UPDATED: Councilman enters plea in stalking case

A Tuesday guilty plea resolved a series of charges lodged against St. Mary Parish Councilman James Bennett of Morgan City in the course of four arrests over the last 15 months.
Bennett pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of stalking in 16th Judicial District Court, Assistant District Attorney Anthony Saleme confirmed.
Bennett last week qualified for a new term without opposition in Parish Council District 7.
Bennett, 51, entered his plea during an arraignment. The court then sentenced Bennett to six months in the parish jail and suspended the sentence. He will also have to pay court costs and do 20 hours of community service
Saleme said Tuesday's pleas resolved all the charges held by the 16th Judicial District Attorney's Office against Bennett.
Bennett was first arrested by Berwick police July 31, 2018, on a charge of remaining after forbidden.
He was arrested by Berwick police again in February after a stalking complaint. In May, he was arrested again on a stalking charge after Louisiana State Police searched his Sixth Street home.
Within a week, he was arrested again on a charge of violating a protective order, an arrest Berwick Police Chief David Leonard said was supported by video evidence.