Dolores Hebert LeBoeuf
May 12, 2008May 14
May 14, 2008
Three men were arrested Tuesday morning by Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s officers as suspects in the triple homicide that occurred early Monday morning on St. Louis Street in Raceland. The arrests followed a large manhunt involving more than 60 sheriff’s officers apprehended the suspects, said Lafourche Sheriff’s Office spokesman Larry Weidel.
Darrel Charles, 18, 11 Kirkglen Loop, Houma; Clifton Bell, 28, 173 East 18th St., Larose; and Percy Lee Folse, 37, 442 St. Louis St., Raceland, are believed to have used an AK-47 assault rifle to kill the victims, whose bodies were found inside a Ford Mustang.
Charles, whose prior police record includes an arrest for possession of a stolen vehicle, possessed a Glock handgun when apprehended, authorities said.
Bell was arrested in Larose. Officers first went to his home, then to another location. Weidel said Bell had received a call on his cell phone informing him many officers were looking for him.
Officers were able to obtain Bell’s cell phone. They called him on the phone and Bell agreed to surrender, Weidel said.
A sheriff’s officer spotted Folse on Louisiana Highway 182 in Lafourche Parish, Weidel said. The officer maintained surveillance on Folse’s vehicle before identifying him as the suspect. The officer then conducted a traffic stop and arrested Folse.
Bell and Folse’s criminal records include arrests for cocaine distribution and parole violation.
Weidel said sheriff’s officers received a high degree of cooperation from Lafourche residents during the investigation.
“It’s difficult to get anybody to say anything” during many other investigations, he said. “The cooperation of the community played a big part in making the arrests.”
“Through individual work by detectives, we talked to people in the community,” he said. “We received phone calls saying, ‘This may help.'”
Officers had a description of the vehicle used by the suspects during the killings, although the description (a dark-colored vehicle) was vague.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office offered to assist in the manhunt, providing two armored vehicles, a command vehicle and additional personnel.
“We were looking for people with high-powered weapons,” Weidel said. “They (Jefferson Parish) have the vehicles and the experience looking for people like this. That’s how agencies are. They may call us in next week.”
Except the Glock, no other weapons have been recovered.
The three shooting victims were Terry Hester, 22; Brad Bourda, 27, and Chauncy Adams, 30.
