Thief was unarmed and trying to support drug habit, say police

By BEN LUNDIN

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – A Texas man allegedly held up a LaPlace Capitol One Bank on Monday morning by threatening a teller with a nonexistent handgun, to help support his expensive drug habit.

No one was injured in the heist, which began at 9:15 a.m. and lasted only minutes. The armed robber, Joseph Boudreaux, 62, of Beaumont, Texas, was captured seconds after he fled out of the front door of the bank, according to the St. John Sheriff’s Office.

Boudreaux allegedly entered the bank, at 1200 Airline Hwy., fifteen minutes after it opened and told a teller he was pointing a gun at her, although he was unarmed, and demanded she fill up a paper bag with money.

As she stuffed the sack with cash another bank employee triggered a silent alarm moments before Boudreaux allegedly grabbed the bag and fled out the front door.

St. John Police, some of whom were just blocks away at the Percy Hebert Building, responded to the call immediately and captured the suspect in the Capitol One parking lot.

Boudreaux attempted to discard the undisclosed amount of money as police cars approached, which resulted in the discharge of a dye pack that rendered the money useless.

The St. John Sheriff’s Office booked Boudreaux with first degree armed robbery. A bond amount has not been set.

&#8220Our associates did a great job of following bank security procedures during the incident,” said Steven Thorpe, a spokesman for Capitol One. &#8220Bank security training is a big focus of ours.”

&#8220Safety is our top priority for both our customers and employees,” he added. &#8220We’re pleased to report that no one was hurt.”