HAMMOND – A Tangipahoa Parish judge has just denied bond for Donnie Lee Stevenson, the Hammond kidnapping and rape suspect. Stevenson, 18, was arrested around 11:30 p.m. on Friday, March 21, after an extensive, all-day manhunt in Independence in Tangipahoa Parish. His bond hearing was scheduled for March 25th at 9 a.m.
It was around 7:30 p.m. on March 20th when Hammond officers responded to the North Oaks Hospital in reference to a kidnapping and rape.
Hamond Police say Stevenson was captured on surveillance video allegedly following a woman out to her vehicle from the Target at the Hammond Square Mall, at which time he’s accused of kidnapping her before taking her to a different location, where he’s accused of sexually assaulting her. He is believed to have been in a red Honda Accord, also captured on surveillance.
On March 21, a TPSO deputy came across Stevenson in the pictured red Honda Accord, but that’s when TPSO Sheriff Gerald Sticker said Stevenson allegedly bailed out of the car and into the woods, triggering the manhunt along the Mashon Road area.
“We have drones in the air, helicopters in the air, dogs on the ground and we have a perimeter set up that borders the interstate,” said Sheriff Sticker in reference to the manhunt.
“This was a random victim. We do not believe they know each other. We believe he preyed upon his victim by following them around a store until he picked that person as the person he was going to victimize. We believe he followed behind several other women earlier that evening, but for some reason, he chose this one,” said Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr.
“We aren’t used to things like this happening. This is not a regular occurrence and it’s really just a horrific crime to be committed on one of our citizens. We’re always vested in keeping our community safe and we’re going to do everything possible that we can to do that and when something like this happens, it hurts from the person it happened to, all the way through our community because this is not a regular occurrence in our city,” Chief Bergeron added.
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