Two Arrests Made in Lutcher High School Fire and other Crimes
Baton Rouge LA, State Fire Marshal H. “ButchÌ¢âÂå Browning and St. James Parish Sheriff Willy Martin announced today the arrest of two persons in connection with the arson fire set at Lutcher High School and various other drug and burglary crimes in St. James and Ascension Parish.A joint investigation has been underway by the St. James Sheriff’s Office and the State Fire Marshal’s Office into a fire that occurred at the Lutcher High School football stadium in the early morning hours of November 15, 2010. The fire totally destroyed the structure causing nearly $800,000.00 in damage. Evidence recovered at the fire scene led investigators to rule the fire as arson. A nearly three month aggressive investigation was executed; that has resulted in hundreds of witness statements being collected and a Baton Rouge Crime Stoppers tip that led to the suspects.
The investigation resulted in the arrest of Adam Lambert (dob. 8-11-89) with simple arson in connection with the Lutcher High School Fire. In the furtherance of the fire investigation Mr. Lambert was also charged with illegal possession of stolen property from a home burglary in Ascension Parish. In St. James Parish other charges included the creation and operation of a clandestine lab (4 counts), possession and manufacture of a schedule II controlled dangerous substance, cruelty to juveniles and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles. Also charged was Lindsey Aimee Matherne (dob. 10-31-92) with accessory after the fact for simple arson.State Fire Marshal Browning commended the hard work of the agencies. “I appreciate the work of Sheriff Martin and his Deputies along with the Fire Marshal Investigators. We will not tolerate the crime of arson in this State, this should be a message that if you set fires and endanger lives and property you will be found and arrested. The public should be proud of the hard work of all the public safety professionals who worked on this case.Ì¢âÂå
St. James Parish Sheriff Willy Martin stated. “This is an example of a great working relationship between State and local agencies being persistent and working together. They reached out to the community for information and the crime stoppers assistance all led to the closure of this case. As Sheriff I am proud of the work of all involved and thankful to the community for their support and patience as we worked to bring closure to this case.Ì¢âÂå