District Attorney Collin Sims reports that on June 3, 2025, a St. Tammany Parish grand jury indicted three Slidell teens in connection with the March 23, 2025, death of Sergeant Grant Candies with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sergeant Candies was struck and killed while deploying a spike strip in an attempt to stop a vehicle during a high-speed pursuit. Indicted were 17-year-old Adrian Waughtal, 17-year-old Mason Fischer and 18-year-old Michael Lanier. Assistant District Attorneys Ronnie Gracianette and Gary Tromblay presented the case to the grand jury. Detectives Sean Scott and Jacob Schwebel with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office led the investigation.
- Waughtal (pictured left) was indicted for Second degree murder, Aggravated assault with a motor vehicle upon a peace officer, Aggravated flight from an officer, Aggravated obstruction of a highway, Obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence and Conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
- Fischer (pictured middle) was indicted for Second degree murder, Aggravated flight from an officer, Aggravated obstruction of a highway, Obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence and Conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
- Lanier (pictured right) was indicted for Manslaughter, Obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence and Conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
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Louisiana law provides for the potential imposition of the death penalty with regard to the murder of a police officer. However, in 2005, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled the Eighth Amendment forbids the imposition of the death penalty for any offender who was under the age of 18 at the time of the homicide. (See Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551.) In this particular case, all three defendants were 17 years old at the time of the alleged offense. Consequently, the State is precluded from pursuing the death penalty in this matter.
The defendants are tentatively scheduled for arraignment on July 14, 2025.
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