DENHAM SPRINGS — A search for a man accused of violating two protective orders sent Livingston Parish deputies to a Denham Springs property last week, but what happened there is now under internal review.

The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office says they were looking for 30-year-old Austin Yoches, wanted for violating two protective orders, after multiple tips placed him at a property off Burgess Road.

But the family living there, including Felicia McDonald and her sister-in-law, Marci Guidry, says deputies went too far.

“They came and banged on my door,” McDonald said. 

She says deputies told her they were acting on an anonymous tip. Yoches is her husband’s first cousin.

“He said, ‘We’re here looking for Austin.’ And I said, ‘He’s not here.’ He said, ‘Well, we got an anonymous tip that he is.’ And I said, ‘He’s not. He doesn’t live here. He’s not here,’” McDonald said.

The family says deputies had visited the property multiple times since Thanksgiving, searching for Yoches, who they say was never there. McDonald noticed damage after one of the visits.

“The window at my mother-in-law’s house was busted, and it was not busted prior to anyone coming on the property,” she said.

She also said one deputy walked around the property with a K-9 despite being told to stop.

“I said, ‘You don’t have permission to walk around with your dog.’ And he said, ‘Nobody cares. Get your ass back inside,’” McDonald said.

Guidry says she asked deputies to show a search warrant.

“They told me they did not have one. And I said, ‘Well, you have to have one.’ And they proceeded to tell me that they did not need a search warrant because they had an arrest warrant,” Guidry said.

The family says they are not looking for a fight with law enforcement, only accountability.

“We know there are good cops out there, but there are cops that believe that they’re above the law,” McDonald said.

Sheriff Jason Ard pushed back on the family’s claims, calling some of the stories “distorted.” He said a vehicle registered to Yoches was at one of the properties, no homes were entered or searched, and no windows were broken, noting that any visible damage appeared to be old. He also disputed the claim that deputies used profanity but confirmed one deputy was reprimanded for unprofessional behavior.

Ard emphasized that domestic violence violations are serious crimes that must be strongly enforced to protect victims.

The Internal Affairs investigation is focused on the one deputy’s behavior and remains active. Yoches was arrested last week and has since bonded out on a $15,000 bond.