MC officer praised for work on ATM burglaries

A Morgan City police officer who spotted an ATM burglary suspect while off duty received a letter of commendation Tuesday for his work in a case that stretched far beyond St. Mary Parish.
Police Chief Chad M. Adams presented Officer Ryan Aucoin with the letter at Tuesday’s Morgan City Council meeting.
Adams said that on Sept. 12, Aucoin had finished his shift and was on his way home. He spotted a vehicle matching the description of a suspect vehicle involved in a series of ATM burglaries.
“Despite having completed his shift, Officer Aucoin took immediate action to investigate,” the Police Department said in a Facebook post. “He coordinated with law enforcement agencies outside his jurisdiction to initiate a traffic stop, setting into motion a series of events that led to the arrest of multiple Venezuelan nationals affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang.”
The investigation resulted in the seizure of a large sum of money and the disruption of this international gang’s criminal activities across several states, Adams said.
The Morgan City Police Department’s Detective Division, working alongside local, state, and federal partners, subsequently executed multiple search warrants and arrests throughout Louisiana and beyond.
The case had links to Lafayette, Chicago and Florida, Adams told the council.
“They thought we were a soft target here in Morgan City,” Adams said. “We proved them wrong.”
During the event, Adams also recognized the Detective Division with a Positive Image award for their instrumental role in spearheading the investigation and coordinating efforts with partnering agencies.
“Officer Aucoin’s proactive efforts, vigilance, and commitment to public safety reflect great credit upon himself and the Morgan City Police Department,” the Facebook post said.
Receiving recognition at the meeting were Sgt. Dustin Fromenthal, who recommended Aucoin for the commendation; Detective Khairick Hartley; Detective Jeramiah Rink; Sgt. Brandon Billiot; and Detective Lt. Rick Hartley.
Also Tuesday:
—Although final passage of the 2025-26 city government budget was on Tuesday’s agenda, council members put off action until after a 3 p.m. Nov. 6 workshop at the Recreation Department’s conference room at 915 Everett St.
The budget could come up for a public hearing and passage vote at the council’s Nov. 18 meeting. That meeting has been set for a week earlier because the usual fourth-Tuesday date falls during Thanksgiving week.
The proposed 2026 budget anticipates revenue of about $61.3 million and spending of $60.5 million.
In his budget message, Mayor Lee Dragna said the revenue figure is $4.2 million lower than the 2025 budget.
“However, a considerable amount of grant monies that were expected to be received in 2025 in connection with the PHMSA Natural Gas Distribution Grant will not be received until 2026,” Dragna wrote.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration awarded a $7 million grant to the Morgan City government in 2023.
—The council passed two ordinances. One bans the use of barbecue grills indoors and prohibits grills from being “used, kindled or stored” on any balcony, under any overhang or within 10 feet of any structure at multifamily homes.
A second ordinance has a new range of charges for four LED wattages for security lights. The monthly charge for a 175-watt LED would drop from $4.25 to $3. For 1,000-watt LEDs, the charge would drop from $16.50 to $10.