Will Antonio Celestine Sentenced to 50 Years Each on Seven Counts
Published January 7, 2020
From the Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s Office, Lake Charles, Louisiana – Will Antonio Celestine, age 33, pled guilty today in the Fourteenth Judicial District Court, to one count of aggravated battery, one count of second-degree kidnapping, one count of illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities, one count of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, one count of home invasion, one count of aggravated flight from an officer, and one count of unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, before the Honorable Michael Canaday.
Celestine was adjudicated a fourth habitual offender and received 50 years on each of the seven counts, to run concurrent with each other and concurrent with the life sentence he is currently serving.
On June 10 and 11, 2017, Celestine kidnapped, battered and injured two separate victims. Law enforcement obtained warrants for both victims’ charges. On June 13, 2017, as the Lake Charles Police department attempted to stop a vehicle that Celestine was driving, Celestine refused to stop and a high-speed chase ensued. Celestine lost control of the vehicle, crashed into a residence and fled on foot, leaving a one-year-old child in the vehicle. Celestine then continued his crime spree, by breaking into a residence where the owner was present and hiding from law enforcement in her home. Celestine was ultimately captured on June 18, 2017, in Lafayette, Louisiana.
“The habitual offender bill is not taken lightly as it is reserved for those career criminals who have repeatedly demonstrated their inability to refrain from victimizing our community. While 50 years may seem like a harsh sentence, he is a repeat offender that merits this response from our community. This is a classic example of how hard law enforcement works to corral a career criminal such as this, whose most recent criminal exploits lasted over a week and involved numerous victims and dozens of law enforcement officers,” said Jason Brown, Assistant District Attorney.
The Lake Charles Police Department investigated the case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jason Brown for the Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s office.
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