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Firefighters are investigating the cause of a Wednesday morning blaze that gutted a duplex on Holt Drive, just east of S. Flannery Road. Firefighters were called to 753 Holt Drive at 3:11 a.m. and had the fire under control a little after 4 a.m. The fire is suspected to have started in the common attic … Continue reading →
A judge on Tuesday struck down several exceptions to Louisiana’s ban on juveniles possessing handguns, including a little-known provision allowing youngsters to carry handguns as long as they have written permission from a parent. Judge Pamela Taylor Johnson of East Baton Rouge Parish Juvenile Court upheld the remaining language in the ban, which forbids handgun … Continue reading →
Baton Rouge police arrested a 61-year-old man Monday accused of extorting about $60,000 over several years from an 88-year-old man after telling the man the Mexican Mafia would blow up his house and kill him and his family if he did not pay. Continue reading →
U.S. marshals captured Tederick Bessie in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, 35 hours after he walked away from his work release job in Ponchatoula, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lori Steele said. Bessie was last seen at Elmer’s Chocolate Factory at about 6 a.m. Monday. Livivngston Parish sheriff’s deputies and Louisiana Workforce LLC assisted in the … Continue reading →
PORT BARRE — An 11-year-old girl has died from injuries she received in a traffic crash on Saturday in St. Landry Parish, State Police said Tuesday. Anna Trahan, 11, of Leonville, was a passenger in a vehicle that was rear-ended as the driver slowed in preparation to make a left turn about 8:22 p.m. Saturday … Continue reading →
ABBEVILLE — A 44-year-old Abbeville man died early Tuesday from injuries he received when his car ran off the road and into a ditch Monday evening, State Police said. Darren Mouton was driving a Chevrolet Corvette south on La. 82 near Marlin Road about 6:51 p.m. when, for unknown reasons, he ran … Continue reading →
GONZALES — Ascension Parish sheriff’s detectives are searching for a 31-year-old man accused of raping a 16-year-old girl earlier this month. The girl was raped at her home June 9 before Justo Venegas fled on a bicycle, leaving his 2003 GMC single-cab red pickup behind, Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Tony Bacala said Tuesday. Venegas … Continue reading →
FRANKLINTON — A pre-dawn gas line explosion shook residents out of their beds in a rural, wooded area of Washington Parish, briefly knocking out power to thousands of people but not injuring anybody. An 80-foot section of 30-inch pipeline on Lee Road ruptured at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday about 10 miles from Franklinton, Louisiana State … Continue reading →
PONCHATOULA — Livingston Parish sheriff’s deputies and Louisiana Workforce LLC searched Monday for an offender who walked away from his work release job Monday morning. Tederick Bessie, 30, of Baton Rouge, walked away from Elmer’s Chocolate Factory in Ponchatoula at about 6 a.m., Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lori Steele said. Bessie is 5 feet, 11 … Continue reading →
Local youth will soon see Baton Rouge police officers in a different kind of uniform under a program aimed at curbing juvenile delinquency. Seeking to boost relations between the Police Department and the community it serves, city-parish officials are resurrecting the city’s Police Athletic League. The newest incarnation of the league will … Continue reading →
A Baton Rouge man who police say admitted to being “very drunk” was arrested Sunday after he ran off the road and hit a vehicle, person, tree and two houses. Baton Rouge police booked Anthony Asmore, 30, 5445 Breckenridge Ave., Baton Rouge, into Parish Prison … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — A 3-year-old boy who wandered outside his grandparent’s home Saturday night fell into a swimming pool and drowned, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office said. Efforts to revive Cullen Guilbeaux were unsuccessful after the boy was pulled from the pool shortly before 9 p.m. Sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Kip Judice said deputies arrived at … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — A teenager was killed and another injured after their four-wheeler was struck by a truck on La. 757 in Evangeline Parish early Sunday, State Police said. Matthew Neal, a 15-year-old from Basile, died at a hospital before 1 p.m. Sunday, State Police Troop I said in a news release. Neither … Continue reading →
Nine units were damaged Sunday in a 7 p.m. apartment fire. American Red Cross volunteers assisted 14 people, including two children, whose Baton Rouge homes were damaged Sunday evening in the fire, according to an American Red Cross news release. The blaze occurred at the Evangeline Place apartments, 4747 Annette St. just north of Evangeline … Continue reading →
Police arrested a suspected bank robber in Ponchatoula less than 12 hours after he allegedly walked into First Guaranty Bank in Hammond Saturday and passed a note to a teller demanding money, according to Hammond police. Edmond Nunez, 51, 1681 La. 51, Ponchatoula, was arrested in a joint operation by officers with the Hammond and Ponchatoula police … Continue reading →
