Thibodaux duo arrested for robbery, rape

A 27-year-old man wanted for reportedly robbing a Thibodaux convenience store, raping the cashier and kidnapping her was arrested early Sunday at a Houma hotel, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office reported.

Radnell “Voodoo” Thomas, of 329 California St., Thibodaux, is being held on two counts of armed robbery, forcible rape and two counts of second-degree kidnapping. His bond has been set at $1.5 million.

Thomas’ accessory, Travuan Rashun Sewike, 23, of 330 Half Oak Drive, Thibodaux, was charged with two counts of accessory after the fact.

The manhunt for Thomas started Saturday around 5:40 a.m., when he reportedly walked around the counter at Express Stop No. 5 on La. 1 after completing a transaction and told the cashier he was robbing the store, said Greg Dumas, a spokesman for the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Thomas allegedly emptied money from the register and store safe and then locked the front doors of the store, Dumas said. Authorities said Thomas forced the cashier to the store office where he sexually assaulted her.

After the rape, Thomas drug the cashier out of the store and through the front door, Dumas said. He also grabbed a customer who was entering the store to pay for gas, authorities said.

Thomas forced the cashier into the driver’s seat of the customer’s vehicle, Dumas said. The customer was seated in the middle, and Thomas sat in the passenger’s seat of the vehicle.

Dumas said Thomas ordered the cashier to drive to a spot in Thibodaux before ordering her to stop. Thomas got out of the car and the cashier and customer drove away and contacted authorities.

The cashier picked Thomas out of a photo lineup, Dumas said. His photo was distributed to hotels in the Terrebonne/ Lafourche area.

Thomas was arrested Sunday shortly after a Houma hotel clerk recognized the Thibodaux man from the photograph that had been circulated. Sewike reportedly had rented two rooms at the hotel.

Authorities with the Terrebonne and Lafourche sheriff’s offices and the Houma Police went to the rooms, but neither man was inside.

Detectives staked out the parking lot and, within an hour, a green van with a temporary license plate pulled into the hotel. Sewike was driving the van and had an unidentified woman riding with him.

When questioned, Sweike refused to give police any information, Dumas said. But the woman told authorities that Thomas was at a different motel. When deputies went to the second site, they found and arrested Thomas without incident.

In all, about 35 to 40 officers with multiple law enforcement agencies helped with the manhunt, Dumas said.