Bayou Vista man accused of sex crimes involving juvenile

A 31-year-old Bayou Vista man has been charged with sex crimes involving a juvenile, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith said in a news release.

—Roger Barahona, 31, of Clements Lane in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 4:04 p.m. Tuesday on warrants charging him with carnal knowledge of a juvenile, indecent behavior with a juvenile and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

Deputies located Barahona in the 1200 block of Clements Lane in Bayou Vista on the warrants. Barahona was jailed with no bail set.

Smith reported that deputies responded to 36 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:

—Kayla Michelle Francise, 21, of Keith Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:10 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging her with failure to appear on charges of disturbing the peace by fighting and possession of marijuana (14 grams or less).

A deputy observed Francise arguing with a man in the parking lot of the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office in Morgan City. A background check on Francise revealed she had the active warrant. She was jailed with bail set at $2,500.

—Homer “Rickey” Romero, 66, of Hunting Road in Ricohoc, was arrested at 2:52 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of disturbing the peace by language.

—Louis Lee Torres, 61, of Hunting Road in Ricohoc, was arrested at 2:52 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of disturbing the peace by language.

A deputy was dispatched to the 300 block of Hunting Road in Ricohoc in reference to a disturbance. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with the complainant. After further investigation, it was learned that Romero and Torres had been in a verbal altercation using vulgar language, the sheriff said. Both were issued a summons to appear in court July 29.

—Joseph Singleton Jr., 19, was arrested at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear on charges of possession of marijuana (14 grams or less), possession of drug paraphernalia first offense and improper turn and/or failure to give required signal.

Singleton was located in the 900 block of Jason Street in Patterson on the warrant. He was jailed with bail set at $500.

—Palmer Cox IV, 54, of Oregon Street in Berwick, was arrested at 8:18 p.m. Tuesday on warrants charging him with two counts of failure to appear for drug court status and one count of failure to appear for traffic arraignment.

Cox was located at parish jail on the warrants and booked. Bail was set at $350.

—A female juvenile, 15, was arrested at 9 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of runaway juvenile.

A deputy went to a home for a follow-up investigation in reference to a runaway juvenile. Upon further investigation, the juvenile was located and arrested on the above-mentioned charges. She was released to a guardian pending juvenile court action.

Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported that officers responding to 40 calls in the parish and reported the following arrests:

—Guadalupe Maldonado, 64, of Grove Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:16 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging her with stop sign violation.

—Tammy Fitch, 58, of Kidd Street in Patterson, was arrested at 7:16 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging her with failure to appear to pay a probation fee for disturbing the peace.

An officer in the area of 5th Street saw a woman he knew to have warrants through the Morgan City Police Department. The officer verified the warrant and the owner of the vehicle and stopped the vehicle.

The officer identified Fitch and Maldonado as the people in the vehicle. Both had warrants for their arrest and were jailed.

—Walter Banegas-Portillo, 22, of Village Lane in Amelia, was arrested at 7:59 p.m. Tuesday for failure to appear for trial on charges of DWI second offense, possession of open alcohol in a motor vehicle, improper lane use, driving under suspension and failure to pay a fine on charges of DWI, open container, no driver’s license, contempt of court, driving under suspension and no insurance. Portillo was arrested on city court warrants and jailed.

—Slade Landry, 20, of Boo Street in Pierre Part, was arrested at 11:37 p.m. Tuesday on Thibodaux police warrants.

An officer on La. 182 saw a vehicle with no tail lights. Police stopped the vehicle and identified Landry as the driver. Landry had warrants for arrest for the Thibodaux Police Department. Landry was jailed.

Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. reported the following arrest:

—Alec Robinson, 22, of Venus Road in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 4:08 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging him with criminal mischief. Robinson posted $301 cash bail.

Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported no arrests.