‘Swamp People’ stars call foul on battery arrest

Attorneys for two local stars of the History Channel’s “Swamp People” reality show say their clients, booked last week in Houma on charges related to the alleged beating of a man outside a Bourg convenience store, are the victims.

“We are confident that once the truth is revealed, the actions of both RJ and J-Paul will be vindicated,” says Thibodaux attorney Matthew Ory, in a written statement he authored with co-counsel Timothy Ellender Jr. “Further, we call on local law enforcement to investigate the actions of the other parties involved as we believe there is ample evidence to support the charge of aggravated assault and simple battery committed upon our clients.”

Roland Paul “R.J.” Molinere Jr., 51, 156 Matherne St. Bourg and Roland Paul “Jay Paul” Molinere III, 25, 641 Bourg-LaRose Highway, Bourg surrendered on warrants at the Terrebonne Parish jail Friday in connection with an Aug. 8 incident.

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Jerry Larpenter said that on Aug. 13 deputies received a report from the alleged victim that he had been attacked outside of Roland’s Mini Mart, 101 Bourg-Larose Highway, on Aug.8.

Larpenter said the victim told deputies that after arriving at the store just after 5 p.m. on the date of occurrence the pair beat him and struck him with a bottle, that he suffered a black eye, swollen jaw and sustained a knot to his forehead.

According to the report, the man and the Molineres became involved in an argument, and they followed his vehicle to the store with theirs.

The convenience store’s surveillance camera captured the incident. According to an official who viewed the video, it shows a pickup pulling up to the store with three men in it.

Two of the occupants went into the store while the driver waited. Another pickup with its hazard flashers blinking pulled into the lot and two men identified as the Molineres exited.

The video shows two men from the other truck emerged from the store, and the Molineres “wailing” on one of the men.

Store owner Roland Henry, a former Terrebonne Parish School Board member, broke up the fracas.

Henry did not wish to discuss the incident but confirmed that he turned over the video in response to a request from law enforcement.

The Molineres have been featured in the show’s episodes since its second season. The show focuses on teams of alligator hunters in the Terrebonne-Lafourche region and the Atchafalaya Basin, and the show’s popularity has brought celebrity status to the Molineres.

It airs regularly on the History Channel.

History Channel spokeswoman Vickie Kahn said she was not aware of the incident or the arrests when contacted.

Larpenter said his deputies asked the Molineres for a statement the day they were arrested but that they refused to supply one.

The alleged victim of the Bourg incident told deputies that there was an altercation prior to that, in Lafourche Parish.

“If anything did happen in Lafourche to the Molineres they will have to file a complaint with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office,” Larpenter said. “We don’t know what happened. The Molineres are claiming the victim threw a beer bottle out of his vehicle at them. Even though somebody threw a beer bottle, the easiest thing to do since they know the parties involved, they could have blocked the vehicle in Bourg and just called the Sheriff’s Office. We would have went over there and we would have notified Lafourche. They took it upon themselves to retaliate and two wrongs don’t make a right.”