Willie Edwards Jr., a longtime cast member of the History Channel series Swamp People, was arrested in Bayou Blue, Louisiana, after Iberville Parish deputies raided a home and turned up materials they say were stolen. Edwards, 44, was booked alongside Elgin Floyd, the homeowner, and a third man who deputies found hiding inside the residence during the search.
The raid began after deputies received a report of stolen materials in the area, according to the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office. That report led investigators to obtain a search warrant for Floyd’s house, and once inside, detectives said they discovered items that had been stolen. As Boston 25 News reported, Edwards was accused of stealing materials from a Louisiana home, and both he and Floyd were charged with felony theft and illegal possession of stolen things.
A third man, 43-year-old Trent Tullier, was found hiding inside the Bayou Blue residence when deputies executed the warrant, per the same account. Tullier was arrested on outstanding warrants rather than the new theft-related charges filed against Edwards and Floyd. Floyd separately was also charged with obstruction of justice. Sheriff Brett Stassi confirmed that Edwards was arrested at Floyd’s Bayou Blue home, and the investigation remains ongoing.
What the Charges Actually Mean Under Louisiana Law
Both felony counts hinge on the value of the recovered property. Under Louisiana Revised Statute § 14:67, theft becomes a felony once the value of misappropriated goods hits $1,000 or more, carrying penalties of up to five years in prison and fines as high as $3,000 for items valued between $1,000 and $5,000, according to the Louisiana State Legislature. A companion statute, Louisiana Revised Statute § 14:69, covers illegal possession of stolen property, defined as intentionally possessing or concealing something of value a person knows or reasonably believes was stolen, with penalties that scale alongside the theft statute based on total value, per the same legislative code…