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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 Breaux Bridge man was arrested Thursday on charges that include trafficking children and sexual abuse, according to police reports.

St. Martin
Sheriff Becket Breaux reported these arrests:
—Gerald Mouton, 40, Bryant Street, Breaux Bridge, was arrested Thursday by the Breaux Bridge Police Department on charges of trafficking of children for sexual purposes, carnal knowledge of a juvenile, soliciting minors to distribute, distribution of controlled dangerous substances to persons under 18, contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, possession of Schedule I narcotics and distribution of drug paraphernalia.
—Jared Capritto, 31, Clover Hill Road, was arrested Sunday on charges of battery of a dating partner and possession of drug paraphernalia.
—Sean Champagne, 33, Hugh Drive, St. Martinville, was arrested Sunday on a charge of domestic abuse (child endangerment).
—Bambi Naquin, 41, Clover Hill Road, St. Martinville, was arrested Sunday on a charge of possession of Schedule II narcotics.
—Donald Clement, 38, BBHS Road, Breaux Bridge, was arrested on Saturday by Louisiana State Police on charges of vehicular negligent injury, careless operation, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, hit and run, and window tint.
—Brian Richard, 38, Bayou Tortue Road, Broussard, was arrested Saturday on charges of possession of Schedule IV drugs, illegal possession of stolen things, possession of drug paraphernalia, aggravated flight from officer, reckless operation of a vehicle, and Schedule II drugs.
St. Mary
Sheriff Blaise Smith advised that over the last 72-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 109 complaints and made these arrests:
—Allan F. Caballero, 28, Morgan City, was arrested at 9:26 a.m. Friday on charges of no insurance, driver must be licensed and disobeyed stop sign. Caballero was released on a summons to appear June 28.
—Fred Ralph Geeter Jr., 39, Patterson, was arrested at 9:10 p.m. Friday on a charge of retaining possession of leased movable with failure to return. Geeter was released on a $3,000 bond.
—Gustavo Henriquez, 18, Morgan City, was arrested at 1:20 a.m. Saturday was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery. No bail has been set.
—Shane Joseph Granger, 33, Morgan City, was arrested at 3:23 p.m. Saturday on charges of improper lane usage, driving under suspension, no insurance, no child restraint and failure of owner to secure registration.
Granger was released on a summons to appear June 28.
—Williebaldo Flores, 35, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:58 p.m. Saturday on a charge of misdemeanor sexual battery. No bail has been set.
—Chandler Antoine Madise, 54, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:29 p.m. Saturday on charges of expired license plate, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Madise was released on a summons to appear June 28.
—Kendra R. Duckworth, 57, Centerville, was arrested at 8:24 a.m. Sunday on a charge of nuisance animals. Duckworth was released on a summons to appear June 28.
—Louis Anthony James, 41, Patterson, LA, was arrested at noon Sunday on two warrants for the charges of domestic abuse battery by strangulation, cruelty to a juvenile and theft. No bail has been set.
—Shundren Keon Johnson, 24, Patterson, was arrested at 12:38 a.m. Saturday on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of Schedule IV drugs and open container. Johnson also held the following warrants: SMPSO warrant for failure to appear on the charges of theft of goods; a Patterson Police Department warrant for the charge of battery of a dating partner; and a Morgan City Police Department warrant for failure to appear on a charge of contempt of court.
—Devontre Renoldo Phillips, 21, Baldwin, was arrested at 2:33 p.m. Friday by the Narcotics Section on a charge of expired license plate, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and transactions involving drug proceeds. No bail has been set.
—John Wise Warren, 53, Berwick, was arrested at 5:33 p.m. Sunday by the Narcotics Section on charges of improper lane usage, resisting an officer, possession with intent to distribute Xanax, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, obstruction of justice and transactions involving drug proceeds.
A deputy was traveling east on U.S. 90 near Franklin when he observed a vehicle cross the center line. The deputy conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and when the vehicle came to a stop, the driver, identified as Warren, exited the vehicle and began to flee on foot with a black bag.
A short time later, Warren was apprehended, and the black bag was located. Through the investigation, a large number of Xanax pills, 9 ounces of cocaine and $610 in cash were found. The street value of the drugs is approximately $32,200.
Warren was arrested and transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bail was set at $172,000.

