Police: Man caught with heroin at festival

A Verdunville man was caught with heroin while attending the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in Morgan City and also booked on warrants for telephone harassment and assault, Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.

—Alton M. Kemp Jr., 31, of Verdun Lane in Verdunville, was arrested at 9:58 p.m. Friday on charges of possession of heroin and violation of uniform controlled dangerous substance-drug-free zone and warrants charging him with simple assault and telephone harassment.

Officers located Kemp on the fairgrounds of the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in the area of Greenwood Street and arrested him on warrants. The warrants stem from an incident in June that alleges Kemp made repeated calls and threats to an individual, Blair said.

While conducting a search of Kemp, police located suspected heroin, Blair said. The area Kemp was arrested is considered a drug-free zone because it’s within 1,000 feet of a church. Kemp was jailed.

Blair reported that officers responded to 235 calls and reported the following arrests:

—David J. Elliot Jr., 41, of Franklin Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:56 a.m. Friday on charges of improper lane usage and driving under suspension.

An officer on U.S. 90 west observed a vehicle swerving in and out of the lane of travel. A traffic stop was conducted, and the driver, Elliot, had a suspended driver’s license, Blair said. Elliot was jailed.

—Donald J. Busse, 51, of Brashear Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 2:18 p.m. Friday on a charge of possession of marijuana and warrants charging him with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Busse was located on Brashear Avenue and arrested on warrants. Officers also located suspected marijuana on him, Blair said. Busse was jailed.

—Darrell Riggins, 29, of Brashear Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:21 p.m. Friday on warrants charging him with possession of marijuana second offense and illegal use of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a person under 17 years old. Riggins was located on La. 70, arrested and jailed.

—Nicole Percle, 42, of Egle Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:14 p.m. Friday on a warrant charging her with theft of utilities.

Percle was located on Egle Street and arrested on a warrant. The warrant stems from an incident in March 2017, which alleged that Percle tampered with an electrical meter and reconnected the utilities, Blair said. Percle was jailed.

—Amilcar Castanon, 33, of Houma, was arrested at 9:42 p.m. Friday on charges of no driver’s license and headlights required.

A patrol officer in the area of La. 182 and Aycock Street observed a vehicle with improper light. A traffic stop was conducted and the driver, Castanon, didn’t have a valid driver’s license, Blair said. Castanon was jailed.

—Tyrique Jones, 20, of N Street in Patterson, was arrested at 10:31 p.m. Friday on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, transactions involving drug proceeds and resisting an officer.

The narcotics division conducted an undercover operation on fairgrounds of the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in the area of Greenwood and Second streets. Police located Jones, who had a smell of marijuana emitting from him, Blair said.

While talking to officers, Jones tried to flee but was caught a short time later. Jones was found with suspected marijuana packaged for sale in his possession, Blair said.

Jones was in possession of cash over $1,000 believed to be proceeds from illegal drug activity. Jones was jailed.

—Harold A. Sheets, 34, of Everett Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:31 p.m. Friday on warrants charging him with possession of marijuana second offense, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of methamphetamine.

Sheets was located in the area of Greenwood and First streets and arrested on warrants. The warrants stem from an incident in August, which alleges Sheets was in possession of suspected marijuana, marijuana with intent to distribute, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, Blair said. Sheets was jailed.

—Brett T. Gabriel Jr., 25, of Leonard Street in Raceland, was arrested at 11:23 p.m. Friday on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and transactions involving drug proceeds.

The narcotics division conducted an undercover operation during the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival. Officers made contact with Gabriel inside a vehicle near Greenwood Street.

The vehicle had an odor of marijuana emitting from the interior. Police searched the vehicle and found suspected marijuana packaged for sale and cash of over $1,000 believed to be derived from illegal drug activity. Gabriel was jailed.

—Keith R. Porter, 34, of New Orleans, was arrested at midnight Saturday on a charge of hit-and-run.

Officers responded to a hotel on Roderick Street in regard to a hit-and-run vehicle crash in the parking lot. Officers located the victim who stated his vehicle was damaged and noticed that the vehicle parked in the next slot possibly caused the damaged.

Officers observed that the damage to the other vehicle was consistent with the victim’s damage, Blair said. The owner of the vehicle was located and identified as Porter, who admitted to crashing into the vehicle, Blair said. Porter was jailed.

