Carpenter seeks reduction of $1.45M bond

Brandon Carpenter, charged with four counts of attempted 1st degree murder, has filed a motion seeking to have his $1.45 million bond reduced. Attorney George Higgins is seeking the bond reduction on grounds that the amount is beyond Carpenter’s means and there is insufficient evidence to support a conviction on the serious charges.

A hearing on the bond will be scheduled.

The charges stem from a series of events on May 11, 2017.

The incident began in Hessmer when officers attempted to serve an out-of-parish warrant. Carpenter reportedly drove away, striking an occupied police unit, and led authorities on a high-speed chase across the parish that ended with him barricading himself in a home in Long Bridge.

During the armed standoff, Carpenter allegedly fired a shotgun from inside the house and wounded three police officers. Two required medical treatment and one had minor injury from shrapnel from the shotgun blast.

His four attempted murder charges are related to the vehicle collision and shotgun shooting.

He is also charged with two counts of aggravated criminal damage, one count of aggravated assault on a peace officer with a firearm, two counts of battery on a police officer, two counts of resisting an officer by force, one count of operating a vehicle with a suspended license, one count of hit and run, one count of aggravated flight from an officer and one count of aggravated assault with a motor vehicle.

The case is on hold pending a sanity commission hearing to determine whether Carpenter was sane at the time of the incident and/or is currently legally sane and able to assist attorneys in his defense,

This past June prosecutors attempted to enter written reports related to Carpenter’s sanity defense, but Higgins filed a motion requiring that psychologist Dr. John Simoneaux and Avoyelles Coroner Dr. L.J. Mayeux testify in person as to their findings.

The sanity hearing has not been scheduled.