On Wednesday, March 2, the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous crime tip of a molestation of a juvenile that reportedly occurred in 2017 in Berwick. Detectives with the Berwick Police Department and the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted a joint investigation into this incident.
Through investigation, detectives identified the suspect as 23-year-old Austin Vercher of Patterson. Detectives determined that Vercher was 18-years-old and the victim was 12-years-old at the time of the alleged incident.
During an interview on March 4, Vercher admitted to the allegations made against him. Berwick Police Detectives applied for and were granted an arrest warrant for Vercher on the charge of Molestation of a Juvenile (Victim Under 13 Years Old).
He was subsequently placed under arrest on the warrant and booked into the Berwick Jail with bond being set at $75,000.00. Vercher was later released after posting bond. Due to the nature of the offense, no further information will be released regarding this complaint.