Gulfport PD holds press conference on retired officer found shot in woods, Saucier man and 7 others arrested in Gonzales

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - A retired law enforcement officer found shot near a Gulfport church Thursday afternoon had been reported missing from Vicksburg. And a Saucier man is among those charged in connection with the case.

Now investigators in two states are trying to piece together what happened and how the victim ended up in Gulfport. Friday, Gulfport Police released new details from their portion of the investigation.

It started Wednesday when Vicksburg Police were called to the home of a former Warren County officer. Vicksburg Police Chief Penny Jones said someone told police they hadn’t heard from the man in several days, and his truck was missing from the garage.

When officers arrived, they entered the home.

“It was apparent when they went inside the home that something had taken place, including a struggle,” Jones told WLBT News.

Hours later in Gulfport, around 2 a.m. Thursday, officers were called to the 14000 block of Old Highway 49 to check out a report of suspicious activity. That’s the area near Grace Temple Baptist Church.

Upon arrival, officers found the truck that Vicksburg Police had listed as stolen and connected to the missing person case. The man driving the truck, later identified as Logan Delana, was able to get away from police, but an arrest warrant was issued.

“A citizen reached out to us and thought it was odd that someone was out there with this vehicle at this time of morning,” said Gulfport police chief Adam Cooper in a press conference Friday. “It was early morning hours, again, at a business that doesn’t typically have trucks or trailers in the parking lot. It’s usually vacant at night.”

Several hours later, Gulfport police were back out at the scene when they found a man in the woods three quarters of a mile away from the truck, tied up and suffering from several gunshot wounds.

The victim was taken to an area hospital in stable condition. And while officials aren’t releasing his name, he has been identified as the retired law enforcement officer reported missing from his home in Vicksburg. Chief Jones said the victim had been a Game Warden and a Constable in Warren County.

Gulfport officers also discovered more stolen items in the woods.

Meanwhile, investigators in Gonzalez, Louisiana were zeroing in on several suspects wanted in connection with the man found in Gulfport. A total of eight people were arrested, including Logan Delena, the Saucier man seen near the stolen truck in Gulfport.

Blake Menefee of Gonzales was also charged as a fugitive from Harrison County.

Vicksburg’s police chief said investigators will be talking to the victim to try and determine what led to this.

“It’s so weird that this has taken place and the only person who can give us more of an explanation of what has happened is the victim. I’m sure he has a story to tell,” said Jones. “I think within the next day or two we’ll probably have more pieces to the puzzle.”

As for Chief Adam Cooper, a press conference was held Friday to address the arrests and whether or not Delena, the only suspect from Mississippi, could be connected to burglaries in the Gulfport area.

“We do know that Delena is from this area, so it is not out of the question he could be attached to some of the burglaries in this area that may have similar M.O.’s,” said Cooper. “So, we are looking into those to see if we have others we can charge him with here.”

Cooper also recognized the work of not only other corresponding agencies in the case, but to the person who notified officials of suspicious activity.

“We would not be this far with this case if it wasn’t for somebody just driving by and seeing something different and calling us. Then the cooperation with other out-of-state agencies really is amazing, how we brought this case together and brought these people to justice.”

As a result of the combined efforts of several law enforcement agencies, the following people have been arrested and charged:

Logan Delena, 27, Saucier, Miss.

• Fugitive arrest for Harrison County (Mississippi) & Vicksburg Police Department (Mississippi)
• 7 counts Illegal Possession of Stolen Firearms
• 1 count Illegal Possession of Stolen Things
• 1 count Aggravated Flight From officer
• 1 count Possession of Schedule I Control Dangerous Substance (CDS)
• 1 count Illegal Carrying of Weapons
• 1 count Possession of Firearms by Convicted Felon

Blake Menefee, 20, Caroline St., Gonzales, La.

• Fugitive Arrest for Harrison County (Mississippi)
• 7 counts of Illegal Possession of Stolen Firearms
• 1 count of Illegal Possession of Stolen Things
• 1 count Aggravated Flight from an officer
• 1 count Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana
• 1 count Illegal Carry of Weapons

Susan Zeringue, 40, Caroline St., Gonzales, La.

• 1 count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin
• 1 count Possession with Intent to Distribute Schedule II

Raven Guidry, 32, Peter St., Thibodeaux, La.

• 1 count Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin
• 1 count Possession with Intent to Distribute Meth

Elcee Guillard, 36, Westwego, La.

• 1 count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin
• 1 count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Jerry Benoit, 33, Charles Bypass, Thibodeau, La.

• 1 count of Possession of Heroin with Intent to Distribute
• 1 count Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Richard Morris, 38, Harrison St., New Orleans, La.

• 5 counts of Illegal Possession of Stolen Firearms
• 1 count Possession of Stolen Things

Sidney Nelson, 39, Daphne St., Gonzales, La.

• 5 counts Illegal Possession of Stolen Firearms
• 1 count of Illegal Possession of Stolen Things

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