On September 29, 2017, a St. James Parish Jury found 48-year-old Ron Youngblood of 455 Fountainbleau Dr. Baton Rouge, LA. guilty on a single count of Attempted 1st Degree Murder upon a St. James Parish Sheriff’s Deputy and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Youngblood, who was originally charged with 2 counts of Attempted 1st Degree Murder and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Charles “Chuck” Long, Bruce Mohon, and Adam Koenig. Presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Tess Stromberg. This guilty verdict stems from a shootout with St. James Parish Sheriff’s deputies in a residential neighborhood.
On May 24, 2015, St. James Parish Sheriff’s Deputies responded to Legion St. in Convent, LA. after receiving reports of a male subject walking in the street with a gun. Upon the arrival of deputies, they observed a group of male subjects standing near the roadway in the area of where the complainant advised he observed a subject with a gun. Upon exiting their vehicles and attempting to make contact with the subjects, Ron Youngblood opened fire on the deputies with a 9mm handgun while trying to flee the area. The deputies returned fire subsequently striking Youngblood. Youngblood was captured shortly after, treated for his injuries, and booked into the St. James Parish Jail.
Upon the jury rendering a verdict in this matter, Judge Stromberg ordered that sentencing be deferred to a later date pending a Pre-Sentence Investigation.
On January 22, 2018, Youngblood appeared before Judge Stromberg for sentencing. Judge Stromberg ordered that Youngblood be committed to the Louisiana Department of Corrections for a total of 70 years at hard labor with credit for time served. It was further ordered that the said sentence is to be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. It should be noted that Youngblood has two prior felony convictions for Attempted Manslaughter and Simple Escape.