By Monique Roth
L’Observateur

EDGARD — A local man shot in the leg Wednesday morning during a struggle with deputies was arrested Thursday and booked with disarming of a peace officer, simple battery and simple criminal damage to property — under $500.

The man, 49-year-old Kirk Bovie of 158 E. John Pierre St. in Edgard, was taken to University Hospital for treatment following Wednesday morning’s shooting and arrested Thursday upon his release.

According to a release from the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, the case began Wednesday morning at 5:51 a.m. when deputies responded to the 100 block of John Pierre Street in Edgard following a disturbance report.

“The complainant told 911 operators that Kirk Bovie … pushed down her niece, punched the complainant in the face and broke a window on her trailer,” the release said. “The complainant also told operators Bovie had been smoking illegal narcotics. When deputies arrived on the scene, Bovie fled to a wooded area.”

Deputies located Bovie approximately 18 minutes later in a sugarcane field, holding what appeared to be a handgun.

“With weapons drawn, deputies ordered Bovie to put down the weapon,” the release said. “He refused to put down the weapon and charged a deputy. Bovie grabbed the deputy’s weapon, and the deputy fired two shots striking Bovie once in the upper leg.”

Authorities said Bovie was alert and conscious on the scene, and that no one else was injured in the incident.

When deputies recovered Bovie’s handgun, they identified the weapon as an air soft pistol. A standard air soft pistol has an orange tip so it is not mistaken as an actual firearm, but the orange tip on Bovie’s gun had been removed.

According to Sgt. Dane Clement, the deputy involved in the shooting, Arthur Ponder, was immediately given a leave of absence until the conclusion of the investigation, which is a standard practice. As of Friday morning, Clement said Ponder was still on leave.

Ponder has over three years of service with the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office, and has been assigned to the Criminal Patrol Division since May 2013.

Bovie has been arrested seven times in St. John Parish since July 1991, booked with charges that include disturbing the peace and battery. He is being held on a $1,750 bond.