January 23, 2007
HTV-10 News
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.
