Louisiana Story

VINTON, La. -- Police were surprized when a driver wearing only a towel got out of a car, then got back in and sped off. They were stunned when the car hit a tree and disgorged 20 naked people.

"The Lord told them to get rid of their belongings and go to Louisiana. So they did, plus the license plate off their car and came to our gorgeous state," Vinton Police Chief Dennis Drouillard said.

All 20 were from Floydada, Texas, about 550 miles from the southwest Louisiana town of Vinton.

Driver Sammy Rodriguez and his brother, Danny, both said they were Pentecostal preachers, Drouillard said.

Floydada Police Chief James Hale said he had been looking for the Rodriguez family since Tuesday night, when relatives reported them missing.

The family left six cars, abandoning one in Lubbock and a second in San Angelo and a third in Galveston, along with clothes, pocketbooks, wallets and other belongings.
The chase in Vinton began after a campground owner called police. A Calcasieu Parish deputy stopped their car, and a man wearing only a towel got out.

"When the officer went to ask what was going on, he jumped back in and took off," Drouillard said.

They sped down Vinton's main street until the car hit a tree. Fifteen adults, as old as age 63, piled out of the 1990 Pontiac. Five children, as young as 1 year old, were in the trunk.

The car was totaled, but the injuries all were minor, Drouillard said. "I guess when you're packed in that tight, there's not much room to move around."

Rodriguez was booked with reckless driving, flight from an officer, property damage and several minor traffic violations, he said. He was kept in custody.

Authorities said the entire group was released into the custody of a Baptist church nearby, where they awaited relatives.