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A Morgan City man knocked down an elderly woman in a local business and stole her purse, but a good Samaritan, who is also a Morgan City firefighter, chased him down, tackled him and held him until police arrived, Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair said in a news release.
—Baine Michael Ledet, 29, of Louisa Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:43 a.m. Thursday on charges of second-degree robbery, perpetration or attempted perpetration of certain crimes of violence against a person 65 years or older, first offense possession of marijuana and disturbing the peace intoxicated.
Officers were called to a local business on Victor II Boulevard to investigate a purse snatching. Officers learned a Good Samaritan had detained the suspect until police arrived.
The suspect was identified as Ledet. Investigating officers learned from witnesses that Ledet had tackled the victim down to the ground and stole her purse. As Ledet fled the area on foot, a good Samaritan was able to tackle and detain him until officers arrived. During his arrest, officers located suspected marijuana in his possession and he appeared intoxicated. He was jailed.
Blair also reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 40 calls for service and the following arrests were made:
—Ashton Allen, 28, of Ehrlich Street in Berwick, was arrested at 10:04 a.m. Thursday on warrants for failure to appear on the charges of disturbing the peace by fighting. Allen was located at the Berwick Police Department and placed under arrest on outstanding warrants held by the Morgan City Police Department. He was jailed.
—Joseph Anthony Acosta, 27, of Grove Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:10 a.m. Thursday on warrants for the charges of attempted theft of goods and monetary instrument abuse. Officers came into contact with Acosta in the area of Victor II Boulevard. A warrants check revealed the St. Mary Sherriff’s Office held an active warrant for his arrest. He was jailed.
—Jonte Killough, 21, of Wedell Street in Patterson, was arrested at 12:13 p.m. Thursday on a warrant for the charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. Killough was located at the Madison Parish Detention Center and was placed under arrest on an active warrant held by the Morgan City Police Department. He was jailed.
—Jason Paul Cavalier Jr., 44, of Hilda Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 12:47 a.m. Friday on a warrant for the charges of hit and run and failing to report a crash. An officer came into contact with Cavalier on Hilda Street. A warrants check revealed the Morgan City Police Department held an active warrant for his arrest. He was jailed.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith advised that the Sheriff’s Office responded to 34 complaints and the following arrests were made:
—Male Juvenile, 17, of Bayou Vista, was arrested at 7:34 a.m. Thursday on charges of ungovernable juvenile and resisting arrest or officer. Deputies were dispatched to a residence in Bayou Vista in reference to a juvenile who refused to go to school. The deputies made contact with the juvenile male sitting in a vehicle. The juvenile refused to get out of the vehicle. Eventually, the juvenile exited the vehicle and was taken into custody.
The juvenile was arrested and transported to the Morgan City Branch Office for processing. He was later released to a guardian pending juvenile court proceedings.
—Laurie Janell Pritchett, 37, of Church Street in Patterson, was arrested at 3:11 a.m. Friday on a charge of driving under suspension.
A deputy was traveling east on La. 182 in Morgan City when he observed a vehicle traveling with no license plate light. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Pritchett. The deputy was advised by dispatch that Pritchett’s license was suspended. She was arrested and released on a summons to appear March 11, 2020.
Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. reported the following arrests:
—Male juvenile, 17, of Morgan City, was arrested at 5:48 p.m. Wednesday on charges of criminal trespassing, two counts battery on a police officer, resisting an officer, unlawful possession of tobacco products by persons under 18, theft, attempted theft, illegal carrying of a weapon (burglary tools).
Officers responded to an attempted theft of a bicycle and located a subject matching the description given. When the juvenile saw officers, he began to pedal in the opposite direction and refused to stop for officers. Officers caught the juvenile a short time later and learned that the bicycle had just been stolen from another residence. While placing the juvenile under arrest, he resisted and kicked officers.
A search of his property was done at which time tobacco and burglary tools were located on his person. He was jailed and released pending juvenile court proceedings.
—Ashton Allen, 28, Ehrlich Street in Berwick, was arrested at 9 a.m. Thursday on charges of probation violation and two warrants for the Morgan City Police Department. Officers responded to an address on Ehrlich Street while assisting probation and parole in attempts to locate Allen. Allen was located at the residence and it was learned that he had two active warrants through the Morgan City Police Department. He was jailed and transported to the Morgan City Police Department.
—Wilbur Pool Jr., 49, of Ross Lane in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:54 p.m. Thursday on charges of possession of a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance (crack cocaine), possession of drug paraphernalia, obstruction of justice, expired driver’s license, expired license plate, unsafe vehicle and improper lighting.
Officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with improper lighting and identified the driver as Pool. It was learned that Pool’s license and license plate was expired. While speaking with Pool, he attempted to eat crack cocaine. A search of the vehicle was done and crack cocaine was located in the vehicle and also located on his person.
It was learned that the vehicle Pool was driving was not safe to be on the road as major parts were held together with wires. He was jailed with no bond set.

