PRESS RELEASE From: Police Department Contact: Public Information Officer, Lt. Malcolm Dupre Date: January 9, 2004
City of Thibodaux 1309 Canal Blvd. Thibodaux, LA 70301 985-446-7214
Subjects Flee from Police
The Thibodaux Police Department announces the arrest ofHenry Knockum, a 31 year-old male of Donaldsonville, La. and Shalinda Green, 23year-old female of 1202 Plantation Road, Thibodaux.Mr. Knockum was wanted by the Thibodaux Police Department forseveral months on various charges that began with him being forbidden to be inthe government housing authority areas in the City of Thibodaux.Green was arrested for assisting Knockum is his fleeing from Police andresisting arrest.
The Police Department’s recent dealings with Knockumbegan in November 2003 when he reportedly punched a resident of the housingauthority in the face following a request by the resident for Knockum to leave.Knockum refused to leave and when the resident advised that police weregoing to be summoned, Knockum punched through the screen door and struck theresident in the face.A warrant was obtained through Thibodaux City Court for thearrest of Knockum for simple battery.
On December 1, 2003, Officer Henry Campbell of the HousingAuthority Division of the Thibodaux Police Department, recognized Knockumdriving through the government project area.Officer Campbell knowing of the existing warrants, attempted to stopKnockum who exited the vehicle he was driving.Officer Campbell advised Knockum that he was under arrest on an existingwarrant and Knockum fled on foot to an area behind 1202 Plantation Road.Knockum was not seen again that day.The vehicle he was driving, which in a reply through the state computercame back registered to Knockum, was towed by a local wrecker service, asKnockum left the vehicle in the street after he exited then fled.An additional warrant was issued for resisting an Officer.
On December 3, 2003, Knockum was seen at 1202 PlantationRoad.Officers went to the addressand were advised that Knockum fled toward South Barbier Street.Officers questioned area residents on South Barbier and learned thatKnockum was inside a residence on that street.Officers were granted entry of the residence in question and Knockum waslocated hiding in a bedroom closet.Knockumwas arrested and charged on the battery and the resisting warrants.Knockum was also given a “barrment notice”, forbidding him from goingon any Housing Authority Property in the City of Thibodaux.
On December 30, 2003, Officer Campbell again observedKnockum on Housing authority property in the 1200 block of Plantation Road.Before Officer Campbell could exit his police unit, Knockum fled to therear of the residence.Otherofficers were called to the scene and advised of Knockum’s presence in theHousing Authority area.Officersgave a complete search of the area.Knockumcould not be located after a house-to-house search was made in the immediatevicinity where Knockum was last seen.
On January 3, 2004, Knockum was being sought out by theThibodaux Police Department at a request of Louisiana Probation and Parole.Knockum was observed in a yard at 1202 Plantation Road.He was wearing a gray and black hat with the word “ECKO” on thefront.Officers then receivedinformation that Knockum was “hold up” in an apartment owned by the HousingAuthority in Thibodaux.Upongetting entry granted into the suspected apartment, Officers noticed damage tothe ceiling in the living room of the apartment.It was believed that Knockum, in his effort to elude Police on December30, 2003, entered this apartment and gained access to the attic where he hidwhile Officers searched the rooms of the apartment.Officers searched the entire apartment, rooms and attic at this time andcould not locate the subject.
Officers were made aware of an unauthorized entry of a homeon South Barbier Street on January 3, 2004.The resident advised that someone “kicked open” her back door and didappear to have entered the residence.Officerssearched the residence and noticed the attic access door was ajar.Officers entered the attic and located a gray and black hat with“ECKO” written in red on the front of the hat.No one was located in the attic of this residence at this time.Warrants were issued through Thibodaux City Court for the arrest of HenryKnockum for “remaining after being forbidden, and Unauthorized entry of aninhabited dwelling”.
On January 7, 2004, Housing Authority maintenance personnelwere going to enter the apartment with the damaged ceiling to make repairs.The maintenance personnel believed that there was someone in theapartment and they did not want to enter.Sgt.Calvin Cooks of the Housing Authority Police was contacted and advised of themaintenance personnel’s concerns.Sgt.Cooks summoned Probation and Parole who sent out a parole officer.Also summoned were other Officers of the Thibodaux Police Department.
Officers knocked on the door of the residence but no oneanswered.Officers could hear“scuffling” inside the residence.Afemale then asked who was at the door and Sgt. Cooks identified himself.The female, Shalinda Green answered the door and she was asked if sheknew the whereabouts of Henry Knockum.Shereplied that he was not in the residence.Officersagain heard noise in the attic of the apartment.Officers noticed that the attic access door was ajar and they entered theattic.Officers observed a subjecthiding in an adjourning apartment attic.Subject,later identified as Henry Knockum, was ordered out of the attic.
Knockum was arrested on existing warrants for Unauthorizedentry of an inhabited dwelling; two counts of remaining after being forbidden;simple damage to property.Alsoattached to these charges is a DOC warrant from Louisiana Probation and Parole.
Shalinda Green was arrested and charged with accessoryafter the fact.Green was alsoarrested on January 3, 2004, for threatening another Housing Authority tenant.Green threatened this tenant with bodily harm for giving the Policeinformation on Henry Knockum’s whereabouts on December 30, 2003.
Green and Knockum are presently incarcerated at theLafourche Parish Detention Center.Greendoes have five thousand dollar bond while Knockum is serving out a sixty-daysentence, has a six thousand, one-hundred dollar bond and a Probation and Parolehold.
2008