Morgan City
Police Chief James F. Blair reported that over the last 72-hour period, the Morgan City Police Department responded to 136 calls for service and made these arrests:
—Jonathan Jermaine Motte, 37, Oak Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:35 a.m. Friday on a charge of entry on or remaining in places or land after forbidden.
—Lisa Ann Willis, 54, Egle Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 7:14 p.m. Friday on a warrant for two counts of failure to appear to pay fines in 6th Ward Court.
—Brock Matthews Menard, 34, Patton Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:02 p.m. Friday on charges of turning movements and required signals, operating a vehicle with a suspended driver’s license and possession of drug paraphernalia, and on a warrant for failure to appear from trial in 16th Judicial District
—Seth Fryou, 28, Bayou Black Drive, Gibson, was arrested at 2:41 a.m. Friday on charges of obedience to traffic control and operation a vehicle with a suspended license.
—Demetris Owens, 28, Orange Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:23 a.m. Saturday on charges of battery of a correctional facility employee and simple criminal damage to property.
—Joshua Dale Repp, 22, Oak Lane, Pierre Part, was arrested at 5:20 p.m. Saturday on a warrant for contempt of court (violating terms of probation) in 6th Ward Court and failure to appear to pay fine.
—Gage Landry, 27, La. 182, Morgan City, was arrested at 5:20 p.m. Saturday on warrants for failure to pay fine in 6th Ward Court, four counts of failure to appear for trial in 6th Ward Court, and contempt of court (violating terms of probation) in 6th Ward Court.
—Nickie Landry Breaux, 42, Angella Street, Pierre Part, was arrested at 9:18 p.m. Saturday on charges of turning movements and required signals and possession of marijuana.
—Travis McNeil Mose, 40, La. 403, Paincourtville, was arrested at 9:18 p.m. Saturday on charges of possession of marijuana and obstruction of justice (tampering with evidence).
—Dejuan Kentrell Burdis, 18, Violet Street, Thibodaux, was arrested at 11:09 p.m. Saturday on charges of illuminating devices required, driver must be licensed and possession of marijuana.
—Joseph Jay Legnon, 19, Legnon Court, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:09 p.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of marijuana.
—Tanara D. Walker, 25, Wren Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 3:30 a.m. Sunday on a charge of disturbing the peace.
—Casse Vinning Rankin, 31, Second Street, Berwick, was arrested at 10:54 a.m. Sunday on a warrant for 10 counts of failure to appear to pay fines in 6th Ward Court.
—Christopher Haynes, 38, Hickory Street, Patterson, was arrested at 9:09 p.m. Sunday on charges of speeding, possession of marijuana (second offense), possession of methamphetamine (2 to 28 grams) and possession of drug paraphernalia.
—Justin David Price, 32, Front Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:38 p.m. Sunday on a warrant for three counts of failure to appear to pay fines in 6th Ward Court and failure to appear in 16th Judicial District Court.

Berwick
Police Chief David Leonard reported the following arrests: 
—Chet A. Davis, 42, Natalie Lane, Patterson, was at 1:48 a.m. Saturday on charges of DWI (first offense), stop sign violation and speeding.
At 1:24 a.m. Saturday, officers observed a vehicle run the stop sign at Bowman Street and La. 182, then observed the same vehicle speeding on the La. 182 bridge.
A traffic stop was conducted and the driver was identified as Davis.
Throughout the course of the stop, officers suspected Davis was driving while intoxicated.
Davis performed poorly on a Standardized Field and was placed under arrest.
He was transported to the Berwick Police Department and submitted a proper sample of .163g% BAC on the intoxilyzer machine. Davis was booked into the Berwick Jail and was released on a $3,000 bond. 
—Palmer Cox IV, 56, Oregon Street, Berwick, was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Saturday on an Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office warrant for failure to appear on charges of DWI and improper lane use.
At 8:13 p.m. Saturday, a traffic stop was conducted on Boudreaux Street, and the driver was identified as Cox.
Throughout the course of the stop, officers learned that Cox had an outstanding warrant through the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Cox was placed under arrest and booked into the Berwick Jail.
He was then transferred to the Assumption Parish Detention Center for housing. 
—Joseph Verdin, 48, Francis Street, Houma, was arrested at 5:31 a.m. Sunday on a Lafourche Sheriff’s Office warrant for failure to appear on the charges of issuing worthless checks and theft.
At 4:08 a.m. Sunday, an officer was assisting a motorist on California Street with a flat tire. The motorist was identified as Verdin, and he was found to have an outstanding warrant through the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Verdin was placed under arrest and booked into the Berwick Jail, where he is currently awaiting transfer to Lafourche Parish. 

