On February 1, 2021, Joshua Hyatt of 305 W 4th St. Roanoke, LA., age 30, pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and Monetary Instrument Abuse. Hyatt was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Thomas Daigle, and presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Steven Tureau. This guilty plea was the result of a plea agreement with prosecutors following a 2019 arrest.
On January 10, 2019, a patrol deputy with the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office observed a female subject attempting to gain entry into a vehicle parked at an area convenience store. The deputy made contact with the subject who advised that she had locked the keys inside of the vehicle. As the deputy was attempting to assist the female, a male subject who was later identified as Joshua Hyatt exited the store and approached the area where the deputy was located. Due to the suspicious behavior of both subjects, a K-9 was deployed to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle which resulted in a positive alert for the presence of narcotics. The deputy then attempted to detain the subjects, however, Hyatt fled on foot along LA 1 before swimming across Bayou Lafourche. Deputies were able to apprehend Hyatt in a wooded area nearby. Upon apprehending Hyatt, deputies obtained a search warrant for the vehicle in question. During the search, deputies located a small amount of marijuana and a sawed-off shotgun. Also located in the vehicle was evidence commonly associated with financial crimes. Based on these findings, Hyatt was booked into the Assumption Parish Jail on multiple charges including Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Hyatt was also wanted out of Lafourche and St. Mary Parishes for active felony arrest warrants. Hyatt has prior felony convictions for narcotics and weapons charges along with a conviction for Simple Burglary.
Detectives responded to further investigate the items located inside of the vehicle which were deemed to be possibly associated with financial crimes. Detectives executed a second search warrant on the vehicle and seized a quantity of counterfeit cash bills along with equipment associated with the production of counterfeit money. Hyatt was subsequently charged with Monetary Instrument Abuse.
Upon entering a guilty plea to the above-mentioned charges, pursuant to the plea agreement with prosecutors, Hyatt was sentenced to 10 years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served.