Woman fatally stabs sex offender during attempted assault at laundromat, St. Tammany sheriff says
ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (WVUE) - A convicted sex offender was stabbed to death at a laundromat near Lacombe while he was allegedly trying to assault another woman, according to officials.
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call Sunday (March 3) around 3:30 p.m. at the laundromat, located in the 28000 block of Hwy. 190.
Authorities say Nicholas Tranchant, 40, was found unresponsive with a visible stab wound and taken to a nearby hospital where he later died.
Deputies say a woman claimed to have stabbed Tranchant in self-defense.
Tranchant, a known sex offender with prior convictions, reportedly entered the laundromat and brandished a sharp weapon with the intent to sexually assault the female victim, Sheriff Randy Smith said.
The woman reportedly managed to disarm Tranchant and retaliate, fatally stabbing him with his own weapon before fleeing to safety.
A neighbor says she isn’t shocked to hear the news, considering the 211 registered sex offenders who live near Lacombe.
“It makes me want to tear up that she had to go through that, and it’s a shame,” Gwen Batiste said. “I pay taxes here and I shouldn’t have to worry about my granddaughter walking to the bus stop.”
Batiste was planning on washing her granddaughter’s school uniforms at The Laundry Room on Sunday evening.
“I got tied up and I didn’t get there. When I came through, I’d seen all the police and everything and started hearing things,” she said. “I went to Mandeville. I felt safer driving in the middle of the night to Mandeville than I did going right here less than half a mile from my home.”
The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the altercation.
“I want to compliment this brave woman on the courage and strength she showed in fighting back against her attacker and ask for prayers for her continued recovery,” Smith said.
Tranchant was convicted in July 2003 for indecent behavior with juvenile, and in May 2008 for attempted aggravated rape and aggravated burglary. He was released from jail on Dec. 21, 2023, and was required to register as a sex offender.
“I understand everybody’s done their time,” Batiste said. “But when you hurt a woman, you hurt a child, there is no ‘you’ve done your time’ and it’s over with. It’s pretty sad and we need to bond together and get rid of these pedophiles and sex offenders. It’s become normal around here and it shouldn’t be.”
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.
Subscribe to the Fox 8 YouTube channel.
Copyright 2024 WVUE. All rights reserved.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7p7vXcaOirpVjsLC5jmtna2xfZYBwfJNorqilkaN6p63TmqOlsV2owaKu0maqnrBdpLOnsc2dnKtllKq%2FqrrGZpitrJWivbWxw2aYrKuRqrm1ecuarKecoqS6osCMrKtmrJGiuqK62GaqoZ2inrOnedKasKxn