—Samantha P. Scully, 22, of Moffett Court in Bayou L’Ourse, was arrested at 5:26 p.m. Saturday on warrants charging her with no tail lamp and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

—Bridget P. Bergeron, 42, of First Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 5:26 p.m. Saturday on charges of DWI first offense and improper lane usage.

Officers responded to the La. 182 bridge in regard to a driver possibly under the influence. Police received a description of the vehicle and located it on Federal Avenue.

A traffic stop was conducted, and the driver, Bergeron, appeared under the influence of some type of narcotic, Blair said. Bergeron performed poorly on a field sobriety test and registered 0.000 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test.

Bergeron then submitted a urine sample and the results are pending. The passenger of the vehicle, Scully, was arrested on warrants. Both Bergeron and Scully were jailed.

—Nakeisa Walker, 38, of Polaris Road in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 7 p.m. Saturday on warrants charging her with failure to pay a probation fee and probation violation.

Walker was transported from parish jail to the Morgan City Police Department on city court warrants. Walker was jailed.

—Brieanne C. Brown, 18, of Lake Charles, was arrested at 8:40 p.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of marijuana first offense.

Officers working the fairgrounds of the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in the area of Front and Greenwood streets could smell an odor of marijuana. Officers located an individual later identified as Brown, who appeared to be holding a hand-rolled cigar containing suspected marijuana, Blair said.

The cigar was taken from Brown and did contain suspected marijuana, Blair said. Brown was jailed.

—Kenneth Smith, 57, of Park Street in Patterson, was arrested at 9:46 p.m. Saturday on charges of DWI second offense and obstruction of public passages.

A patrol officer observed a vehicle blocking the Federal Avenue up ramp of U.S. 90. A traffic stop was conducted and the driver was identified as Smith. The officer could smell an odor of alcohol emitting from Smith’s breath, Blair said.

Smith performed poorly on a field sobriety test and refused to submit to a chemical test, Blair said. Police obtained a search warrant to collect a sample of blood from Smith. Smith was transported to a local hospital for the collection. After obtaining the blood sample, Smith was jailed.

—Jean L. Gros, 40, of Utah Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:51 p.m. Saturday on a charge of disturbing the peace by using offensive language.

Officers encountered Gros in Lawrence Park during Shrimp & Petroleum Festival. Gros was causing a disturbance and was asked to calm down. However, Gros continued to yell and use profanities, Blair said. Gros was jailed.

—Hector Plata Jr., 18, of River Road in Berwick, was arrested at 10:27 p.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Officers located Plata in the area of Front and Everett streets. Plata was in possession of suspected marijuana, Blair said. He was jailed.

—Carlo T. Griffin, 41, of Bethia Street in Franklin, was arrested at 9:30 p.m. Saturday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear for no driver’s license and on charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Griffin was located in the area of Second and Everett streets and arrested on a 16th Judicial District Court warrant. Griffin was also in possession of suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Blair said. Griffin was jailed.

—Dale J. Crouch, 49, of Raceland, was arrested at 1:57 a.m. Sunday on charges of improper lane usage and driving under suspension.

A patrol officer in the area of La. 182 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard observed a vehicle swerving in and out the lane of travel. A traffic stop was conducted and the driver, Crouch, had a suspended driver’s license, Blair said. Crouch was jailed.

—Montie L. Spurgeon Jr., 31, of Springdale, Arkansas, was arrested at 11:50 a.m. Sunday on a charge of criminal mischief by filing a false complaint.

Spurgeon was located on La. 182 and arrested. Spurgeon had repeatedly called 911 and reported what turned out to be false complaints, Blair said. Spurgeon was jailed.

—Joshua Lousteau, 38, of Lizabeth Drive in Morgan City, was arrested at 2:16 p.m. Sunday on charges of DWI first offense, possession of synthetic marijuana and drug paraphernalia and obstructing public passages.

An officer patrolling the area of Justa Street observed a vehicle stopped in the opposite lane of travel with the driver slumped over the steering wheel. The officer initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and was able to awaken the drive.

The officer noticed the driver had a suspected synthetic marijuana cigarette in his mouth, Blair said. The driver, Lousteau, appeared to be under the influence of an illegal narcotic, Blair said. Lousteau performed poorly on a field sobriety test and registered 0.000 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test, Blair said. Lousteau submitted a sample of urine and those results are pending. He was jailed.

