A tag search from a routine traffic incident in St. Charles Parish broadened the national manhunt for a Kokomo, Ind., man charged with raping, confining and battering a woman more than 12 hours.
Parish deputies had responded to a “non-criminal traffic incident involving a vehicle,” according to Sheriff’s Office spokesman Cpl. James Grimaldi.
Upon arrival, deputies learned the vehicle and driver were already gone.
A tag search turned up nothing out of the ordinary, but a short time later the Kokomo Police Department (KPD) inquired about the search that resulted in expanding the BOLO (Be On The Lookout) for Gary Perkins of Kokomo, Ind., who was passing through the parish.
Perkins was apparently fleeing charges of rape, aggravated battery, confinement, incest and strangulation resulting from KPD’s Dec. 5 investigation of a female with an unknown medical problem.
On arrival, the woman told police she’d allegedly been confined to a bed and raped. The victim reported she was finally able to free herself about 12 hours later after the suspect left the residence.
A warrant was issued for Perkins and Kokomo police detectives received information Friday that he was in the St. Charles Parish area.
By Saturday (Dec. 9), the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a suspicious subject at a convenience store around 9 p.m. in Duson.
Perkins’ long stay in the bathroom raised concerns he was planning to rob the gas station. Deputies attempted to talk to him, but minutes later he shot himself.
The St. Charles Parish tag search exposed Perkins’ location, directing a manhunt for his arrest by the U.S. Marshals, Louisiana State Police, St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office and Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Department.
According to court records, Perkins had a violent past. He spent time in prison on a rape conviction back in 1997 and was just released in 2014.
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