March 26
March 26, 2008
Howard Edward Green
March 28, 2008
A Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s deputy was rescued from a burning patrol car by a fellow officer Thursday morning.
Authorities said Deputy Jeremy Doucet responded to a call of an intruder in a Larose residence. As Doucet was taking the suspect, David Vercher of Prairieville, into custody outside the home, he heard a loud crash.
Fellow officer Deputy Jennifer Cheramie, who was minutes behind Doucet en route to the scene, slammed into a tree in the curve of Louisiana Highway 653 and East 2nd Street.
Doucet handcuffed Vercher and drove to the deputy’s aid. The steering wheel had pinned Cheramie’s leg and was pressing on her lap preventing her escape.
Doucet grabbed his fire extinguisher and attempted to douse the fire, which continued to spread.
Doucet pulled Cheramie from the burning vehicle, dragging her to safety about 10 feet away from the fire. The blaze, in the meantime, spread through the entire interior of the police unit.
Cheramie was transported to St. Anne Hospital in Mathews, where she was treated for a broken ankle, crushed kneecap, lacerations and a break in her lower leg.
Doucet completed his arrest of Vercher and finished his shift.
Prior to Thursday’s crash, Doucet had been awarded an Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer plaque by the Larose Veterans of Foreign Wars. Authorities said in the course of one evening, he won an award, arrested an intruder and saved the life of a fellow officer.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jeremy Doucet (left) is congratulated by his supervisor, Lt. Terence Noah, after being given the Larose Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer plaque. Hours later, Doucet pulled a fellow deputy from a burning vehicle. * Photo courtesy of LPSO