—Kaleb W. Smith, 18, of Maple Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:23 p.m. Sunday on a charge of disturbing the peace by using offensive language.

Smith was placed under arrest in the area of Front and Greenwood streets. Smith was yelling and using profanities in the presence of small children in the area. Smith was asked by officers to refrain from using the profanities, but he continued, Blair said. Smith was jailed.

—Phillip Begley, 47, of Seventh Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:53 a.m. Monday on charges of DWI first offense and reckless operation of a vehicle.

An officer in the area of La. 182 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard observed a vehicle operating in a reckless manner. A traffic stop was done on the vehicle and the driver identified as Begley. The officer could smell an odor of alcohol emitting from Begley’s breath, Blair said.

Begley performed poorly on a field sobriety test and refused to submit to a chemical test, Blair said. Police obtained a search warrant to retrieve a sample of Begley’s blood. Begley was transported to a hospital for the retrieval of the sample. The results of the sample are pending. Begley was later jailed.

—Brandon Doiron, 38, of Heritage Oak Drive in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:38 p.m. Monday on a warrant charging him with violation of a protective order.

Doiron was located and arrested in the area of Third and Everett streets on a warrant. The warrant stems from an incident in March 2017 which alleges that Doiron contacted the victim via telephone, violating the protective order, Blair said. Doiron was jailed.

—Troy G. Shoemaker Jr. 43, of Houston, was arrested at 5:30 p.m. Monday on charges of possession of methamphetamine and resisting an officer by giving false information.

Officers working the fairgrounds of the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in the area of Greenwood Street came into contact with an individual that appeared to be under the influence of an illegal narcotic. The individual at first gave officers a false name but was later identified as Shoemaker, Blair said. Officers located suspected methamphetamine on him. Shoemaker was jailed.

—Calvin Acosta, 32, of Landry Lane in Stephensville, was arrested at 6:15 p.m. Monday on a charge of driving under suspension.

—Harley N. Thibodeaux, 19, of La. 317 in Franklin, was arrested at 6:15 p.m. Monday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Officers responded to a business on Roderick Street in regard to a disturbance. Police received information that the individual involved in the disturbance had left in a vehicle heading east on La. 182. A description of the vehicle was given out, and officers located the vehicle on La. 182 just past the Greenwood Overpass.

The driver of the vehicle, Acosta, had a suspended driver’s license. The passenger of the vehicle, Thibodeaux, was in possession of drug paraphernalia, Blair said. Both Acosta and Thibodeaux were jailed.

—Alex Francois, 39, of La. 182 in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:16 p.m. Monday on a warrant charging him with failure to pay probation fees. Francois was located on First Street and arrested on a city court warrant. Francois was jailed.

—Gilbert C. Howard, 48, of Youngs Road in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:23 p.m. Monday on a warrant charging him with failure to pay fines. Howard was located on Mount Street and arrested on a city court warrant. Howard was jailed.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum reported that deputies responded to 128 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:

—Darnell Ayro, 35, of Edward Lane in Jeanerette, was arrested at 10:48 a.m. Saturday on charges of possession of stolen things, driving under suspension and on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of failure to register as a sex offender.

A deputy patrolling Amelia was dispatched to the area of U.S. 90 east in reference to a reckless driver. The deputies found the reported vehicle parked at a business in Amelia and made contact with the driver, Ayro. Through the investigation, the deputy learned of an active warrant for Ayro’s arrest.

The deputy also learned that the vehicle was reported stolen in Houston and Ayro’s license was suspended, Anslum said. Ayro was booked into jail and then released on $10,000 bail.

—A juvenile male, 15, of Patterson, was arrested at 8:56 a.m. Friday on a charge of disturbing the peace by fighting.

—Alaila Payton, 17, of Mill Road in Patterson, was arrested at 8:56 a.m. Friday on a charge of disturbing the peace by fighting.

—A juvenile female, 15, of Patterson, was arrested at 8:56 a.m. Friday on a charge of disturbing the peace by fighting.

—Aalyiah Batiste, 18, of Comeaux Street in Patterson, was arrested at 8:56 a.m. Friday on a charge of disturbing the peace by fighting.

—A juvenile female, 15, of Patterson, was arrested at 8:56 a.m. Friday on a charge of disturbing the peace by fighting.

