Police say cop held girlfriend at gunpoint
John DeSantis / Houma Courier
THIBODAUX — A Thibodaux officer allegedly abused his girlfriend on two occasions, stabbing her in the leg during a Halloween night fight and sexually assaulting her at gunpoint a week later.
Michael Dion, 31, 804 Jackson St., is charged with domestic-abuse battery, aggravated assault with a firearm and sexual battery, said Sgt. Lesley Hill Peters, spokeswoman for the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Dion, Peters said, turned himself in to detectives Friday afternoon following a joint investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and the Thibodaux Police Department.
He was released from the Lafourche Parish jail after posting a $7,000 bond.
Dion, who surrendered his badge and gun, has been suspended without pay, said Thibodaux Police Chief Craig Melancon.
Dion and his girlfriend, whose name is being withheld because of the nature of the allegations, argued Oct. 31 at the home they shared. During that encounter, Dion allegedly threatened the woman with his police baton and a knife.
During a struggle for the knife, the woman sustained an injury to her leg, Peters said. The wound was not life threatening.
Early Sunday morning, Dion allegedly coerced the woman into returning to the Jackson Street house, Peters said. Police didn’t say how he coerced her.
The woman alleges Dion, armed with a gun, prevented her from leaving for three hours.
“During that time,” Peters says in a written statement, “Dion threatened the victim with a handgun and committed the sexual battery.”
The woman has secured a restraining order against Dion, the chief said.
Melancon said he and other police employees knew that Dion and his girlfriend, parents of a 3-year-old boy, had a volatile relationship. They frequently argued, though no one knew of any violence between the couple.
Dion was initially hired by Thibodaux Police in 2004, left the department under honorable circumstances, and returned to the force about two years ago.
“He left on good terms, and he came back,” Melancon said. “He has been a good police officer. A good, honest officer.”
On each occasion of his hiring, Dion successfully completed the psychological screening required of all prospective Thibodaux officers, Melancon said.
Police learned of the allegations against Dion when the woman called to complain of Dion’s behavior, Melancon said.
“She was told to come in and make a complaint,” he said, adding he couldn’t immediately provide the date she did so.
“She was not in immediate risk at that particular date,” he said, but “she went back to living with him. They broke up two months ago.
“This is a young couple that say they care about and love one another except their relationship gets into problems. This time it got to be on the violent side, it got to be extreme.”
Sheriff’s Office detectives skilled in handling domestic-violence cases conducted the investigation, Melancon said, taking meticulous care go build their case.
No special consideration was given to Dion, he said, when asked about the length of time between the complaints and Dion’s arrest.
“This case was handled like any other,” Melancon said.
The wood-framed beige house where Dion lives had the blinds drawn Friday night. His former black-and-white police cruiser, number 68, was parked in the driveway until just before dusk, when officers came to remove it.
Francis Arcement, who lives in the house next door, said Dion was a good neighbor who was always ready to help if there was an emergency.
She often saw him playing with his son on the well-manicured front and back lawns.
She was distressed to learn that Dion was in trouble and summed up her impressions of him in one short sentence: “He was a good guy.”
