By Stephen Hemelt
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Shawn Fisher has been arrested 84 times in St. John the Baptist Parish in the last 25 years, and his latest run in with the law has Sheriff Mike Tregre shaking his head.

“How does a man keep getting arrested?” Tregre said. “I can’t figure it out either. I just hope nobody gets hurt, neither him nor citizen nor us. It’s very frustrating. I’m only one part of the criminal justice system.”

Unfortunately, Tregre said, injury wasn’t spared in Fisher’s latest arrest, which took place this week.

Authorities said a Reserve woman was repeatedly punched in the face and had her gun stolen when a disagreement with Fisher turned violent.

St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a residence in the 100 block of NW 12th Street in Reserve following a disturbance at 1:44 a.m. Sunday.

According to deputies, a 33-year-old female victim said she and her ex-boyfriend, identified as Fisher, 44, argued earlier in the evening outside a nightclub.

“When she left the nightclub, he followed her to the residence,” a release from the Sheriff’s Office said. “She told deputies that as she ran to get in the house, Fisher punched her repeatedly in the face, pulled her hair and grabbed her handgun from her hand.”

Authorities said the female got in the house and locked the door.

“(The suspect) fled from the residence when she yelled through the door that she was calling the Sheriff’s Office,” the release said. “A description of Fisher’s car was broadcast to all deputies, and a deputy spotted and stopped the car a short time later on West 2nd Street in LaPlace. During a search of the car, deputies recovered a marijuana cigarette.”

Fisher was arrested for simple battery, theft of a firearm and possession of marijuana. He is free after posting a $7,250 bond.

Tregre said Fisher has “been shot like nine times. He’s been stabbed like four or five. He’ll raise his shirt and show you the bullet holes.”

According to the sheriff, Fisher has “very serious” arrests pending. “We caught him with a good bit of drugs or narcotics probably a couple of months ago,” Tregre said of Fisher.