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Radio Logs for November 22

Fri, 11/22/2019 - 9:09am

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the police department at 985-380-4605.
Thursday, Nov. 21
7:15 a.m. 1100 block of Chester Bowles Street; Patrol request.
8:31 a.m. Morgan City High School; School search.
9:02 a.m. 900 block of Youngs Road; Complaint.
9:09 a.m. 2600 block of Fir Street; Disturbance.
9:14 a.m. 500 block of Levee Road; Animal.
9:16 a.m. Morgan City Junior High School; School search.
9 a.m. Wyandotte El-ementary; Complaint.
10:07 a.m. Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office; Inmate transport.
10:11 a.m. 500 block of Levee Road; Lost/found property.
10:32 a.m. 1000 block of Ditch Avenue; Com-plaint.
11:13 a.m. Morgan City Police Department; Arrest.
11:15 a.m. 300 block of Garber Street; Com-plaint.
11:17 a.m. Wyandotte Elementary; Medical.
12:08 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Stalled vehicle.
12:45 p.m. 1800 block of Dale Street; Welfare check.
12:58 p.m. 300 block of Bowman Street; Stand by.
1:05 p.m. 1100 block of Levee Road; Animal.
1:23 p.m. Second and Adams street; Animal.
2:18 p.m. Morgan City High School; Juvenile problem.
2:22 p.m. Morgan City High School; Animal.
2:31 p.m. Morgan City Police Department; Harassment.
3:10 p.m. U.S. 90 East; Stalled vehicle.
3:14 p.m. 1300 block of Federal Avenue; Animal.
3:22 p.m. 2300 block of Tupelo Street; Medical.
3:25 p.m. 6500 block of La. 182; Theft.
3:40 p.m. 600 block of Terrebonne Street; Medical.
4:06 p.m. 800 block of Railroad Avenue; Theft.
7 p.m. 600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; 911 hang up.
7:27 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Assistance.
9:23 p.m. 800 block of Florida Street; Welfare check.
Friday, Nov. 22
12:09 a.m. Louisiana and Fifth streets; Loud music.
12:35 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Assistance.
12:49 a.m. 500 block of Bowman Street; Assistance.
1:38 a.m. 900 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; Alarm.
4:42 a.m. 1000 block of La. 70; Suspicious vehicle.
4:59 a.m. 1000 block of Hickory Street; Suspicious person.

Vehicle fire on U.S. 90 in Bayou Vista

Thu, 11/21/2019 - 2:15pm

Westbound U.S. 90 in Bayou Vista is open again after a utility trailer pulled by pickup truck caught fire near the Walmart parking lot about 1 p.m. Thursday. There was no immediate word on injuries or on the cargo being carried by the trailer. But no hazardous materials unit was called in after a check with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

The Daily Review/Mary Terry

Port board will talk about InterMoor's home

Thu, 11/21/2019 - 1:56pm

InterMoor’s facility in Morgan City, shown in this Facebook post by the Port of Morgan City, has completed the fabrication of four production manifold piles for OneSubsea to be installed in the Gulf of Mexico for the BP Mad Dog 2 project. The piles are over 78 feet long and 20 feet in diameter. The port board has called a special meeting for noon Friday at the Emergency Operations Center to talk about a possible application for Louisiana Port Construction and Development Priority Program funds to make improvements to property leased by InterMoor. The board will also discuss state rail and dock repair and maintenance.

