bryan Zeringue announced the arrest of man wanted in a sex crime investigation since late last year. Deputies arrested Ronald Tyler Jr., 41, of Thibodaux on the active warrants following a traffic stop on Tuesday.
In December 2020, the Thibodaux Police Department announced their Criminal Investigations Division had obtained warrants for Tyler’s arrest for First Degree Rape, Home Invasion, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon in an ongoing sex crime investigation. Tyler also had an outstanding Contempt of Court warrant as well.
On July 13, 2021, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies spotted Tyler driving a car on Ridgefield Road in Thibodaux. Deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Tyler refused to stop. He continued driving until reaching his residence in the 300 block of Hyland Drive where he stopped in the driveway. Tyler exited his vehicle and attempted to run from deputies, but he was quickly apprehended.
Tyler was transported to the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex where he was booked on the aforementioned warrants. He was also charged with Flight from an Officer and Resisting an Officer. Bail is set at $782,000.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced detectives are investigating a shooting incident that occurred on Friday afternoon in Solar Trailer Park in Thibodaux. No injuries have been reported, and no arrests have been made.
Just before 1 p.m. on Friday, July 9, 2021, deputies responded to the trailer park after receiving several calls about gunshots heard in the area. Three vehicles and one residence were struck several times, but no injuries have been reported.
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 www.crimestoppersbr.org, or via the P3 Tips mobile app. Tipsters could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 in cash if the information leads to an arrest.
Sheriff Craig Webre announced the arrest of three Raceland men who were involved in a vehicle pursuit on June 15, 2021. Ta’Corein Jones, 20, and Jamyren Richard, 22, were arrested on the day of the incident. Tyrese Thomas, 22, was arrested on July 6, 2021.
At around 1 p.m. on June 15, 2021, deputies received a call about occupants in a burgundy car brandishing firearms and causing a disturbance in the area of a fast food restaurant in Mathews. While in route, deputies observed the car traveling on LA Highway 1 near its intersection with LA Highway 182 and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver of the car refused to stop, traveling down several Raceland streets. As they arrived on Garden Street, the occupants abandoned the car and began running from the scene with one passenger carrying a rifle. The unmanned vehicle continued traveling until it crashed into a ditch. Deputies followed them and immediately took Jones, one of the passengers, into custody. He was found to have marijuana and MDMA pills in his possession.
Deputies also learned Richard, who fled the scene with the rifle, was located at a residence on St. Louis Street and other patrol deputies, detectives, and narcotics agents were already on scene. Richard eventually exited the residence, and he was taken into custody without further incident. Investigators obtained a search warrant and located an AR-15 inside the residence which is believed the be the gun Richard was carrying.
Jones and Richard were booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex. Jones was charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute MDMA, Possession of Marijuana, Illegal Possession of a Firearm in the Presence of Controlled Dangerous Substances and Resisting an Officer. Jones was released on July 16, 2021 after posting $36,000 bail. Meanwhile, Richard was booked on outstanding warrants stemming from a separate case for Theft of a Firearm and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. He was charged with another firearm possession charge in this incident, as well as Resisting an Officer. Richard’s bail is set at $126,500.
Investigators identified Thomas as the driver of the car during the incident and obtained warrants for his arrest. On July 6, 2021, agents with the LPSO Narcotics section and Louisiana Probation and Parole located Thomas at his residence and took him into custody. After obtaining a search warrant for his residence, agents also located a handgun. Thomas was booked into the Correctional Complex on the warrants for Aggravated Flight from an Officer and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Bail is set at $35,000.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced detectives are investigating a case where a man shot and injured a woman before turning the gun on himself on Sunday. Montrellis Hemphill, 40, of Gray was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. A woman, who detectives believe Hemphill shot moments prior, was hospitalized with injuries but is expected to recover.
Deputies responded to Ladybug Lane in Gray after a woman in her 30s reported having been shot at around 8:40 p.m. on June 27, 2021. Deputies arrived on scene to find a man, later identified as Hemphill with a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head outside the residence. Deputies also located the woman inside the residence with several gunshot wounds. She was airlifted to a New Orleans hospital for treatment.
Through investigation thus far, detectives believe Hemphill and the woman were in an argument earlier that day, and Hemphill returned later that night and started shooting into the residence. The investigation into this incident is continuing.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced plans for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign which runs from July 1-5, 2021, centered around the Independence Day holiday. The campaign is coordinated and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.
As part of the campaign efforts, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will assign additional deputies to saturated patrol efforts to target impaired drivers and help keep motorists safe. Additionally, LPSO deputies will conduct a seat belt checkpoint and a DWI checkpoint. A seat belt checkpoint will be conducted during the evening hours of July 2, 2021. A DWI checkpoint will also begin during the evening hours of July 2, 2021, and continue into the early morning hours of the following day.