Franklin
Police Chief Morris Beverly said the Franklin Police Department responded to 19 complaints over the past weekend and made these arrests:
—Carl Dupas, 56, Iberia Street, Franklin, was arrested at 12:08 p.m. Friday on the charge of simple battery. Dupas was booked, processed and held on a $500 bond.
—Jonathan Stovall, 18, of Canal Drive, Franklin, was arrested at 5 p.m. Friday on the charge of domestic abuse battery. Stovall was booked, processed and released on a $2,500 bond.
 —Dwight Stovall, 47, Third Street, Franklin, was arrested at 5:40 p.m. Friday on the charge of domestic abuse battery. Stovall was booked, processed and released on a $2,500 bond.
—Rene Green Jr., 25, Canal Drive, Franklin, was arrested at 9:18 p.m. Friday on the charge of disturbing the peace by fighting. Green was booked, processed and released on a $1,000.00 bond.
—Qydril Spencer, 24, Edna Street, New Iberia, was arrested at 9:44 p.m. Friday on the charge of disturbing the peace by fighting. Spencer was booked, processed and released on a $1,000 bond.
—Devontrae Williams, 20, Iberia Street, Franklin, was arrested at 10:08 p.m. Friday on the charge of disturbing the peace by fighting. Williams was booked, processed and released on a $1,000bond.
—Ernest Blanks, 22, Iberia Street, Franklin, was arrested at 11:13 p.m. Friday, on the charge of disturbing the peace by fighting. Blanks was additionally arrested on a warrant for 3rd Ward City Court for failure to appear on the charges of simple battery and theft. Blanks was booked, processed and released on a $1,400 bond.

Assumption
Sheriff Leland Falcon reported this arrest:
—Trevonta Jonathan Cargo, 26, St. Vincent Street, Donaldsonville, was arrested Friday on charges of violation of a protective order and taking of contraband to or from a penal institution.
The arrest on felony charges followed a domestic disturbance near Belle Rose on Friday evening.
Deputies responded to the domestic complaint and spoke to the caller. She advised that she was in a domestic relationship with the accused. The two engaged in an argument that led to deputies being called.
Responding deputies interviewed both parties. During a records check, it was determined that a protective order was in place and the two participants were not allowed to be in each other’s presence.
Cargo was arrested. Cargo was searched incidental to arrest. At the detention center, corrections officers conducted a personal search of the person of Cargo. At this time a quantity of marijuana was seized.

Mulching is one of the most basic and essential tasks of gardening. Most of us mulch because it helps reduce the amount of time we spend pulling weeds.
Mulch provides many other benefits, however. It helps maintain soil moisture and reduces the amount of water lost to evaporation — which decreases the amount of time we spend watering and the amount of water we use.
Mulch also helps buffer the soil temperature by trapping radiant heat from the soil in the winter and insulating roots from the heat of the summer. Aesthetically, it provides a neat and uniform appearance to landscape beds.
It’s a good practice to check mulched areas every spring and fall as part of your routine gardening maintenance. Check for thinned areas that need to be replenished with fresh material.
The best depth for a mulch layer is 2-4 inches. Too thick a layer can reduce oxygen reaching the soil. Too thin, and you give weeds a fighting chance.
There are two main types of mulch: organic and inorganic. Natural, organic mulches include wood chips, shredded bark, pine needles, leaves, compost, straw, grass clippings, and even paper or cardboard. Inorganic mulches can be rocks, plastic mulches and landscape fabrics.
One additional benefit of organic mulches is that as they decompose, they improve soil fertility, aeration, structure and even drainage. All of these will improve plant growth and health. Major bonus!
Each type of mulch material offers benefits — and sometimes, drawbacks. What you choose ultimately depends on the design, intended use of the area and the types of plants growing there.
Bark mulches are one of the most commonly used, readily available and often the least expensive. Available in larger nuggets or shredded, they come from several types of trees, including pine, cedar and cypress.
When weighing the benefits of bark nuggets vs. shredded, be aware that nuggets break down much slower but do not stay in place well. Heavy rains can carry them away, and if not layered at a good depth, they leave large gaps where weeds can grow. Shredded bark provides good coverage and stays in place well, but breaks down more quickly than nuggets.
When choosing the tree source from which the mulch is made, please seriously consider avoiding the use of cypress. Mulches made from bald or pond cypress are not as sustainable or environmentally friendly as other types. The harvesting of cypress trees can increase the loss of coastal wetlands and wildlife habitat — a situation we are desperately trying to stop.
Bark mulches are great for landscape beds, but are not recommended for vegetable gardens because they can tie up nitrogen from the soil, making it less available to the plants. However, leaves, pine needles and straw are ideal for vegetable gardens.
Straw mulches, including pine needles, are excellent choices for both vegetable and ornamental landscape beds. They have the benefit of slower breakdown than leaves or grass clippings, and you can find them in small, shredded options in addition to larger sizes. They are readily available and affordable. Both help prevent soil from splashing up onto fruits and vegetables when laid properly.
Fallen leaves are economical because they are free. You’ve got to get them cleaned up, so why not put them to work for you? Additionally, it is a sustainable landscape practice to use fallen leaves as mulch or to make compost. They may not be as uniform and aesthetically pleasing — but practicality goes farther than beauty in my book.
One other organic option is paper and cardboard. Place a thick layer down and use a few rocks to hold in place, or cover it with a thin layer of another type of organic mulch. Voila — you are reusing and reducing waste! Paper will eventually break down. Paper mulch rolls also are being produced now. They can be purchased available online and sometimes in stores.
Inorganic options are landscape fabric and plastic mulches. They can be very effective, especially when growing vegetables and in rows. They are readily available, but are often more expensive and labor intensive to install. They do a great job of suppressing weeds, retaining moisture and preventing soil from splashing up onto plants. But black plastic mulches get very hot during the summertime, take time to pull up and are persistent, meaning they don’t break down and are not environmentally friendly.
Rocks also can be used as an inorganic mulch. They don’t break down, so you won’t have to reapply, but they do not improve your soil and they can get very hot in the summer. If they are not laid thickly enough, they allow weed growth.
You will likely need to use a landscape fabric underneath rocks to help prevent weeds, making this one of the most expensive options. However, rocks are uniform and add aesthetic interest to the landscape.

