Deputies make arrest in molestation case

(Editor’s note: The charges listed here and the narratives that go with them are provided by the police agencies that made the arrests. Guilt or innocence has not been determined in court.)

An Amelia man has been arrested in a molestation investigation involving a juvenile, the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

St. Mary

Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 41 complaints and made these arrests:

--Jose Espinal, 43, Amelia, was arrested at 3:20 p.m. Thursday on a warrant alleging molestation of a juvenile.

On April 6, a deputy was dispatched to handle a complaint at headquarters in Franklin. The deputy met with the complainant and a juvenile. The complainant stated that the juvenile was inappropriately touched by an adult male, identified as Espinal, at a location in Amelia.

The deputy turned the information over to detectives to open an investigation into the allegation.

Through the investigation, a warrant was obtained for Espinal. Detectives located Espinal at his place of employment and transported him to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bail was set at $250,000.

---Marcus Dewayne Battle, 48, Morgan City, was arrested at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on a charge of no driver’s license on person. Bail has not been set at this time.

--Isidro Garnica Garcia, 23, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:12 p.m. Thursday on a warrant alleging domestic abuse (child endangerment law). Bail was set at $2,500.

Berwick

Chief David S. Leonard reported this arrest:

--Kayla Bergeron, 34, Oregon Street, Berwick, was arrested at 4 p.m. Thursday on Berwick warrants alleging identity theft and access device fraud and a St. Mary warrant alleging failure to appear.

At 4 p.m. Thursday, officers located Bergeron at a residence on Texas Street and knew of an active warrant for her arrest. Bergeron was placed under arrest and transported to the Berwick Police Department, where she was booked on the outstanding warrants.

The warrants stem from an ongoing investigation beginning in April, in which it was learned that Bergeron obtained the victim’s banking information and charged more than $1,000 to the account.

Morgan City

Chief Chad M. Adams reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 48 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made this arrest:

--Tre Mathew Dunn LaCoste, 29, La. 182 Raceland, was , arrested Thursday on a charge of failure to appear to pay fine (6th Ward Morgan City Court).