MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE DESK OF SHERIFF CHARLES R GUILLORY: STOLEN VEHICLE LOCATED!

On August 12th, 2025, at approximately 7:35 pm, the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office received a report of a stolen vehicle from the Lanse' Blue Road area near Curvy Bend Road. While investigating the incident, Deputies learned that the owner's keys had been left in the vehicle as the owner worked in the crop field. Deputies then learned the vehicle was later located in St. Landry Parish through the vehicle's "Toyota Safety Connect Response Center which is used for vehicle location services.

During that time, the vehicle was located at Frilot Street in Opelousas, just outside the city limits and unoccupied. Once the vehicle was located, the Opelousas Police Department assisted with the search for the suspects by utilizing their K-9 unit. Once the K-9 was deployed, OPD officers detained an individual who was in a nearby yard. It was later determined that the individual was in his yard and monitoring the police activity. He was then released by St. Landry Parish Sheriff's deputies, who were responding to the incident at the request of the Opelousas Police Department, without identifying the individual.

It was later determined that the stolen vehicle was a 2025 Toyota Tundra, registered to Harry West of Chataignier, La.  St. Landry Parish Sheriff deputies then had the vehicle towed by their next in line wrecker service, as this is their protocol.   The Toyota Tundra was then placed on hold to be processed by the Louisiana State Police crime lab and to be inventoried.  However, St. Landry Sheriff's deputies were able to inventory the vehicle before it was loaded onto the wrecker to prepare it for towing. During the inventory, a cell phone was recovered inside the vehicle. There was a pair of shoes on the back floorboard and a single golf club.  Also, at the time the vehicle was located on Frilot St., one other cell phone and one handgun were discovered outside the vehicle.  All three items: 2 cell phones and one handgun were sent to the State Police Crime Lab for analysis.  

Before transporting the vehicle to the State Police Crime Lab, the vehicle's owner, Harry West,  adamantly requested that he did not want the vehicle sent to the crime lab, which possibly prevented crucial evidence from being found, such as DNA.  By this request of not allowing his vehicle to be towed to the State Police Crime Lab, the burden of towing costs then became the responsibility of Mr. West.   Mr. West also stated that multiple items were missing from his vehicle, including US currency, various tools, golf clubs, and other miscellaneous items.

Anyone with information involving the theft of the Toyota Tundra from Lanse' Blue Road can call the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigating Dept. (CID) at 337-363-2161.  This is still an active ongoing investigation.

As always,  Sheriff Charles R. Guillory and the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office are always seeking information on this crime or any other criminal activity and urge the public to contact EPSO at the agency's website at www.evangelineparishsheriff.org.  Any person reporting information will remain anonymous.