Lafayette escapee recaptured in Nevada

A Lafayette Parish work-release inmate who escaped from custody in September was captured Friday in Nevada, according to the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Lyon County sheriff’s deputies in Nevada spotted Marcus Dupuis with two other men at a truck stop, said Capt. Kip Judice, spokesman for the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, in a news release Monday.

Dupuis attempted to escape from custody after deputies brought him to a local police station to run his fingerprints, Judice said.

He fled a short distance before he was captured again, this time by a police dog, Judice said.

Dupuis was booked into jail on counts of misdemeanor assault and resisting arrest, Judice said.

Deputies added a simple escape charge from Lafayette Parish after the fingerprint process confirmed Dupuis’ identity, Judice said.

Dupuis had been on the run since September when he walked away from a minimum-security work-release facility in downtown Lafayette. Dupuis, who was 18 at the time of his escape, had been in custody for six months.

Three of Dupuis’ associates were arrested in their alleged roles in assisting him evade capture in Lafayette, Judice said.

They were identified as Dupuis’ girlfriend, Mollie Louise Smith, and his friends William Berchtold and Mason Langlois, both from Lafayette.

The Sheriff’s Office also arrested Dupuis’ mother, Andree Schelde, but the District Attorney’s Office later dismissed a charge of accessory after the fact to simple escape.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Corrections fugitive coordinator began the extradition process with authorities in Nevada, Judice said, adding that it remains unknown whether Dupuis will waive or fight extradition.

Dupuis was serving a two-year sentence for violating probation related to a possession of marijuana conviction, Judice said.

Once returned to Louisiana, Dupuis will be served with a trial date for the charge of simple escape, Judice said.