Source: DA’s office
District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington announced Oct. 15 two unanimous jury convictions in an armed robbery case. After a three-day trial, the jury found Deontay DeShun Hardy, 30, of Natchitoches, guilty on one count each of armed robbery and attempted armed robbery in the 10th Judicial District Court. The convictions were the result of a 2016 robbery of Southern Classic Fried Chicken in Natchitoches. Hardy was convicted of robbing a victim, with two children present, in a vehicle in the parking lot of the restaurant. He then entered the restaurant and held a gun on an employee while demanding she open the restaurant’s safe.
During the incident, gunshots were fired inside the restaurant causing windows to shatter. Hardy fled the scene and was apprehended several blocks away by officers of the Natchitoches Police Department during a foot chase. Judge Lala Sylvester presided over the trial and set a date of Jan. 26, 2021, for sentencing.
“We are pleased with these convictions. Also, we will continue to reach out and support the victims as they continue to heal from this incident. These were serious violent crimes that occurred. Thanks to the hard work of law enforcement, investigators, and a successful prosecution of the case, justice and the rule of law, and not the criminals, prevailed in Natchitoches Parish,” said District Attorney Harrington.
Assistant District Attorneys Chris Guillet and Shantel Wempren prosecuted the case.