A student was allegedly abducted from her La Maison du Bayou apartment by her estranged boyfriend last Thursday. After Tremayne Rodrigue broke into her apartment at 10:30 a.m., Anysia Preyan, nursing sophomore from Vacherie, was forced out of the La Maison du Bayou apartment and into Rodrigue’s vehicle, according to University police chief Craig Jacuzzo. Officers responded after receiving a phone call from a friend who witnessed the confrontation. Witnesses were interviewed and officers concluded that Rodrigue was headed to either St. James parish, where he is from, or Houma.
The entire University police department was on campus for domestic violence training and officers were “split up” and sent to various locations to acquire background information on the suspect from family and friends, Jacuzzo said.
At approximately 3:15 p.m., Preyan jumped from the vehicle as Rodrigue reportedly attempted to drive into the Mississippi River, according to Jacuzzo.
Ascension Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested Rodrigue after his vehicle was located in Iberville parish, by one of Rodrigue’s family members.
The car was not submerged, but it “hit a mud flat,” according to Jacuzzo. Rodrigue then exited the car and was taken into custody by police and brought to the Ascension Parish Detention Center, where he was issued a misdemeanor summons for resisting arrest.
He was then arrested by University Police and booked into the Lafourche Parish Detention Center where he was charged with aggravated kidnapping and violation of a protective order, Jacuzzo said. A $250,000 bond was set.
Rodrigue recently had a restraining order filed against him by Preyan. He was also banned from La Maison du Bayou for living with Preyan without permission from the complex’s management.
“I think it pushed him over the edge,” Jacuzzo said.
All law enforcement agencies in the state were notified of the incident through the campus police Teletype system that provides information concerning any incident, Jacuzzo said. It is a statewide computer system that provides the make and model of the vehicle, suspect, reason for the investigation, the location of the offense and the agencies responding.
University police coordinated their investigation with regional law enforcement agencies including Ascension, Iberville, St. James and Terrebonne Parish sheriff’s departments and Thibodaux Police Department, Jacuzzo said.
“We’re very lucky that the victim wasn’t killed,” Jacuzzo said. “We’re very lucky that even the suspect wasn’t killed.”
Because of the minimal population on campus due to spring break and no threat to the student population, students were not immediately notified, Jacuzzo said.
In a release, Eugene Dial, vice president of student affairs and enrollment services, stressed that this was not a random act. A campus-wide alert to students, faculty and staff would have immediately been issued if that had been the case.
La Maison du Bayou was not aware of the incident until after University Police was on the scene and Tommy Ponson, director of parking services, called, Melissa Bolt, manager of La Maison du Bayou, said.
“We provided them with whatever information they could use from us,” Bolt said.
A day after the incident occurred, Bolt said letters notifying residents of the various people to contact if there is a serious issue with a personal relationship were distributed throughout the complex. The letter also offers a list of safety and security precautions.
“We are grateful for the safe return of the student and will make counseling services available for her,” University president Stephen Hulbert said in a release. “I want to congratulate the University Police Department. The safety of Nicholls students is our primary concern, and our police officers worked quickly with that goal in mind.
