Leonard Gray / L’Observateur / July 6, 1998

HAHNVILLE – Two Destrehan children had a narrow escape Wednesday, and the incident resulted in two arrests for indecent behavior.

Capt. Patrick Yoes of the St. Charles Sheriff’s Office reported that theboys, ages 6 and 8, were walking to a local convenience store about 8 p.m.to sell aluminum cans when they were approached by two foreign seamen.

The seamen, according to the children’s account, began kissing them, touching them improperly and tried to entice them aboard their grain ship docked at Bunge Grain Elevator.

Instead, the boys ran home and told their mother, who called the sheriff’s office, which quickly discovered the 420-foot Seafighter grain vessel, under a Panamanian flag, had just left the dock.

With the assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard, the ship was stopped at BelleChasse and the two suspected seamen removed and arrested.

Alvaro Argueta, 45, of Honduras, and Luis Estacio, 47, of Columbia, were each charged with two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile.

A $35,000 bond was set by 29th Judicial District Judge Kirk Granier, and the U.S. Border Patrol is also becoming involved in the incident, Yoesstated.

Return To News Stories