Driver Accused Of Plowing Through Two Cemeteries And Causing More Than $10,000 In Damage Arrested

Driver Accused Of Plowing Through Two Cemeteries And Causing More Than $10,000 In Damage Arrested

A 70-year-old Prairieville man has been arrested after authorities say he drove through two Ascension Parish cemeteries, striking graves, caskets and fencing before leaving the scene.

The incident happened August 10 along Louisiana Highway 933, across from the Household of Faith Church’s Galvez campus. Surveillance footage released by the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office reportedly showed a truck leaving the roadway and traveling through the neighboring cemeteries.

Authorities said the vehicle caused more than $10,000 in damage before the driver left without reporting the crash. The damaged property reportedly included cemetery fencing, graves and caskets, with at least five graves affected during the incident.

Deputies released surveillance footage Monday and asked members of the public to help identify the vehicle and its driver. After receiving multiple tips, investigators identified 70-year-old Byron T. Buie of Prairieville as a person of interest. The Sheriff’s Office said information obtained from Buie during the investigation ultimately led deputies to arrest him Monday evening.

Buie was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail at approximately 10:42 p.m. on five counts of desecration of graves, two felony counts of simple criminal damage to property between $1,000 and $50,000, and one count of hit-and-run driving. The desecration and hit-and-run allegations are listed as misdemeanors in jail records, while the two property-damage counts are classified as felonies.

Public records listed Buie as awaiting arraignment following his arrest. No court date was immediately shown. The Sheriff’s Office thanked residents who watched the surveillance footage, recognized the vehicle and provided information that helped investigators identify Buie. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not released additional information explaining why the vehicle left the roadway.

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