A 33-year-old LaSalle Parish man accused of sending lewd messages and videos to a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl was arrested Friday. East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies booked Curtis Bryan Lindsey, 1052 Magnolia Loop, Urania, into Parish Prison on one count each of indecent … Continue reading →
Friends of Ronald “Rocky” Morris Jr. described him Saturday as a fun-loving family man, the epitome of a loyal friend, and a man who could always be counted on in a time of need. Morris, who died Friday at the age of 56 from injuries sustained after an over-pressurized vessel ruptured at the CF Industries chemical plant … Continue reading →
Federal investigators this weekend began combing through wreckage with hopes of determining exactly what caused the fiery explosion at the Williams Olefins chemical plant in Geismar on Thursday morning that killed two people and injured scores of others. Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration arrived Friday night to begin the department’s detailed inspection of work … Continue reading →
HAMMOND — No one but a single bank teller knew that First Guaranty Bank in Hammond had been robbed Saturday morning until after the holdup man casually walked away with an undisclosed amount of money. Investigators were searching for a roughly 5-foot-8-inch, 150-pound, short-haired man in his mid-50s who allegedly handed a note to a … Continue reading →
GREENSBURG — Investigators are searching for the driver of a pickup believed to have struck and killed a 21-year-old pedestrian early Saturday on La. 43 in St. Helena Parish, according to Louisiana State Police. William Iasigi, 21, of Liberty, Miss., died Saturday at a hospital shortly after being struck by what investigators described as a … Continue reading →
DONALDSONVILLE (AP) — Federal investigators are expected in south Louisiana over the weekend at the site of an explosion that killed one worker at chemical plant near Donaldsonville — the second such blast in the area in as many days. State Police Trooper Jared Sandifer said Saturday officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were coming … Continue reading →
An investigative team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board is deploying to the scene of a fire and explosion that occurred Thursday at the William Olefins Inc. plant in Geismar. The investigative team will be led by CSB Western Regional Office Director Don Holmstrom and is expected to arrive in Louisiana over the weekend, according to a … Continue reading →
A 45-year-old man was shot to death by his older brother early Saturday morning in the driveway of their parents’ home, Baton Rouge police reported. Wayne Hebert Jr., 45, of Austin, Texas, died after his brother, Michael, 51, shot him multiple times in the back following an argument in the driveway at 9865 Chateau Drive, Baton Rouge, … Continue reading →
A Natalbany man died in a three-vehicle accident near Tickfaw when his motorcycle collided with a pickup on La. 1065. Carl Jones, 36, was riding a Suzuki motorcycle that collided Friday with the right side of a 2004 Toyota truck driven by Johnny Leboeuf, 61, of Bourg, according to a State Police Troop L news release. Continue reading →
A minivan struck and killed a 37-year-old pedestrian late Friday night on La. 1024 in Livingston Parish, Louisiana State Police said. Bennie McInnis, 37, of Denham Springs, died Friday after a 2009 Dodge Caravan hit him while he was walking in the eastbound traffic lane of La. 1024, also called Cane Market Road, near Watson, State Police … Continue reading →
A 33-year-old man is accused of forcing a child to sexually touch him between 20 and 25 times over a three-year period. Jason Lindsey, 33, 12456 Tams Drive, Baton Rouge, was booked Friday into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on counts of sex crimes against … Continue reading →
WALKER — Police arrested a 33-year-old man Friday accused of growing $16,000 worth of marijuana in a tent house erected inside a Pendarvis Lane barn, a Walker Police Department spokesman said. John H. Allen, of 12404 Pendarvis Lane, Walker, was booked in the Livingston Parish Detention Center on counts of manufacturing, distribution and possession of … Continue reading →
LIVINGSTON — A former Holden fire chief was found guilty Friday of indecent behavior with a 14-year-old girl in 2012, the District Attorney’s Office said. Franklin Dale Church, who formerly served as fire chief of Fire Protection District 10, which covers the Holden area, was convicted in 21st Judicial District Court on nine counts of … Continue reading →
A 63-year-old Kentwood woman died Thursday morning from injuries received after she drove her car into a ditch alongside Interstate 55 near the Wardline Road exit in Hammond, according to State Police. Linda Hilbert was traveling southbound in the left lane of I-55 when her vehicle, a 2007 Chevrolet HHR, began to veer left, causing her to … Continue reading →
