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(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.)

A Berwick woman was arrested Tuesday after an unattended child in a parked vehicle was reported to the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s office.

St. Mary

Sheriff Gary Driskell that over the last 48-hour reporting period, the Sheriff's Office responded to 89 complaints and made these arrests:

--Allie Nicole Williams, 19, Berwick, was arrested at 3:01 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant alleging leaving children unattended and unsupervised in a motor vehicle and simple battery.

On Monday, a deputy was dispatched to a business in Bayou Vista in reference to a welfare concern.

The deputy spoke with a complainant who stated that after arriving at the business, she heard an infant crying in a vehicle. No one was in the vehicle with the infant. The complainant called the SMPSO and reported the incident.

A few moments later, a female exited the business and when contacted by the complainant, became aggressive and began yelling.

Williams allegedly pushed the complainant with the door of the vehicle and subsequently sped out of the parking lot, nearly hitting the complainant with the vehicle.

The deputy arrived and made contact with the complainant and a witness to the incident, and began an investigation. Through the investigation, the deputy identified the driver of the vehicle as Williams, and obtained evidence that confirmed it was her driving the vehicle at the business.

The deputy obtained a warrant for Williams.

At approximately 3:01 a.m. Tuesday, deputies made contact with Williams and transported her to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bail has not been set at this time.

--Sadi Paige Taylor, 25, Morgan City, was arrested at 12:48 p.m. Monday on a warrant alleging disturbing the peace (fighting). Taylor was released on a $1,000 bond.

--Dowayne Charlot, 49, Patterson, was arrested at 12:07 a.m. Tuesday on an Morgan City Police Department warrant. Charlot was transferred to another agency.

--Amber Fendley, 40, Berwick, was arrested by the Narcotics Section at 12:39 p.m. Monday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, taking contraband into a penal institution, possession of drug paraphernalia and obstruction of justice

Bail was set at $36,250.

--Anthony Javier Jiron-Marquez, 20, Morgan City, was arrested at 9:37 p.m. Tuesday on charges of driving while intoxicated, reckless operation (no accident), driving on roadway laned for traffic and no insurance.

Bail was set at $7,500.

--Alexis Osiel Ruiz Torres, 29, Jeanerette, was arrested at 5:15 p.m. Tueday on a charge of unlawful production, manufacturing, distribution or possession of fraudulent documents. Bail has not been set at this time.

--Donald Thomas Dupree, 26, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:04 a.m. Tuesday on an IPSO warrant. Dupree has a hold placed by another agency.

Morgan City

Chief Chad M. Adams reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 63 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

--Zacolby Granger, 33, Leona Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of contempt of court (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

--Charles Austin, 45, North 16th Street, Glenmore, was arrested at 9:15 p.m. Monday on a charge of disturbing the peace.

Patterson

Chief Garrett Grogan reported this arrest:

--Kelli M. Melton, 38, Frances Street, Patterson, was arrested at 4:09 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of battery on a police officer. Melton was incarcerated at the Patterson PD Jail with no bond set.

Franklin

Chief Cedric Handy reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to 10 calls for service over the last 24 hour reporting period and made this arrest:

--Breyonna Verret, 24, Cynthia Street, Franklin, was arrested at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of criminal trespassing. Verret was booked, processed and released on a $500 bond.

Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard and the City Council met Tuesday, October 21, at City Hall.
Dr. Kristal Hebert, director of the Arc of St. Mary/Center of Hope, gave an update on the work her organization continues to do in the community. During the public comment period, Dianne Wiltz spoke up to praise Dr. Hebert and her staff for their dedication to their clients and the difference they make in so many lives.
Mayor Foulcard told the Council the city is gearing up for the third round of demolitions to clear out blighted and unsafe properties. “We’re ready to demolish another 26 structures on top of the 65 we’ve already tackled,” he said. “These are buildings beyond repair, but once they’re gone, that land can be given new life by a family or business.”
The mayor also gave an update on several projects Franklin hopes to fund through upcoming state capital outlay requests. Those include water treatment and distribution improvements — something badly needed, given that some of the city’s pipes are over 100 years old — and a number of road repairs throughout town.
“We ask for prayers as we keep fighting the good fight,” Foulcard said, giving a nod to the city’s hard-working water department crews. “We’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Franklin Fire Chief Chuck Bourgeois announced that the Franklin Fire Department has achieved its best-ever Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL) rating.
For the first time in Franklin’s history, the department earned a Class 4 rating — jumping two full points from its previous Class 6 inside city limits and Class 7 outside. That rating not only reflects the department’s hard work, but could also help lower insurance premiums for residents and businesses.
Chief Bourgeois credited years of improvements, including firefighter training, new software, upgraded hydrants, and a $590,000 training tower on Iberia Street. He thanked the mayor, council, city staff, and his department for their dedication. “We’re proud of how far we’ve come,” Bourgeois said, “and we’re already working toward a Class 3 rating next time.”
The council approved several ordinances and resolutions including:
-The sale of $1 million in revenue anticipation notes to support city operations
-A new policy for public participation in council meetings
-Grant applications to the state’s Department of Transportation and Development
-Certification for non-state funding for capital projects
-Permission for all local businesses to renew their 2026 liquor licenses
All items passed unanimously among members present.
Before adjourning, Ed “Tiger” Verdin ran through a full lineup of fall happenings including the City-Wide Clean-Up, Bayou to Main Marketplace, Harvest Moon Festival, Boo on the Bayou, Halloween Trick-or-Treat and Mingle & Jingle later this year.
Mayor Foulcard led a moment of silence for two longtime public servants who recently passed away — former Franklin Police Chief Roulden J. Guillotte and longtime St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court Clifford G. “Cliff” Dressel. The city plans to send formal Resolutions of Respect to their families.

