A ranking Assumption Sheriff’s deputy was arrested Monday night on battery charges stemming from a downtown bar fight last month, police said.
Less than two weeks ago, Thibodaux Police Chief Craig Melancon said he believed Lt. Hayes Caddou had not committed any crimes during a Feb. 2 bar fight at Last Call on West Third Street, in which several people claimed they were hit with pepper spray. Caddou was off-duty at the time of the alleged incident.
A subsequent investigation performed by the Lafourche District Attorney’s Office at Melancon’s request came to a different conclusion, however.
Caddou, 27, of 101 Alida Drive, Napoleonville, surrendered to authorities at the Thibodaux Police station, after a warrant was issued for his arrest on five counts of simple battery.
He was booked on the misdemeanor charges at the police station on Canal Boulevard and later released on a $500 personal recognizance bond.
Details on the crimes Caddou is accused of committing were not immediately available.
Neither Melancon nor Lafourche District Attorney Cam Morvant II returned multiple calls this evening.
Video footage from Last Call showed Caddou did not start a fight inside the bar around closing time on Feb. 2, Melancon said March 12.
The video failed to decisively answer who shot pepper spray into the crowd, Melancon added. At least three people received medical attention from paramedics on the scene.
Police investigators were unable to locate any witnesses or victims, making the process of determining a suspect difficult, Melancon said.
Caddou told officers on the scene that he did not start the fight. At the request of his attorney, he later refused to provide a statement to police about the incident.
Caddou serves as a narcotics detective for the Assumption Sheriff’s Office. Last year, he briefly served as the assistant warden of the Assumption jail.
It is unknown what effect this arrest will have on his job, if any.
Assumption Sheriff Mike Waguespack did not return multiple calls this evening seeking comment.
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http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20090324/ARTICLES/903241007/-1/SPORTS16?Title=February-brawl-results-in-cop-s-arrest
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