A Kentwood man is in parish jail after he allegedly kidnapped a woman, stole her car and then set the car on fire.

According to the department, sheriff’s deputies caught Deonte Latrell McElveen, 22, at the car fire, standing among a crowd of onlookers.

According to a sheriff’s report, on the evening of Oct. 2, the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office received a call from a female that her vehicle had been taken by force and that she had been abducted. Responding deputies learned that the victim had given McElveen a ride to a Washington Parish Store.

After McElveen left the store, he allegedly forcibly took control of the victim’s vehicle and refused to allow her to exit the vehicle. As they drove, the victim struggled with him and eventually was able to escape the vehicle, at which time she called the sheriff’s office.

While deputies were searching for the stolen vehicle, they received a call reporting a vehicle on fire in the Mt. Hermon area. After arriving at the fire, deputies determined that the burning vehicle was the one which had been stolen earlier in the evening.

As parish firemen were fighting the fire, deputies recognized McElveen standing in the midst of others who had gathered at the scene. He was arrested and confessed to the carjacking.

McElveen was booked into the Washington Parish Jail early in the morning of Oct. 3 charged with carjacking, simple kidnapping and failure to appear. He remains in jail with his bond set at $70,250.

Sheriff Randy Seal commented, “This was an unusual case. Fortunately, it ended with no injury to his victim. McElveen made a serious error in judgment and now he must face the consequences of his unlawful behavior.”