Mason Paul Eugene Fischer,Michael Emanual Lanier Arrested; – Two additional 17-year-olds have been apprehended and are now facing first-degree murder charges related to the death of St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Grant Candies. He was tragically struck and killed early Sunday morning (March 23) while attempting to deploy spike strips during a vehicle chase.
On Monday (March 24), the sheriff’s office announced the arrests of Mason Paul Eugene Fischer and Michael Emanual Lanier, both residents of Slidell. They are currently being processed at the parish correctional center.
Fischer faces charges including:
– First Degree Murder
– Attempted First Degree Murder
– Possession with Intent to Distribute Schedule I Narcotics
– Obstruction of Justice
Lanier is charged with:
– First Degree Murder
– Attempted First Degree Murder
The sheriff’s office had previously identified the driver of the vehicle as 17-year-old Adrian Waughtal, who remains in custody. He has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated flight from an officer.
Sgt. Candies, 37, was a nine-year veteran of the sheriff’s office and a former U.S. Marine. He was honored as Deputy of the Year in 2023 and was the son of a long-serving St. Charles Parish deputy. He is survived by his wife and two young children.
Candies was providing assistance during a pursuit on I-10 near the Oak Harbor exit in Slidell when he was struck by a vehicle fleeing from law enforcement. Authorities report that the vehicle was driven by Waughtal.
According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, the pursuit began on Brownswitch Road when a deputy attempted to stop a vehicle that fled at a high rate of speed.
“He was going at least 85, 90 mph,” one witness recounted. “He kept swerving. I was like, ‘what is going on?’”
Sheriff Randy Smith described Sgt. Candies as “an asset to the department” and “the kind of deputy every agency hopes to have.”
“I urge our community to pray for Sgt. Candies’ family, as well as his blue family—his colleagues and other law enforcement members,” Smith stated. “Sgt. Candies’ death underscores the dangers our deputies confront daily.”
