Social Media Post Could Cost Louisiana Fisherman 10 Years For Fraud

I'm constantly amazed how often social media leads to the arrest of Louisiana idiots.

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This is especially true when it comes to the hunting and fishing world. We're seen cases where a law breaker illegally harvests a deer and then posts it on Facebook with incriminating details in the post, leading to their arrest. What these people lack in intelligence, they make up for with vanity. Their inability to not crow about their deed is what leads to their day in court.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has gotten extremely talented at watching for these idiots and they've recently done it again.

According to LDWF, enforcement agents, Sgt. Harvey K. Pearce, Corporal Dustin Nash and Senior Agent Callie Pitre have arrested a Leesville, Louisiana man for allegedly committing fraud against the Toledo Bend Lake Association (TBLA) Lunker Bass Program.

In a release regarding the arrest, we learn that the agents arrested Jody K. Jeane, 40, of Leesville, for attempted theft and forgery and booked him into the Vernon Parish Detention Center.

LDWF says this story began on March 15 around 7:30 am, when agents conducting a routine patrol at the Hickory Ridge boat launch on Vernon Lake, visited with a couple of guys loading a boat back onto a trailer and one of these guys, later identified as Jeane, offered to show the agents a 12 pound bass that was caught that morning.

It's reported that Jeane told the agents this was the biggest bass he'd ever caught and that he was going to have it mounted. These keenly observant agents noted the bass had a distinct bloody marking on its tail, indicating spawning activity and provided a unique identifying characteristic.

READ MORE: See The Monster 15-Pound Bass Caught This Week on Cross Lake

The next day, on March 16, agents saw Jeane posing with that same bass in a social media post from the TBLA Lunker Bass Program. The Lunker Bass Program awards anglers who catch bass weighing 10 pounds or more in Toledo Bend Lake with a fiberglass replica at no cost provided the fish is presented live at a certified weigh station, documented, and released back into the lake.

The social media photo also showed Jeane wearing the same clothing observed during his Vernon Lake encounter with the agents. The fish’s distinctive tail markings were also clearly visible.

Following coordination with TBLA personnel, agents learned that participants must sign official documentation verifying the location, date, and time of the catch and declaring the fish was legally caught in Toledo Bend Reservoir.

Based on the evidence gathered from the investigation, LDWF agents obtained an arrest warrant through the 11th Judicial District Court for attempted theft and forgery. On April 1, agents met with Jeane at the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office where he admitted to catching the fish in Vernon Lake.

Attempted theft brings up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. Forgery carries up to a $5,000 fine and 10 years in jail.