Ascension Parish deputies share light moment with the Grinch

A playful viral social media post last week showed how the Grinch almost stole Christmas.

In having fun ahead of the holiday, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office Facebook page shared a photo of Lt. Richard Boe from Dec. 20 as he was dispatched to a “suspicious person complaint.”

After locating the Grinch, he said he was “attempting to ruin Christmas in Ascension Parish,” according to the post.

Lt. Boe reached out to Santa Claus, who texted a photo of deputies who were “indeed on the nice list, recently back from the North Pole,” the story continued.

APSO’s post thanked Thomas Pancoast and Leslie Rice Loiacano of Dutchtown for capturing the moment.

In other matters concerning APSO:

-- Multiple agencies joined together to raise money for deputies following Hurricane Laura.

Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre allowed deputies to grow facial hair for the month of November for the American Cancer Society. Other agencies were asked to participate, and together, raised more than $30,000.

The sheriff decided to extend the no-shave period through December, also reaching out to other agencies to donate the money to 32 deputies who had total-losses to their homes from the hurricane.

A total of $16,000 was raised, and each deputy received $500.

“Hurricanes are nothing new to any of us in south Louisiana, and we know all so well that during the aftermath of these natural disasters, communities come together to help each other,” Webre said. “This joint effort of individuals raising funds on their own to help our brothers and sisters in need is something I am so very proud of.”

APSO Public Information Officer Allison Hudson organized with other agencies to help raise the funds. Included were St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Thibodaux Police, Gretna Police, and the Port Fourchon Police departments.

-- The sheriff recently wrapped up the annual Christmas Crusade, which collects and distributes toys for families in need.

In a Facebook post, Webre expressed his gratitude to all of the deputies, volunteers, business owners, and industry leaders who helped with the campaign.

“We were able to serve over 550 kids this year. Those kids have had a Christmas that they would not have had otherwise,” he said.

The campaign has been held for the last 20 years.  

-- Deputies Ryan Blank and Brandon Bethany have completed the IPMBA Police Cyclist Class held at the Baton Rouge Police Department.

They are the newest members of the APSO Bike Patrol Unit, which assists with community relations events, conducts criminal patrols, and multiple other functions