Craig Dewon Batiste
Johnathan Brian Lee
Arrests Made After Shooting Incident in Vermilion Parish
According to Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Eddie Langlinais, on December 31, 2021, the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office received a call of a shooting that occurred in the 300 block of Lover’s Lane, south of Abbeville.
When Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division (CID) detectives arrived on scene, they discovered two vehicles and a residence had been shot 14 times with a .22 caliber firearm.
During the course of the investigation, Detectives identified a suspect vehicle and confirmed the driver of the vehicle as Craig Dewon Batiste (B/M, DOB: 09/26/2000) from Rayne, LA. Through further investigation of the incident, Detectives developed information identifying the shooter as Johnathan Brian Lee (H/M, DOB: 03/12/2001) from Crowley, LA.
On January 7, 2022, with the assistance of the Rayne Police Department, Bastiste was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center on a warrant for Assault by Drive-By Shooting ($50,000 bond). A subsequent search warrant was conducted on Batiste’s residence where Detectives located a .22 caliber rifle with a large-capacity magazine.
On January 11, 2022, with the assistance of the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lee was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center on a warrant for Attempted 1st Degree Murder ($150,000 bond), and Illegal Discharge of a Firearm ($25,000 bond).
This investigation is still ongoing, and additional charges may follow.
"I commend my deputies for a job well done, and I thank the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Rayne Police Department for their assistance in this investigation,” says Sheriff Mike Couvillon.