SHREVEPORT, La. — A worried father’s call turned into a coordinated Caddo Parish search Tuesday evening after a 25-year-old boater failed to return from Wallace Lake for several hours.

According to KSLA, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Cameron Park at about 3:11 p.m. on May 27 after the man’s father reported that Treston Decareaux had gone out on the lake around midnight and had not been heard from.

Sgt. Brian Johnson and Sgt. Larry Pierce began searching the area, but officials initially did not find Decareaux’s truck and trailer at the boat launch. The Sheriff’s Office Drone Unit was also deployed as deputies worked to narrow down where he might be.

KSLA reported that Decareaux later texted a family member at 2:35 p.m., saying his boat was having mechanical problems and that he was stranded somewhere on the lake.

That message gave deputies a stronger direction. Investigators later found Decareaux’s truck and trailer in the 11500 block of Cypress Gardens Road on the eastern side of Wallace Lake, helping crews focus the search.

At 6:09 p.m., deputies located Decareaux and his disabled boat on the northern portion of the lake. He was safe and unharmed.

Marine patrol, drones and teamwork

Lt. Davis towed the boat to a nearby launch, where deputies helped Decareaux load the vessel and return home, according to the report.

Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. praised the response as an example of the work deputies do across the parish.

“This incident highlights the professionalism, teamwork, and dedication displayed by our deputies every day,” Whitehorn said, according to KSLA. “By utilizing advanced drone technology, marine operations, and coordinated patrol efforts, our personnel were able to bring this situation to a safe conclusion. We are grateful this young man was located safely and reunited with his family.”

For ThinBlueNews readers, the Wallace Lake search is a reminder that not every public-safety call starts with sirens and flashing lights. Sometimes it begins with a family member who knows something is wrong — and ends because deputies, drone operators and marine units keep working until they find the person who needs help.

In this case, that work ended the best way possible: a stranded boater was found alive, uninjured and able to go home.

Sources and attribution

  • KSLA reported the timeline and details attributed to Caddo Parish officials.
  • The featured image is credited to the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office as displayed in KSLA’s coverage.