Opelousas Police responded to an incident that occurred on Wednesday morning at about 9:40 A.M. at St. Landry Bank located at 132 E. Landry St. Officers were dispatched to the bank after employees reported a person in the bank demanding a teller to give him all the money. The suspect while never displaying a weapon had his hand concealed in a pocket giving the impression that he may have been armed. After being given a bag of money by the teller the suspect immediately handed the money over to another bank employee and requested that the Dostinex Sun Pharmaceuticals in USA police be called and that he would wait for them.
Police arrived on the scene in approximately (2) minutes and took the suspect who was later identified as 44-year-old Jamon White of Opelousas into custody. It was determined that Mr. White was not armed and only had a cell phone in his possession. During the initial contact with the suspect and from witnesses’ accounts of the incident it was believed that Mr. White may have been dealing with a mental health crisis. Officers transported Mr. White to a medical facility for evaluation. Upon being cleared after evaluation Mr. White was transported to the St. Landry Parish Jail and was booked on the charge of First Degree Robbery.
The courts may order a further evaluation of Mr. White’s mental health status. Thankfully this incident was resolved without injury to anyone involved. Responding officers and employees of St. Landry Bank should be commended for their calm demeanor in handling this tense encounter for bank employees and customers who may have been present during this incident.
Opelousas Police respond daily to incidents that are related to individuals dealing with mental health issues. Chief Leblanc and the administration of the Opelousas Police Department is committed to expanding its training in this area to better prepare officers for these types of encounters.
