KROTZ SPRINGS, La. - According to Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz, on January 22, 2024, the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office received a complaint of cruelty to a person with infirmities.
The Louisiana Governor’s Office Adult Protective Services, who gave the interview, stated that the wheelchair-bound victim reported physical abuse and medical care neglect. The victim also stated that her husband, Brent James Lahaye, knocked out some of her teeth during the abuse.
Upon further investigation by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives, it was learned that Brent Lahaye became abusive daily beginning late December of 2023.
The victim stated that Lahaye has locked her in the bedroom, isolating her from others, taken her cell phone away, as well as neglecting basic needs by leaving her in soiled diapers and not taking her to medical appointments.
The victim stated that she became very ill and Lahaye called an ambulance after a witness threatened to do so.
When questioned by detectives, Brent Lahaye denied that he was ever abusive towards the victim; however, he stated the victim told him that she was in an abusive relationship with a former partner.
On January 29, 2024, an arrest warrant was issued for Brent James Lahaye, 44, of Krotz Springs, charging him with cruelty to a person with infirmities and false imprisonment.
On February 2, 2024, St. Landry Crime Stoppers featured Brent James Lahaye on their Fugitive Friday program in an attempt to locate him and have him arrested on the warrant. That evening, a tipster saw him in Krotz Springs, and contacted the Krotz Springs Police Department for immediate assistance.
Brent Lahaye was apprehended by the Krotz Springs Police Department and transported to the St. Landry Parish Jail for booking.
“I would like to thank Crime Stoppers, the Krotz Springs Police Department, and the tipster who called in the location of Brent James Lahaye," said Sheriff Bobby Guidroz. "This case shows that when the community and law enforcement work together, we can make our community safe for everyone.”
All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
