On September 19, 2017, the WPSO received a report of a vehicle fire off of Westmoreland Road in the western part of the parish. The burned Porsche was located. It had been placed on concrete blocks and the wheels had been removed. Criminal Patrol Sgt. Randy Reviere obtained two key pieces of evidence at the scene: a burned but readable license plate and a pair of pliers with a last name written on one of the handles.
WPSO Detective Kody Glenn began an investigation that led to the arrest of Gary Joseph LeBlanc (49), a resident of Robert, Louisiana and Wesley Herndon (28) of Pearl River County, Mississippi. A third person, Neil Kelly of Folsom, is being sought for his involvement in the crime.
The crime began when Gary Joseph LeBlanc, the owner of a 2006 Porsche automobile, approached two of his employees and offered to pay them if they would take his car so it would appear to have been stolen, and then burn the vehicle so that he could collect full value from his insurance company. The owner was frustrated because the Porsche had water damage and he was unable to sell it for its assessed worth. The two men agreed, took the Porsche from the owner’s business in Hammond, drove it to rural Washington Parish and burned it.
By following up on the evidence which had been collected, Detective Glenn was able to identify all parties in the insurance fraud scheme and the actions taken by each of them. Using interviews and social media, he discovered that Wesley Herndon was advertising the Porsche tires and rims for sale on Facebook. That discovery led to the identification of Gary Joseph LeBlanc as the person who orchestrated the attempted fraud. Detective Glenn contacted the insurance company investigator and LeBlanc’s insurance claim was never paid.
Herndon was the first to be arrested. He was placed in the Washington Parish Jail on October 26 and released the same day after posting a $5,000 bond. Herndon is charged with simple arson. Gary Joseph LeBlanc was arrested on November 8 and released the same day after posting a $10,000 bond. He is charged with arson with intent to defraud.
Sheriff Randy Seal commented on the investigation and the arrests. “First of all, Sgt. Randy Reviere did an excellent job collecting evidence on the scene. That evidence was instrumental in helping to solve this crime. Next, Detective Kody Glenn also did an excellent job in investigating this crime, identifying the guilty parties, and making the arrests. My hat is off to both of these fine officers. It is wrong for any criminals to think they can commit a crime in Washington Parish and get away with it. Our resources may not be as deep as some larger law enforcement agencies, but our officers are professional and thorough in all that they do and always work hard to solve any crime in our parish. It is a blessing for me to be able to work with the fine, dedicated men and women who wear the Washington Parish badge.”
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