Lake Charles, Louisiana - On January 23rd, Kristopher J. Lalonde, a 50-year-old resident of Groves, Texas, pleaded guilty to the crime of Manslaughter. As a result, Judge Robert Wyatt sentenced him to 25 years of imprisonment. Lalonde's sentence requires him to perform hard labor while serving time and he will receive credit for the time he has already spent in custody.

A Deputy from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office tried to pull over Lalonde on March 18, 2021, due to a traffic violation. However, Lalonde ignored the Deputy's commands and ran a stop sign. This led to a collision with another vehicle that had the right of way, resulting in a tragic crash and the death of someone in the vehicle that was struck.

The Calcasieu Parish District Attorney's Office was represented by Assistant District Attorneys Joey Williams and Conrad Huber in the handling of the case.

“An innocent life was taken because Lalonde chose not comply with the Deputy’s order after he activated his lights and sirens,” said Calcasieu Parish District Attorney Stephen Dwight. “I want to be clear that if you don’t comply with a lawful order from law enforcement in our parish, you will be held accountable.”