Bourg -- A man arrested for allegedly deer hunting illegally is
arrested again, but this time for receiving stolen things and
obstruction of justice.
Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre says, Ned Dantin, 38, of Bourg,
La. was arrested Sunday, January 21, 2007 for Receiving Stolen Things
and Obstruction of Justice. And, another charge of Contempt of Court was
made on Monday, January 22nd.
Lafourche Parish Water Patrol Deputy Teddy Granier responded to a
call from Lake Long on January 19, 2007, to investigate a boating
accident that took place the night before. A boater returning from a
hunting trip struck a large object under the water creating a large hole
in the bottom of his boat.
He and his two passengers were able to get the boat to the bank and
secured before it sank. They were assisted by a male subject in a green
aluminum boat with a camouflaged motor who identified himself as Ned
Dantin. Dantin advised the men he would be around in case he was needed.
Deputy Granier secured and marked the underwater obstruction, thought
to be a sunken barge, and notified the US Coast Guard as to the incident
and location.
The driver of the wrecked boat had to seek medical attention for
injuries he received when he struck the windshield during the accident.
He returned the next morning to retrieve his damaged vessel and
discovered several items missing including a fiberglass pirogue, an
Interstate battery, an aluminum paddle, a stainless steel grapple hook,
an orange fish gripper, and two life jackets.
Water Patrol Deputy Teddy Granier met the accident victim Sunday
morning and showed him a picture of Ned Dantin whom he identified as the
man they saw the night of the accident. Deputy Granier went to Ned
Dantin’s residence to question him about the accident. No one answered
his knock on the door and he went to the rear of the residence to see if
Mr. Dantin was in the back yard. He saw the green aluminum boat with a
camouflaged motor.
The deputy also saw a grappling hook that matched the description of
the one missing. He saw a brown fiberglass pirogue in the front yard,
orange pliers, a blue life jacket and a new Interstate battery on the
floor of the vessel. All items resembled the ones reported stolen from
the vessel involved in the accident.
The deputy again knocked on the front door and Ned’s wife came to the
door but said Ned was not home. When advised by the deputy he was going
to get a search warrant, she quickly got Ned Dantin to come out from
inside the house. He was advised of his rights but said all the items
were his. Deputy Granier called for assistance from the Lafourche and
Terrebonne Sheriff’s Office. When told that the grapple hook was hand
made by the owner, Ned went to his boat and threw the grapple hook into
the middle of the bayou and then he and his wife left the area got in
his car.
The LPSO and TPSO deputies arrived on the scene and the Terrebonne
Parish Deputy granted Deputy Granier permission to retrieve the
questionable stolen items and bring them to Lafourche Parish where the
owner could identify them. Deputy Granier attempted to retrieve the
grapple hook from the middle of the bayou but after several attempts
diving in the cold muddy water was unable to do so.
The items were identified as the missing items from the damaged boat
and were returned to the owner. On Monday morning, Deputy Granier tried
to locate Ned Dantin with an arrest warrant and was told that TPSO had
already apprehended him and was holding him for questioning.
Arrangements were made for Ned Dantin to be brought back to Lafourche
Parish for questioning. After a time he admitted to throwing the grapple
hook into the bayou and that he may have taken the other items but was
“messed up on Zanex that night.
He was booked on the warrants and transported to the Lafourche Parish
Detention Center where his bond was set at $155,000 by District Judge
John LeBlanc. Ned Dantin has an extensive criminal record and was
arrested on January 5th for Criminal Trespassing and Possession of an
Illegally Taken Deer.
LPSO contributed this report.