During the seat belt checkpoint, deputies will be checking motorists for seat belt and safety seat violations, as well as other violations such as expired inspection tags. During the DWI checkpoint, deputies will be looking for drivers who are possibly impaired while checking for other traffic safety issues, including but not limited to seat belt usage. Remember that Lafourche Parish is 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.
Sheriff Webre reminds citizens to designate a driver if you are going to drink. Have a plan on how you will arrive home BEFORE you leave home.
Sheriff Craig Webre announced the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will conduct a seat belt checkpoint and a DWI checkpoint on Saturday, June 26, 2021, 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 Saturday evening in Lafourche Parish, and deputies will focus on checking motorists for seat belt and child safety seat violations. A DWI checkpoint will begin Saturday evening following the seat belt checkpoint and will continue into the early morning hours of Sunday, June 27. 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 you 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.
Sheriff Craig Webre announced the arrest of a Larose man after narcotics agents found him with a variety of drugs and cash. Morris Charpentier Jr. faces several charges in the incident.
Agents had been investigating Charpentier and located him in a vehicle parked in Larose on June 16, 2021. Through further investigation, agents obtained a search warrant for the vehicle, as well as two residences in Larose and Des Allemands. During the searches, agents located an assortment of suspected narcotics including 504.8 grams of synthetic marijuana, 18.1 grams of marijuana, 7.3 grams of cocaine, 5.9 grams of methamphetamine, 20 doses of Roxicodone, and 7 doses of Xanax, as well as drug paraphernalia and over $3,000 cash.
Charpentier was arrested and booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux. He was charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Synthetic Marijuana, Marijuana, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Roxicodone, and Xanax, as well as Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bail is set at $65,300.
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.
Sheriff Craig Webre has announced the radKIDS® Defense Course slated for Monday, July 26 through Thursday, July 29 will now take place at Lafourche Fire District #3 (17462 West Main, Galliano). The course was originally scheduled to take place at The Learning Center at Lady of the Sea Hospital. Deadline for registration for this course is July 23, 2021.
The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office offered its first summer radKIDS® Defense Courses last week in Thibodaux. The next course will be held at the LPSO Range Facility (3451 Highway 182) in Raceland Tuesday, June 22 through Friday, June 25. Deadline for registration for that course is Friday, June 18.
These courses are designed for children 5 to 12 years of age and provide hands-on techniques giving children the tools they need to identify, avoid and respond to danger.
Children ages 5-7 attend daily morning sessions from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and an afternoon session is held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for children ages 8-12. Parents can elect to drop children off or stay for the two-hour program each day. Children are urged to wear comfortable clothing and tennis shoes.
The cost is $10 per child for course materials. Class size is limited, so advance registration is required. To register online, please visit LPSO.net/Classes. For more information, contact Deputy Angela Poiencot at (985) 665-7033 or angela-poiencot@lpso.net.
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“RAD” stands for “Resist Aggression Defensively.” Through radKIDS® training, children become empowered and learn to replace fear, confusion, and panic in dangerous situations with confidence, personal safety skills, and self-esteem. It is an educational opportunity for children to learn personal safety strategies as they will receive special training in school safety, 911 calls, and general awareness. On the final day, they get to “fight off” an aggressor. The courses are taught by deputies of the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office certified to instruct the children in self-defense and awareness of possible dangerous situations.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced an arrest has been made in the case of a 1977 murder of a Golden Meadow woman. Chester Vegas Sr., 78, of Cut Off has been charged with Second Degree Murder in the shooting that killed his wife, Diane Vegas, who was 32 years old at the time of her death.
“We hope this arrest can begin to bring some closure to the Vegas family who have been living with questions about Diane’s death for nearly 44 years,” said Sheriff Webre. “New information combined with the initial investigation helped us build probable cause for the arrest.”
On October 10, 1977, deputies responded to a restaurant called The Chicken House at 1908 North Bayou Drive in Golden Meadow. They discovered the body of Diane Vegas inside the restaurant with a single gunshot wound to the back.
Chester Vegas was considered a suspect until the initial investigation went cold. In October 2020, detective re-opened the case and obtained new information that led to establishing probable cause for Chester Vegas’ arrest. Detectives obtained the warrant on June 11, 2021.
Detectives made contact with Vegas on Friday, June 11, and he was placed under arrest. He was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux on one count of Second Degree Murder. He was released Friday night after posting $50,000 bail.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre reported human remains found last week in Golden Meadow have been confirmed to belong to a missing Galliano woman. Testing confirmed the identity as that of 42-year-old Michelle Griffin.
Griffin had been missing since last month. She was last seen on East 178th Street in Golden Meadow on May 19, 2021.
On June 2, 2021, detectives discovered human remains in a wooded area just north of Yankee Canal, near East 178th Street where Griffin was last seen. An autopsy was conducted at the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office. On June 8, 2021, examiners determined the remains to be that of Griffin.
The investigation into Griffin’s death is continuing. At this time, investigators have discovered no obvious signs of foul play.
