Juvenile Becomes Violent While In State Custody

Thibodaux Chief of Police Bryan Zeringue announced that a 16-year-old juvenile male was booked on additional charges, after becoming violent while incarcerated at the Lafourche Parish Juvenile Justice Center. The juvenile’s actions resulted in him being additionally charged with Aggravated Assault, Battery of a Correctional Facility Employee, Simple Assault, Simple Criminal Damage to Property and Threatening a Public Official or Law Enforcement Officer.

The juvenile had been incarcerated at the J.J.C. Facility since June 25, 2020, following a joint investigation conducted by the Thibodaux Policed Department Criminal Investigations Division and the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, where the juvenile was linked to an ongoing string of auto thefts and business burglaries throughout Lafourche Parish.

The violence started on Sunday, September 27, 2020, shortly before 1:30 p.m., when Thibodaux Police Officer’s responded to a report from J.J.C. Staff that a juvenile male was destroying property and threatening to strike J.J.C. Staff with a piece of furniture. Upon T.P.D. Officer’s arriving on scene, they were able to make contact with the juvenile who had put down the furniture he was attempting to use as a weapon. Unfortunately, the juvenile became verbally irate and made threats to harm the officer’s as they attempted to escort him to his cell. Once realizing the officers were recoding the incident on their department issued body cameras, the juvenile increased his threats by talking directly into the camera using explicit language toward the judge who originally sent him to J.J.C. As the juvenile continued his verbal rage, he went on to make death threats to the officers and advised that he will continue to steal vehicles once he’s released, while specifically advising that he would target the officer’s personal property. Once secured safely back into his cell, the officers also learned that the juvenile had threatened five separates staff members, while spitting on one of them.

The juvenile was charged accordingly and is pending a 72-hour juvenile hearing in Thibodaux City Court.