A 20-year-old man accused of shooting at a moving vehicle on June 1 has been arrested by Baton Rouge police officers. James Franklin Williams, 20, 722 North St., was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Wednesday on counts of attempted second-degree murder, prison records … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — One Lake Charles resident was arrested this week and another is being sought on counts of fraud tied a November vehicle fire in Acadiana Park on East Alexander Street that investigators said was intentionally set. Ashley John, who reported her vehicle stolen after the … Continue reading →
ST. AMANT — Deputies arrested and booked two men into the Ascension Parish Jail after the pair admitting to stealing a gun and other items from vehicles in St. Amant. Sheriff’s Maj. Ward Webb reported in a news release Thursday that deputies responded to a call early Wednesday concerning two men in the Leo Lambert … Continue reading →
Less than 12 hours after a man was shot and killed Wednesday on North Sherwood Forest Boulevard, a teenager was fatally shot a few blocks away. Baton Rouge police said Thursday the shootings do not appear to be connected. Police responded to a report of a shooting at 10 p.m. Wednesday at 2011 … Continue reading →
An arrest warrant issued Tuesday accuses a 26-year-old woman of operating a meth lab that blew up on Feb. 24, causing thousands of dollars in damage to her apartment and leaving her with second-degree and third-degree burns. Danell Christine Davis, of 5116 Highland … Continue reading →
The civil service exams taken last month by more than a dozen people vying to become Baton Rouge’s next police chief will be graded and forwarded this week to the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board, the state examiner said Wednesday. “I am happy to say that the reviewers on this particular examination did … Continue reading →
The father of slain toddler Justyce Cheatham says he had been “blocked out” of his son’s life for months, but had no reason to suspect the 23-month-old was living in an abusive home in Baton Rouge. Clarence Bumpas, a college football player from Colorado, said he didn’t know Cheatham had moved with his mother to Louisiana. Continue reading →
LIVINGSTON — Opening statements began Wednesday in the trial of a former Holden fire chief on charges of indecent behavior with a 14-year-old girl in 2012. Franklin Dale Church, who formerly served as fire chief of Fire Protection District 10, which covers the Holden area, faces nine counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile. Continue reading →
HAMMOND — Hammond police say they have identified a vehicle possibly used in a burglary early Tuesday at the state Office of Motor Vehicles branch in Hammond in which the vehicle backed into the building and left with an automated teller machine. Police believe someone drove a white 2012 Nissan Altima into the building, located … Continue reading →
An internal investigation has cleared two Baton Rouge police officers who were placed on leave in April after fatally shooting a mentally disturbed man who attacked them with a knife, authorities said Tuesday. The inquiry found no wrongdoing on the part of Cpl. Donald Johnson and Officer Brian Strong, who received wounds to the head … Continue reading →
A man accused of pulling a woman out of her vehicle and stealing it May 23 was arrested Monday. Baton Rouge police booked Joshua James Cain, 27, 5021 McClelland Drive, with carjacking, East Baton Rouge Parish Prison records show. According to an affidavit warrant, the … Continue reading →
GRAND ISLE — The body of a missing Assumption Parish man presumed to have drowned has been found on rock jetties off the shores of Grand Isle, the Assumption Parish sheriff reported Tuesday. Sheriff Mike Waguespack said detectives suspect Michael Blanchard, 51, of Labadieville, went into the water for some reason, possibly during a time … Continue reading →
KENTWOOD — Tangipahoa Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested a 24-year-old man accused of “receiving a sexual act” from a 13-year-old girl in a car outside a restaurant, the Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. Ryan Clark, of Kentwood, was booked Monday into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail on a count of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, a … Continue reading →
LAFAYETTE — A Lafayette motorcyclist who crashed into another motorcycle south of Duson over the weekend died Monday from his injuries, State Police said. James Feazell, 32, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition Saturday after the accident at 3:45 p.m. on La. 720 west of La. 343, State Police Troop I … Continue reading →
East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested a 37-year-old man Monday accused of sex crimes against a child. Patrick U. Quinones, last known address of 3003 Vancouver Drive, Baton Rouge, was booked into Parish Prison after a 16-year-old girl told deputies that they had … Continue reading →
BAKER — A contractor for the National Transportation Safety Board removed the last pieces of wreckage Monday afternoon from a twin-engine plane in the area of the burned-out houses where it crashed Friday, killing the pilot. The pilot, John Fowler, 71, of Brookhaven, Miss., died from blunt-force trauma and fire and inhalational injuries, the … Continue reading →