Louisiana Man Makes Off With Meat Twice At Walmart

(99.9 KTDY) - It was not once, but twice, that a Louisiana Walmart had to call the Sheriff's Department to complain that a man walked into their store, shoved a bunch of meat down his pants, and left without paying.

According to a post from the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, Wednesday was an eventful day for the man who apparently has a lengthy rap sheet.

Get our free mobile app

Witnesses at the store told law enforcement officials that it was obvious the man had stuffed items in his pants and left the store.

Once was not good enough; the man came back for a second time. Eventually, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office was able to locate the man. When they stopped him in his vehicle, he had the meat in the car.

It was quite a big haul of meat. The following is what officials found in the 57-year-old's vehicle in plain sight:

2 packs of lean hamburger meat (valued at $69.94)

4 packs of ribeyes (valued at $131.56)

As they continued to investigate, they opened the man's trunk and found the following:

Several packs of Angus rib eyes (valued at $291.36)

Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard commented on the case, saying people were very forthcoming with what they saw,

Thankfully, witnesses were alert & relaying info to us - including that the male drove off in a black Honda / no license plate / in a WB direction. We put out a BOLO. Our partners at the Denham Springs Police Department spotted - & stopped - the vehicle on Range at Interstate 12 before the driver could head towards Baton Rouge. In the vehicle, in plain view, we located packs of meat.

Well, apparently, it was in the pants of 57-year-old Michael Ardoin. Officials say he was charged with the following:

One Count of Theft (Felony)

He has two separate charges because he allegedly committed the theft on two separate occasions at the Denham Springs Walmart on Wednesday morning.

Get our free mobile app

Because the man has a long rap sheet, these charges will end up with stiffer penalties according to the Sheriff's Office. Because Ardoin has already had two theft convictions before, the penalties will be harsher.

What Is The Meat Thief's Record?

According to the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, Michael Ardoin has been arrested 74 times, and of those arrests, he had 26 arrests for theft, and 9 times he was convicted.

This is a developing story, and the KPEL News Team is working to provide additional coverage for Acadiana. Updates will be shared as they become available, so download the KPEL News app via Google Play or in the App Store and subscribe to breaking news alerts to get the latest information sent directly to your mobile device.

You can also use the KPEL app to submit a news tip, share a traffic update, or chat directly with our on-air team.

Be sure to bookmark our latest site, wearelafayette.net, where we provide more local news coverage as well as lifestyle and community features.

To report errors, omissions, or other concerns regarding the content above, send emails to news@kpel965.com.