A Natchitoches man wanted on active warrants was arrested Tuesday evening after leading deputies on a foot pursuit near the intersection of Louisiana Highway 1 and Louisiana Highway 493, according to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Stuart Wright.
The incident began on May 27 at approximately 7:53 p.m. when NPSO Dispatch received reports of a man wearing camouflage pants and carrying a blue backpack walking northbound in the travel lane of Highway 1 near Highway 493, creating a traffic hazard.
Deputies responded to the area and began searching for the individual. Shortly before 9 p.m., concerned citizens contacted a deputy and reported seeing the man near the Highway 1 bridge approaching the intersection with Highway 493.
While patrolling the area, Lt. Powell observed a man matching the description provided by witnesses. According to the sheriff’s office, when Powell pulled into a gravel driveway in a marked patrol unit and activated emergency lights, the man immediately fled on foot into a nearby field and wooded area.
Deputies pursued the suspect and repeatedly ordered him to stop. Authorities said the man continued running deeper into the woods before deputies eventually located him attempting to conceal himself by lying face down on the ground.
Additional deputies arrived, and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. During the investigation, the man initially provided deputies with a false name and date of birth. Further investigation identified him as 46-year-old Otis Sneed of Natchitoches.
Deputies determined Sneed was wanted on active warrants through both the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Natchitoches Police Department.
Following his arrest, Sneed complained of chest pains and shortness of breath. Natchitoches Regional Medical Center EMS personnel responded, evaluated him at the scene and reported that he refused further medical treatment.
Sneed was transported to the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center and booked on a Natchitoches Parish bench warrant issued Nov. 25, 2025, for resisting an officer by providing a false name, as well as a charge of resisting an officer by flight.
According to deputies, Sneed is also a suspect in an active investigation on CoCo Bed Road near Cloutierville. That investigation remains ongoing.
Sneed remains in the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center.
All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.