Rumpled Quilts of Patterson and Cane Cutters of Houma have donated 40-plus quilts to Chez Hope Family Violence Crisis Center in Franklin. The center serves St. Mary, Assumption, Iberia and St. Martin parishes. On hand for the donation were, from left, Susan Shaffer, Tina Levron, Carol Martinolich, Diette Baudoin, Martha Macdonald, Lily Ordoyne, Bunny Thibodaux, Donna Hinds, Sue Williams, Agatha Wiggins, Pat Gray, Sandy Legendre, Nancy Barras and Chez Hope Director Cerise Picard.

TOKYO (AP) — Tsumami kanzashi are Japanese hair ornaments that were worn by geisha and young daughters of the nobility in a tradition dating back hundreds of years. They’re complex and gorgeous, and the craft is officially recognized by the government.
It was a bit of a surprise, then, to discover that the basic technique of making their folded cloth flowers was simple enough to learn while sitting at a sidewalk cafe.
On a recent trip to Tokyo, I signed up for a 90-minute workshop on that technique, called tsumami zaiku. Similar, hands-on craft experiences that I’ve done before have always involved going to a studio. In this case, however, instructor Chikako Oshiro met me at a train station and we proceeded to a cafe, where she set the supplies out on the table. Organized neatly in compartmentalized boxes, they all fit into a tote bag.
Oshiro showed me some sample flowers and pointed out that there were two kinds. In the ken tsumami type, the petals have a sharp point — “ken” means sword. Maru tsumami petals are rounded — “maru” means round. The latter technique is harder, so we started with ken.
I picked out five 4-centimeter squares of two different colors of fabric, and Oshiro demonstrated what to do. First, fold the square in half into a triangle and glue it together at the tip of the triangle. Then fold again and glue again; do it one more time, and you’ve got your first petal.
It sounds simple, but required dexterity because the pieces are so small. Oshiro showed me how to hold the piece of fabric in the middle with a small pair of tweezers and fold it over that, which makes it easier to fold a straight line.
Once I had completed 10 petals, the next step was to cover a round piece of cardboard with matching fabric to make a base. Then, the petals are glued on to this base. To make sure they were arranged evenly, Oshiro showed me how to start with two petals opposite one another, looking kind of like rabbit ears. Then the rest of the petals were added next to those two, alternating colors.
Finally, I chose a small decorative bead for the center, glued the flower onto a hair clip, and it was done.
Next, we tried the round-petaled maru technique, which was indeed more difficult and harder to explain in words. Starting with two different-color fabric triangles laid slightly offset on top of each other, and then using slightly more complex folding magic, you end up with a rounded petal with one color in the center and another color around the edge.
Everyone to whom I showed my flowers said, “Wow, you made that?” But there’s a long distance between my adorable little blossoms and the “wow” of tsumami kanzashi hairpieces made by professional artisans. These are more like wearable works of art, with bunches and cascades of multiple silk flowers.
These ornaments are still worn today by women dressed in kimonos for special occasions, or for work such as geisha and traditional performers. But as with many traditional crafts, the number of artisans is dwindling. Currently, there are only two certified masters accredited by the Japanese government living in Tokyo and Chiba prefecture, says Kuniko Kanawa, a professional Edo tsumami kanzashi artisan who lives in Maryland. (The crafting tradition dates back to Japan’s Edo period, from 1603-1868.)
Modern artisans are creating new types of accessories using the cloth flowers, such as earrings and brooches. The hairpieces have also had to evolve. The authentic style consists of two parts, one worn on top and one on the side.
“They work only for the traditional Japanese hairstyle,” says Kanawa. She makes both this style and newer forms that work for modern women. “That’s how the craft still survives and is carried to the next generation.”
At the same time, the basic technique has been taken up by hobbyists and crafters in Japan and elsewhere. Kanawa says that only those who have been trained by apprenticeship and approved by a certified master are permitted to produce and sell nationally designated traditional crafts, including Edo tsumami kanzashi. Nowadays, however, this prohibition is widely ignored; I stumbled across someone selling them at a craft fair in Tokyo just a few days later.
That’s frustrating to those trying to maintain the craft in the traditional way. Having tried it, though, I can also understand the urge to make them again and again.

Franklin Junior High School will be releasing students at 9 a.m. due to continued bat sightings in and around the building, the St. Mary School Board said Monday morning.

As a precautionary measure, and to allow the district an opportunity to further investigate and resolve the problem, students will be dismissed with bus transportation provided. Parents have been informed through the school system’s J-text communication system.