Two from Acadia arrested

Two Acadia Parish men, one from Rayne and one from Crowley, have been arrested in connection with a New Year’s Eve shooting in Vermilion Parish.
According to Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Eddie Langlinais, on Dec. 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, 21, of Rayne.
Through further investigation of the incident, detectives developed information identifying the shooter as Johnathan Brian Lee, 20, of Crowley.
On Jan. 7, 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.
His bond was set at $50,000.
A subsequent search warrant was conducted on Batiste’s residence where detectives located a .22-caliber rifle with a large-capacity magazine.
On Jan. 11, 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 first-degree murder and illegal discharge of a firearm.
His bond was set at $150,000 on the first-degree murder charge and $25,000 on the discharging of a firearm charge.
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.