Charges Upgraded For Lawtell Man

BOBBY ARDOIN

Editor/Consulting Writer

The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Department has added first degree murder and obstruction of justice to a simple arson charge originally filed Tuesday against an undocumented foreign national man living in Lawtell, according to a press release issued Thursday.

All three charges against Irving Cisneros Arguelles, 24, have been filed by the Sheriff’s Department in connection with the death of 20-year-old Jorlany Beitez, 20, whose body was discovered by authorities in a pond located off La. 10 between Washington and LeBeau.

Beitez and Arguelles are listed by the Sheriff’s Department as residing at the same 210 Narcisse Lane residence in Lawtell.

Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said in a statement issued Thursday that the enhanced charges against Arguelles were issued after uncovering additional information related to the arson charge and the arrest of Arguelles.

Guidroz did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding additional charges against Arguelles, but on Tuesday the Sheriff’s Department issued a statement that said the body of Beitez was planning to be autopsied.

On Thursday Guidroz added in the release that Arguelles, whose country of origin has not been identified, is being detained at the St. Landry Parish Jail until federal authorities including ICE investigators are notified.

The Tuesday press release from the Sheriff’s Department shows that Arguelles was spotted by authorities walking alone down La. 10 near where the burned out vehicle of Beitez was eventually discovered.

Arguelles, according to the press release, was allegedly attempting to discard a cell phone belonging to Beitez, whose location was tracked to the La. 10 area by those who were concerned that she had been missing from where she was residing.

After he was questioned by authorities, the press release said that Arguelles told deputies that allegedly he had dumped the body of Beitez in the municipal lake located west of Eunice.

However the Sheriff’s Department search and rescue team failed to find Beitez in the lake and called off the search. By 4:30 pm Tuesday deputies said that they had found Beitez in a pond adjacent to La. 10.