On July 23, 2023 Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office received a complaint of a stolen Toyota Tacoma

which was taken out of Butler Creek hunting club near Turkey Creek. During the course of the

investigation, Detectives got a lead on a possible suspect, Branson Ford. Detectives initially questioned

Mr. Ford about the stolen vehicle in which he denied having anything to do with the theft.

Detectives gathered further information about this case and on August 29, 2023, an arrest warrant for Branson Ford was issued. Once arrested and booked into the Evangeline Parish Jail, Mr. Ford admitted to stealing the vehicle out of Butler Creek hunting club. Detectives were able to track down the location of the vehicle near Oakdale where it was recovered and returned to the owner. Mr. Ford's bond was set at $50,000.

On September 5, 2023 Detectives received information that two generators and a chainsaw was also

stolen from another camp in Butler Creek hunting club. Mr. Ford was still in custody at the Sheriff's

Office when that information was obtained. Detectives questioned Mr. Ford about the theft of these items. During that time, Mr. Ford confessed to taking the generators and chainsaw at the same time as stealing the truck. Detectives were able to recover one of the generators but are still searching for the missing chainsaw and other generator. A second arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Ford for felony theft and trespassing. His bond for these charges were set at $25,000.

As always, Sheriff Charles R. Guillory and the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office is seeking information on criminal activity and urges the public to contact their Investigation Department via phone at 337-363-2161 or through the agency's website at www.evangelineparishsheriff.org.  Any person/s reporting information will remain anonymous. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.