Sheriff Gary Driskell has announced several leadership promotions within the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office, including the appointment of Charles Parker Jr. to the rank of major as he assumes the role of warden at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.
Major Parker brings more than 16 years of law enforcement experience to his new position. He began his career in corrections before advancing through the ranks as patrol deputy, sergeant, and patrol lieutenant. Throughout his career, he has also served with neighboring law enforcement agencies and gained experience in the oilfield and transportation industries, where he played a key role in evacuating Hurricane Katrina victims from New Orleans to shelters across several states.
Upon returning to the Centerville facility, Parker continued to demonstrate leadership and dedication, serving as transportation supervisor, investigator and assistant warden—roles that helped prepare him for his new responsibilities as warden. Known for his integrity and commitment to public safety, he has been instrumental in fostering a culture of rehabilitation and dignity within the correctional system.
Parker is also known for reminding his staff, “Never think you’re better than any incarcerated person, especially because you’re only one wrong decision away from being in the same situation.”
Sheriff Driskell praised Parker’s professionalism and leadership, stating, “Charles Parker has been a very valuable member of our Sheriff’s Office team. He is a proven leader and is well respected by our employees. I am very proud of him and his accomplishments, and I look forward to serving with him for many years to come.”
In addition to Major Parker’s promotion, Major Nick Rogers will now oversee Special Services, which includes Marine, Policy and Procedures, Warrants, Courtroom and Courthouse Security, Motorpool, Inventory, Development and IT. Rogers, who previously served as warden at SMPLEC, is expected to continue implementing strategies that enhance efficiency throughout the department.
Samantha Poledér has also been promoted to captain and will continue her work alongside Major Parker at SMPLEC. Captain Poledér has been a vital part of the facility’s success and received her promotion during a recent captains’ meeting.

At Halloween we think about ghosts and goblins and strange things that go bump in the night, but there’s one of those spooky phenomena that we don’t have to worry about anymore.
A memoir written about 1901 and attributed to Judge Joseph Arsenne Breaux tells us that “there are no longer any Sabbats,“ and that their disappearance made it “all the more important to gather what old timers tell of these astonishing apparitions.”
The unsigned memoir, written in French, was found among Judge Breaux’s papers and donated to the Louisiana State Museum after his death in 1926. It records what are presumed to be the judge’s memories of South Louisiana folkways in the middle to late 1800s. Breaux, a native of Iberville Parish, was an associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from 1890 to 1904 and chief justice from 1904 to 1914.
The manuscript was edited in 1932 by Tulane professor Jay K. Ditchy and published as “Les Acadiens Louisianais et leur parler” (Paris, 1932). In 1966, George F. Reinecke translated and edited parts of Ditchy’s work and published them as “Early Louisiana French and Folklore” in a special issue of Louisiana Folklore Miscellany (Volume II, 1966).
According to the memoir, Sabbats were bands of “hook-nosed wrinkled old women, men of bad repute and strange appearance, and loose-moraled young people” who used magical whirlwinds and other devices to carry away the innocent.
“At the beginning of the last century [the 1800s] there were still a multitude of these phenomena, as well as wizards and little devils dancing in the deep forest of St. Martinville, the uninhabited areas of St. Landry, the woods near Grand Lake Verret, etc.,” Judge Breaux wrote.
“Aerial singing and melancholy cries were heard on misty nights in winter, joined to the loud strains of musical instruments.” From up in the air would come the sound of dogs barking, screams, and laughter. This was “the devil’s Sabbath” passing by, sometimes stopping in an isolated place for a nocturnal meal and to dance “infernal round-dances.”
A traveler passing by the place would be stopped by an invisible hand. He would hear “strange noise and rustlings, shouts, and laughter in the depth of the woods. At dawn, cloven footprints could be seen. … [Sometimes] women’s shoes, broomsticks, and the leftovers of a banquet were found in places just vacated by the devils, sorcerers, and witches.”
The judge recounted the tale of a man who, in 1785, “was chased one night by one of these infernal bands and said he had clearly seen men and women pass above him, up in the air.”
The man said he even recognized one of the men, whom he questioned the next Sunday after church. “The devils carried me off,” the friend said. Then, according to Judge Breaux, “The neighbors separated only after secrets had changed hands, secrets which [were] never revealed.”
But, if the Sabbats were gone, there were still other things to worry about, according to the memoir.
“People still believe to some extent in sorcerers, spells, and certain imaginary beings, like the lutin (hobgoblins), who enjoy tormenting men and animals. Fortunes are told by means of certain ridiculous practices. Marvelous cures are believed in and attempted; these work through the agency of mysterious words, … secret remedies, and assistance from sleepwalkers and guerisseurs or healers.”
Even as late as 1901, Judge Breaux asserted, “I know some prominent people who firmly believe that with one word, touch, or wink, sorcerers work on livestock and make them sickly or cause their death. They assert that a certain powder can kill men and animals, and cause the crops to fail.”
And, of course, the feu follet and loup garou may still be on the prowl “in the deep forest of St. Martinville,” or maybe right in the middle of town.         
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.