From the Editor: Elections may tax our patience

Thu, 11/21/2019 - 12:22pm

By BILL DECKER

bdecker@daily-review.com

If you didn’t get enough politics during the races for governor, Legislature and St. Mary Parish offices, you may be in for a post-holiday feast in 2020.
There’s talk about at least one, and maybe more, local governmental entities calling for elections in the spring. If they do, the purpose will be the one most likely to provoke energetic participation: new taxes.
The St. Mary Parish School Board has called a public meeting for 5 p.m. Dec. 12 to talk about the possibility of seeking a new half-cent sales tax.
We reported Wedn esday that, at a St. Mary Excel forum on development in Morgan City and Berwick, two key local officials made comments indicating that they don’t think new taxes will fly.
Morgan City Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi said the way to kill any progress locals have made toward boosting the economy is “to tax ourselves to death.”
And there was this from Parish President David Hanagriff: “Now is not the time to raise taxes in any way, shape or form.”
But Mr. President, how do you really feel?
After Tuesday’s Morgan City Council meeting, Grizzaffi just smiled and noted that he didn’t specifically talk about any government specifically. But he also mentioned that a half-cent sales tax would push the total sales tax for Morgan City purchases over 9%.
There’s a dilemma here for local governments. Or maybe it’s a trap for elected officials.
The parish economy is still struggling because of the shift in energy industry focus away from offshore. Talk about ways to improve the local business climate, and you’ll hear about infrastructure and education.
Schools, highways and bridges cost money. Better ones cost more money. But if the governments try to raise taxes to make improvements, they’re putting a bigger load on the people who have to put food on the table when times are bad.
At worst, higher taxes will chase away the potential employers who could make things better.
That’s a tough choice for elected leaders. But it’s not impossible. Gov. John Bel Edwards got reelected after pushing for increased sales tax revenue to break a cycle of billion-dollar-plus shortfalls at the start of every budget deliberation.
Even so, there’s a lot of anti-tax sentiment in the best of times. Some go so far as to say that all taxes are theft. They point to the Boston Tea Party, and say America is about cutting taxes. And isn’t that quite the convenient definition of patriotism?
You can argue that taxes have been the only real issue in Baton Rouge for at least two decades.
In the 1990s, Louisiana state sales taxes exempted groceries and medicine. But, pleading poverty, the Legislature voted every year to suspend the exemptions — that is, to tax your zucchini and pork steaks — in order to balance the budget.
Along came the Stelly Act, by which the people voted to make those exemptions permanent and to make up for the money by raising income taxes at the upper end of the wealth scale.
That lasted about as long as it took the well-off folks to file their state tax returns. The income tax hikes were repealed, leaving the Legislature to scramble for money again.
The exemptions are a big deal in tax theory. Reporting back in the 1970s, the heyday of anti-tax sentiment, I learned that experts generally consider sales taxes to be regressive. They put a disproportionate burden on low-income people, who are forced to spend a bigger share of their income on taxes levied against necessities than their more affluent neighbors.
The exemptions for food and drugs are the remedy for any inequities.
But the finer points of tax theory aren’t likely to be a big part of the debate if we have to decide whether to impose a new school sales tax. Instead, we’ll be talking about whether the central office administration is top-heavy, about the plight of people struggling to make ends meet, and about the sort of schools we want our children to attend.
Bill Decker is managing editor of The Daily Review.

STEVEN JAMES 'STEVIE' ADAMS

Thu, 11/21/2019 - 12:20pm

April 9, 1972 — November 18, 2019
Steven James “Stevie” Adams, 47, a resident of Morgan City, passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, November 18, 2019, surrounded by his loving family.
Steven was born on April 9, 1972, in Morgan City, the son of Eulice and Carol Adams.
He will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his parents, Eulice and Carol Adams of Morgan City; three siblings, Brenda Veillion and husband David, Dean Adams and wife Sheila, and Natalie Adams, all of Morgan City; 11 nieces and nephews; 12 great-nieces and great-nephews; and godparents, Mary Ward and Doug and Ann Adams.
Stevie was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Nolden and Wilda Adams; and paternal grandparents, Clive and Louise Champagne Adams.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 22, 2019, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with a visitation being held from 9 a.m. until Mass time. Following Mass Stevie will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery.

Wheel House for Nov. 21

Thu, 11/21/2019 - 12:11pm

FLAG RETIREMENT
Ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at American Legion Post 242, 3600 U.S. 90 West, Patterson. Public welcome.

MEN’S DAY
Service at New Zorah Baptist Church, 604 Julia St., Morgan City, 10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 24. Guest speaker Bishop Troy Lawrence, New Orleans. Public invited.

