The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office has advised that 30 year-old Deandre Dominique Wheeler from Ponchatoula was arrested and booked Wednesday (May 21, 2025) on one count of 2nd Degree Murder, Distribution of Fentanyl, Possession With Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Marijuana, as well as Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
On July 22, 2022, TPSO deputies responded to a home in the Ponchatoula area for a report of an unresponsive 19-year-old male, identified as Louis Reynier. Despite life-saving efforts, Reynier died. An autopsy confirmed the death as the result of an overdose with a significant amount of Fentanyl present in the victim’s blood. The case remained under investigation for more than year, but ultimately went cold.
Following the April 25, 2025, announcement of a murder arrest in connection with the overdose death of a Tickfaw man, Reynier’s sister raised awareness to her brother’s dormant case which led current TPSO Narcotics detectives to examine the file.
After a month of review and additional investigative efforts, Wheeler was confirmed as the individual who sold Reynier the drugs that killed him. Wheeler was taken into custody at his home in the Ponchatoula area. During his arrest, evidence of drug distribution was found in the home including counterfeit Xanax pills suspected to contain Fentanyl, Marijuana, digital scales, packaging materials, and various cellular devices. Wheeler had just been arrested in February for drug-related crimes, the latest in a drug-arrest history dating back almost a decade.
“Since joining the TPSO team as its leader in July, the men and women of this agency have risen to my challenge to break down the culture of this sheriff’s office and rebuild it into one that people can turn to with trust and faith that if justice can, and should, be served, it will. That includes reconsidering cases from the past that may have missed that opportunity, for a number of reasons,” said Sheriff Gerald Sticker, “This team has done that, time and time again, despite budgetary and staffing deficiencies, by providing a fresh pair of eyes and perspectives, not only on facts, but on principles. I’m proud to share yet another example of our spotlight on the drug war getting brighter and bigger. This isn’t just about getting drugs, and usually guns with them, off the streets—it’s about saving lives and holding those accountable who know what they are selling is going take lives.”
TPSO participates with the Operation Angel program which offers those struggling with addiction to turn to the sheriff’s office to seek treatment, at no charge, without fear of consequences. If you, or a loved one, wants help through Operation Angel, individuals can come to any TPSO office or call 985-747-9696.
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