Family jailed after bus taken for joyride in dark, then returned, Louisiana cops say 

A Louisiana family is facing multiple charges after a bus was taken for a joyride in the middle of the night, then returned with damage, according to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.

It happened before dawn Wednesday, April 19, on Road Runner Lane in Destrehan, which is home to Harry M. Hurst Middle School.

Deputies were called at 6:42 a.m. after a gate was found damaged on the property, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

“When deputies arrived, the complainant advised that someone had entered the fenced-in bus parking area and taken a bus,” officials said.

“The bus drove through the gate causing damage to the bus and gate. The bus was then driven to the Bayou Gauche area before being driven back to the bus parking area and left.”

Bayou Gauche is about 17 miles south of the school on the opposite side of the Mississippi River.

Investigators connected the incident to a 33-year-old man from Bayou Gauche, who was arrested April 19 and charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, unauthorized entry of a place of business, and simple criminal damage to property, officials said.

Two relatives —a 68-year-old man and 54-year-old woman — were also arrested the same day and face “three counts each of accessories after the fact,” officials said.

All three were booked into the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center, officials said.

Details of why the bus was taken and returned have not been released.

St. Charles Parish is just west of New Orleans.

This story was originally published April 24, 2023 at 4:30 AM with the headline "Family jailed after bus taken for joyride in dark, then returned, Louisiana cops say ."