SERVING ASCENSION, ASSUMPTION & ST. JAMES PARISHES

Prairieville Man gets 10 ½ Years on Variety of Charges

          On December 11, 2017, Johnny Normand of 18014 Autumn View Dr. Prairieville, LA., age 34, pled guilty to the charges of Possession or Introduction of Contraband into a Penal Institution, Public Intimidation, Resisting an Officer, and Monetary Instrument Abuse. Normand was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Joni Buquoi, and presiding over these matters was the Honorable Judge Jason Verdigets. This guilty plea was the result of a plea agreement with prosecutors following multiple incidents. 

          On June 9, 2016, deputies with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation after answering a complaint regarding the theft of a cashier’s check. During the investigation, detectives were contacted and learned that the suspect had made a purchase with the stolen check which was associated with a closed back account. Johnny Normand was identified as a suspect in this matter and was subsequently arrested and booked into the Ascension Parish Detention Center on charges including Monetary Instrument Abuse. 

          On March 14, 2017, detectives assigned to the Ascension Parish Detention Center received information which indicated that an inmate identified as Johnny Normand, was in possession of a sharp metal object that could be potentially used as a weapon. During an emergency search of Normand’s jail cell, detectives located a sharp metal “shank-like” object approximately 8 inches in length under Normand’s mattress. Normand was immediately removed from his cell block and placed in isolation. Upon completion of this investigation, Corrections Officers attempted to move Normand to a lock-down cell. Norman resisted with force and officers had to subdue Normand during the effort to place him in lock-down. Normand was subsequently booked on the charges of Possession or Introduction of Contraband into a Penal Institution and Resisting an Officer. 

          On March 18, 2017, while Normand was still in a lock-down cell with other inmates, corrections officers conducted a search of the lock-down area. While removing inmates from this area, Normand stated to one of the officers “I will kill you when I see you on the street” along with other threats. Normand was subsequently booked on a count of Public Intimidation.

          Upon entering a guilty plea to the above-mentioned charges, as per the plea agreement with prosecutors, Judge Verdigets ordered that Normand be committed to the Louisiana Department of Corrections for a total of 10 ½ years. On the charges of Possession or Introduction of Contraband into a Penal Institution, Public Intimidation, and Monetary Instrument Abuse, Normand was sentenced to 5 years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served on each count. On the charge of Resisting an Officer, Normand was sentenced to 6 months in the parish jail with credit for time served. It was ordered that the imposed sentences for the charges of Possession or Introduction of Contraband into a Penal Institution, Public Intimidation, and Resisting an Officer are to run consecutive to one another and concurrent with the imposed sentence for the Monetary Instrument Abuse charge.