Jasper County Chief Deputy Scotty Duncan said Jaret Michael Chaudoin was taken into custody behind Jasper County Medical Center on Highway 96 in Kirbyville. More information will be posted when it becomes available.
Newton County Sheriff Robert Burby said Saturday that Chaudoin, along with three other individuals, were recently indicted by the Newton County Grand Jury in regard to the 2017 disappearance and death of Randy Holmes. His burned body was found in late 2019.
Burby said one suspect had already surrendered, but Chaudoin and the third defendant remained on the run.
The manhunt began late Saturday morning. KJAS News has learned that it began when Texas Parks & Wildlife Game Warden Brooks Yeates responded to a report of a man killing a deer on another man's property west of Kirbyville. Reportedly the suspect, Chaudoin, was confronted by the property owner and Chaudoin allegedly pulled a gun on him.
Yeates reportedly spotted Chaudoin in a pickup truck and tried to stop him, but a pursuit began on county roads west of Kirbyville and then onto State Highway 82.
It ended when Chaudoin drove the truck off the highway and then fled on foot into a wooded area. He remained at-large through the night and managed to elude a tracking dog and a drone from Orange County, and a helicopter from Jefferson County.
Other agencies involved included Kirbyville Police and Newton County deputies, along with Texas Parks & Wildlife game wardens and Texas Department of Public Safety state troopers.
UPDATED INFORMATION
SUNDAY 8:00 A.M. - There was another sighting of the suspect and a Kirbyville officer broke out in foot pursuit, but was unable to capture him. As of 8:00 a.m., they had him boxed in within the area of Ray Fussell to the north, Hwy 96 to the east, Hwy 82 to the south, and 2nd Ave to the west.
ORIGINAL INFORMATION
A manhunt for a murder suspect was underway on Saturday in the Kirbyville area along Highway 82 West. It began with a vehicle pursuit late Saturday morning which ended with the male suspect, 23-year-old Jaret Michael Chaudoin, bailing out and fleeing into a wooded area, and a woman with him in the vehicle was taken into custody.
According to Jasper County Chief Deputy Scotty Duncan and Newton County Sheriff Robert Burby, the Kirbyville resident is wanted on a murder charge in Newton County from the 2017 disappearance and death of Randy Holmes. His burned body was found in late 2019.
Burby said Chaudoin and two others were recently indicted in the case. Burby said one suspect had already surrendered, while Chaudoin and the other suspect remained at-large.
Chaudoin is described as a white male with no shirt and brown pants.
As of early Saturday evening, both Jasper and Newton County deputies were searching on the ground and were also using a tracking dog, a drone, and a helicopter from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.
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