Deputies patrolling the area of Patterson were dispatched to Patterson High School in reference to a report of a fight that had taken place. Upon arrival, deputies spoke with the principal and made contact with Payton, Batiste, and three juveniles involved in the fight, Anslum said.

Payton and Batiste were transported to parish jail. Batiste’s bail was set at $1,000. Payton was released on $1,000 bail. The three juveniles were released to their guardians pending juvenile court proceedings.

—Kevin Mitchell, 27, of Sunset Avenue in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 1:40 p.m. Friday on a charge of theft.

Deputies patrolling Bayou Vista were dispatched to a business in reference to a shoplifting complaint. Upon arriving at the business, the deputies made contact with store personnel who observed a man take merchandise and exit the store without paying, Anslum said.

Deputies made contact with the man, who was identified as Mitchell. Mitchell was booked into jail and then released on a summons to appear Nov. 13.

—Rodney Granger Jr., 24, of Verdun Lane in Verdunville, was arrested at 11:55 p.m. Friday on a warrant for failure to appear on charges of flight from an officer, reckless operation of a vehicle and unlawful operation of an off-road vehicle.

A deputy patrolling the area of Patterson was assisting in an investigation of an unrelated disturbance when he made contact with Granger during a traffic stop near Cotten Road. Through the stop, the deputy found that there was an active warrant for Granger’s arrest. Granger was booked into jail and then released on $1,500 bail.

—Alyssa Acosta, 26, of Ditch Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:13 a.m. Saturday on a charge of disturbing the peace by language.

—Kathryn Wallace, 32, of Arnold Road in Denham Springs, was arrested at 9:13 a.m. Saturday on charges of disturbing the peace by language and simple battery.

Deputies patrolling Bayou Vista were dispatched to a business in reference to a fight between two females. Deputies made contact with Acosta and Wallace. Through the investigation, deputies found evidence of a fight between the two women, Anslum said.

Acosta was arrested and released on a summons to appear Nov. 13. Wallace was jailed with no bail set.

—Antonio Cojoe, 30, of Driskill Drive in Berwick, was arrested at 10:02 p.m. Friday on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Detectives with the St. Mary Parish Narcotics Section were patrolling the area of the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in Morgan City on foot when they smelled the strong odor of marijuana as they walked past a male subject. Detectives made contact with the man, identified as Cojoe, and through the investigation found that Cojoe had marijuana on him, Anslum said. Cojoe was arrested and released on a summons to appear Nov. 13.

Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported the following arrests:

—Brandon Rock, 19, of Bowman Street in Morgan City, was arrested at midnight Saturday on charges of possession of marijuana and license plate required. Rock posted $2,200 bail.

—Nakeisa Walker, 38, of Jones Street in Berwick, was arrested at 12:50 p.m. Saturday on a 16th Judicial District Court warrant charging her with failure to appear for revocation for theft less than $500.

—Aketa Francis, 25, of Pacific Street in Berwick, was arrested on a 16th Judicial District Court warrant charging her with failure to appear for criminal neglect of family. Bail was set at $14,050.

—Mia Blair, 21, of Greenwood Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:53 p.m. Sunday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, illegal possession of stolen things and switched license plate.

—Amelia Despaux, 40, of Sydney Jo Lane in Berwick, was arrested at 1:05 a.m. Sunday on charges of DWI and improper lane usage. Bail was set at $2,750.

—Allen Boudoin Jr., 36, of Leona Drive in Lydia, was arrested at 12:08 p.m. Sunday on charges of speeding 34 mph in a 20 mph zone and suspended driver’s license. Boudoin posted $1,250 bail.

—Kirk Curry Jr., 27, of Oakwood Drive in Franklin, was arrested at 6:42 p.m. Sunday on a charge of domestic abuse battery. Curry posted $2,500 bail.

—Colby Hutton, 18, of Foxglove Drive in Patterson, was arrested at 10:09 p.m. Sunday on charges of possession of marijuana and improper lane usage.

Franklin Police Chief Tina Thibodeaux reported the following arrest relating to east St. Mary Parish:

—Kevin Gant, 31, of Grout Street in Patterson, was arrested at 7:17 p.m. Sunday on a charge of domestic abuse battery of a dating partner. Gant was booked into jail and then released on $5,000 bail.

Patterson Police Chief Janis Merritt reported no arrests.