LSU stays atop playoff rankings

Thu, 11/21/2019 - 12:07pm

Associated Press

The College Football Playoff rankings were unchanged at the top this week, with LSU first followed by Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia.
The selection committee’s third weekly rankings had little movement in the top 10, with Alabama fifth followed by Oregon, Utah, Penn State, Oklahoma and Minnesota.
The committee could face an interesting decision with Alabama in the coming weeks. The Crimson Tide lost quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the season to a hip injury Saturday. Alabama faces Western Carolina this weekend, so playing backup Mac Jones shouldn’t make much difference. On Thanksgiving weekend, the Tide will face Auburn with its No. 2 quarterback, which should give the committee a better read on what kind of a team Alabama is now.
Minnesota and Baylor, both of which lost for the first time last weekend, dropped in the rankings. Minnesota went from eighth to 10th after losing at Iowa. Baylor slipped from 13th to 14th after blowing a 25-point lead to Oklahoma.
Ohio State and Penn State play this weekend in a game that could essentially eliminate the Nittany Lions from the playoff race.
The highest ranked team from outside the Power Five conferences is Memphis at 18th, one ahead of American Athletic Conference rival Cincinnati, and two ahead of Boise State from the Mountain West.
The highest-ranked team from outside the Power Five with a conference championship receives a bid to one of the New Year’s Six bowls.
WHERE IS THIS GOING?
It certainly looks as if the Southeastern Conference is positioned to have two teams in the final four, but it’s far from a slam dunk.
Tagovailoa’s injury complicates the evaluation of Alabama, and it is difficult to see how it does anything but harm the Crimson Tide’s chances. There is no way to argue the Tide is as good without one of the two or three best quarterbacks in the country and with a backup who has shown to be capable but not a star.
“We are aware of who’s available in what games, and we make an evaluation based on watching the games and the results,” Mullens said.
Of course, the rest of Alabama’s roster is still about as talented and deep as it gets in college football. There is a case to be made that if Jones and Alabama win at Auburn in impressive fashion they could get the Cardale Jones bump from the committee. You might remember in 2014, Jones stepped in for an injured J.T. Barrett in the Big Ten championship game and led Ohio State to a historic 59-0 rout of Wisconsin. That game nudged the Buckeyes past TCU and Baylor and into the fourth seed.
The problem for Alabama is unless LSU collapses down the stretch, the Tide is locked out of the SEC championship game. Alabama was probably going to need some help working its way back into the top four even before Tagovailoa’s injury. Now, it seems the Tide will need some real chaos in other conferences to extend its streak of playoff appearances to six.
So that leaves LSU and Georgia sitting in the top four and on course to meet in the SEC championship game. Barring upsets over the next two weeks, LSU will enter unbeaten and Georgia will be 11-1. (Note: Texas A&M is now the SEC’s Agent of Chaos, playing at Georgia on Saturday and at LSU next week).
If Georgia were to win the SEC, beating an unbeaten LSU in the process, it is probably safe to assume the Tigers would still have done enough with victories against Alabama, Florida, Auburn and Texas to stay in the top four.
Twice previously a team that has not won its conference has reached the playoff, but neither Ohio State in 2016 nor Alabama in 2017 reached their conference title game. No team has lost its conference title game and made the playoff. That would be a little weird. Also, the previous cases of a team getting into the playoff without winning its conference included Ohio State getting in over Penn State, the champion of the Big Ten, and Alabama at 11-1 getting in over several two-loss conference champions.
Neither scenario seems likely this time around, though there are some real traps laid out for the teams at the top of the Big 12 over the next two weeks and many of the Big Ten’ best teams still have to play each other.
LSU winning out and handing Georgia a second loss probably shuts down any chance of the SEC getting two teams in the playoff, but here’s a tricky one. If the Bulldogs lose to Texas A&M and beat LSU, does the committee leave out Georgia and still go with LSU?
Here’s the big question: If the SEC gets two teams in this year, shutting out 12-1 champions from the Big 12 and Pac-12, do those conference join the Big Ten and start making serious noise about expansion?
_ and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Aggies hope to play spoiler against LSU, Georgia