A man wanted for contractor fraud in St. Mary Parish has been arrested in Lafayette Parish, and he faces fraud charges in other parishes as well.

Kermit Joseph "Joey" Leger of Washington, Louisiana, was arrested last week on charges that include contractor and home improvement fraud and felony theft, and was named in warrants from Acadia, Calcasieu, Iberia, St. Mary and St. Martin.

Leger was arrested March 9 after he was named in a bill of information in July, failed to appear for an October arraignment and was named in a bench warrant. His next court date is scheduled for April 14, according to the Lafayette Sheriff's Office website.

He faces one count of contractor fraud in St. Mary, two counts in Acadia and a count of contractor fraud for more than $5,000 in Iberia.

KATC in Lafayette reported that two of the alleged crimes happened in 2019 and 2020.

Louisiana law defines residential contractor fraud as "the misappropriation or intentional taking of anything of value which belongs to another, either without the consent of the other to the misappropriation or taking, or by means of fraudulent conduct, practices, or representations by a person who has contracted to perform any home improvement or residential construction, or who has subcontracted for the performance of any home improvement or residential construction."

The misappropriation is said to have occurred when a contractor fails to perform work within 45 days of being paid, unless the contract allows for more time; when the contractor or an employee uses deception to win a job; when a contractor intentionally damages a home and tries to charge for repairing the damage; a contractor knowingly gives false information on an application for a permit; or a contractor intentionally hires an unlicensed subcontractor.

The penalties range from two to 20 years in prison, depending on the amount of money involved in the case.

By DAVID JACOBS
The Center Square

The number of Louisiana residents making new claims for unemployment rose slightly last week, the Louisiana Workforce Commission reported Friday.
Initial unemployment insurance claims for the week ending March 6 rose to 7,100, compared with 6,981 the previous week. For a comparison from before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the week ending March 7, 2020, 1,698 initial claims were filed.

Continued claims for the week ending March 6 decreased to 48,016 from the previous week’s total of 53,212. There were 14,199 continued claims for the week ending March 7, 2020, the LWC reported.

The number of Louisiana residents filing new claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance went up during the week ending March 6, from 769 the previous week to 1,175, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. PUA is for workers such as independent contractors who don’t qualify for state benefits.

The number of Louisiana residents making continued claims for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation went up during the week ending Feb. 20, the most-recent week the federal government has reported, from 78,092 to 80,650. PEUC is for workers who have exhausted their state benefits.

President Joe Biden this week granted Gov. John Bel Edwards’ request to declare a major disaster for 23 parishes affected last month by severe winter weather. The parishes are Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, DeSoto, East Baton Rouge, Franklin, Grant, LaSalle, Madison, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, Webster, West Carroll and Winn.

Residents and businesses in those parishes may be eligible for disaster unemployment assistance. The LWC is accepting applications until April 12.