NewsLocal NewsIn Your ParishIberia Parish

Actions

Charge dismissed against defendant in Garon Lewis case

Iberia-Parish-Court-Building.jpg
Posted

Charges against one of the people arrested in the Garon Lewis case have been dismissed, his attorney says.

Kenray Ledet was booked in September 2019 in connection with the August 2019 slaying of 17-year-old Garon Lewis.

According to the Iberia Parish Clerk of Court three charges against Ledet in that case: conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, principal to aggravated criminal damage to property and principal to illegal discharge of a firearm, have all been dismissed.

Back in 2019, Ledet was arrested and accused, and his bond was set at $845,000 according to his attorney, Todd Clemons of Lake Charles. After a motion by Clemons, Ledet's bond was reduced to $250,000 and his family paid $25,000 to post that bond for his release, but not before Ledet spent more than five months in jail, Clemons says.

Last week, the District Attorney's Office formally dismissed the charges against Ledet, Clemons says.

"Kenray firmly maintained his innocence from the day that he retained us in 2019," Clemons said. "While the District Attorney’s Office is to be commended for ultimately doing the right thing, a severe price was paid. The false accusation cost our client his freedom, his money, and tarnished his reputation. Our client never should have been arrested and charged. The State lacked credible evidence to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."

Ledet was one of seven people arrested early on in the Lewis case. Lewis was a senior at New Iberia High School and was the son of an Iberia Parish School Board member.

In mid-May, two people were indicted in the Lewis case, and one of them was sentenced to prison in an unrelated case.

At the time of the indictment, the DA's office told us that they were still making decisions regarding other defendants in the case, which they described as complicated.