The Lafourche Parish sheriff’s deputy who died in the line of duty early Sunday morning was a 15-and-a-half-year veteran of the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Craig Webre identified the fallen deputy as Detective Sergeant Nicholas Pepper.
Pepper, 44, died early Sunday morning after, according to Webre and Louisiana State Police, a suspect rammed his car during a pursuit.
According to state troopers, the suspect started the chase when officers with the Houma Police Department attempted to pull him over for a traffic violation. Troopers say the suspect eventually stopped, but when officers tried to negotiate with the suspect, he sped off again, ramming into Pepper’s unit on LA 1 near Kleinpeter Road. Pepper was taken to a Thibodaux hospital, where he later died.
“Nick epitomized all that is honored and revered in a peace officer,” Sheriff Webre said in a statement. “The tremendous outpouring of love and gratitude from the community is truly appreciated. I ask that you continue to keep Sergeant Nick Pepper and his family, as well as our Sheriff’s Office family, in your thoughts and prayers.”
Sheriff Webre said Pepper’s law enforcement career spanned 24 years. Pepper joined the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office after serving with both the Houma Police Department and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Webre noted that Pepper “was an integral part of nearly every major criminal investigation in Lafourche Parish for more than a decade.”
Pepper is survived by his wife Christie, daughters Patience and Gracie, and son Nicholas, Jr.