Thu, 11/21/2019 - 12:05pm

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M has yet to become a power in the Southeastern Conference in its eighth season in the league. With trips to No. 4 Georgia and top-ranked LSU to end the regular season, the Aggies could thrust their way into the spotlight by playing spoiler.
The 24th-ranked Aggies aren’t yet among the SEC’s elite in coach Jimbo Fisher’s second year, but they’re still a formidable foe. They’ve won four in a row and their three losses have come against No. 3 Clemson, No. 16 Auburn and No. 5 Alabama. The Tigers were ranked No. 1 at the time of their game.
“This team will probably be one of the most talented teams we’ve played against,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.
Fisher, who won a national title in 2013 at Florida State, said he is much more worried about improving his team than spoiling anyone’s season.
Auburn was in a similar situation in 2017 when the team beat No. 2 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama late in the season to rise from No. 16 in the polls to fourth and reach the SEC title game for the first time since 2013. Auburn’s late push ended a streak of three straight SEC titles for the Crimson Tide. The Tigers ended up losing to Georgia in the rematch for the conference championship.
The Bulldogs know people would love to ruin their title hopes. But they’re confident that they can finish the season strong after bouncing back from a double-overtime loss to South Carolina with four straight victories to win the East and land in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings.
“We always knew we controlled our own destiny, we always knew we could be back in this position and just continue to work and do what we have to do to get back,” linebacker Azeez Ojulari said.
Smart is aware that he can’t shield his players from talk of the playoff, so he doesn’t try to tell them to ignore it.
Instead, he just implores them to focus on paying attention to details on the field.
“What you try to emphasize is the facts,” he said. “Here are the facts ... if we block and tackle people, if we do simple better, we’re pretty good. If we don’t and we turn the ball over and we don’t play well on special teams and we give up big, explosive plays, we’re not very good.”
LSU, meanwhile, is looking to reach the SEC title game for the first time since 2011, though the Tigers also have national championship hopes.
In last year’s meeting in College Station, Texas A&M snapped a seven-game skid in the LSU series with an epic 72-70 win in seven overtimes.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron is pleased with how his team has grown in his third full season in charge in Baton Rouge after taking over for Les Miles after four games in 2016.
“It seems like this year it’s come all together,” he said. “It has taken us three years. Yes, it is a process. Maybe that’s too long. Maybe that’s a short time. I don’t know ... but I always knew at LSU you have to win. I know the expectations at LSU is you have to win. My goal has always been to win at LSU.”
And that’s what he and the Tigers have done this year. And at 10-0, they’re the SEC’s only undefeated team and are ranked No. 1 in the AP poll and the CFB rankings with two games to go before conference title games.
They face Arkansas this week before the visit from A&M two days after Thanksgiving. The Tigers are certainly not looking past these games, but know the SEC championship game awaits if they handle business.
“It’s something when you come to LSU that you want to do,” Orgeron said. “Our players want to do it. We don’t talk about it, we really don’t. (It’s) the next game up.
"We said we’re going to look at where we’re at at the end of the season. We want to win every game, that’s one of the things we did want to do. Arkansas is our next game. This is game number 11. Our goal is to beat Arkansas.”
After being the standard bearer for this league for much of the last decade, Alabama is now on the outside looking in at the CFB. The Crimson Tide are ranked fifth in both the AP poll and the CFB rankings. Alabama and Georgia both have just one loss, but the Bulldogs have the coveted No. 4 spot in the CFB rankings and would get a spot in the playoffs if the season ended today.
Alabama would need to win out and get some help to crack the playoffs this season.
They have chance to regroup after the season-ending hip injury to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa when they step out of conference play to host Western Carolina before wrapping up the regular season with a trip to Auburn.

Home surveillance system leads to burglary arrest

Thu, 11/21/2019 - 12:05pm

Staff Report

A Morgan City man was arrested ona count of simple burglary after stealing from a vehicle in front of a home where a home surveillance system caught it on video, Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair said in a news release.
—Robert Mulligan, 67, of Fourth Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:51 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of possession of marijuana and a warrant for simple burglary.
Officers came into contact with Mulligan in the area of First Street. The officers had knowledge he was wanted by Morgan City Police Department for an outstanding warrant for simple burglary. During the arrest, officers discovered suspected marijuana in his possession.
The warrant stems from a simple burglary complaint filed with the Morgan City Police Department on Nov. 13. The victim was able to provide video from their home security surveillance system of their vehicle being burglarized. Detectives with the Morgan City Police Department were able to identify the suspect involved in the vehicle burglary as Mulligan from the video supplied to officers. An arrest warrant was obtained for his arrest and he was jailed.
Blair also reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 93 calls of service and the following arrests were made:
—Dustin Charles Lennep, 43, of Barrow Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 2:29 p.m. Monday on a warrant for three counts of failure to appear. Lennep was located at New Iberia Parish Detention Center and placed under arrest on active warrants held by City Court of Morgan City. He was transported to the Morgan City Police Department and jailed.
—Robert Joseph Gussman III, 25, of Louisa Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:25 p.m. Monday on charges of reckless operation, second offense possession of marijuana and on a fugitive warrant from Patterson Police Department. Officers were called to Sixth Street to investigate a two-vehicle crash. Officers learned Gussman was driving recklessly and crashed into another vehicle. Gussman was found to be in possession of suspected marijuana. A warrants check revealed Patterson Police Department held an active warrant for violation of a protective order. He was jailed.
—Nathaniel Jones, 62, of Cherry Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 4:59 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant for three counts failure to appear. Jones was located at the Patterson Police Department and placed under arrest on active warrants held by the City Court of Morgan City. He was jailed.
—Wayne Michael Escort, 31, of Mallard Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for two counts carnal knowledge of a juvenile and a warrant for failure to appear.
Escort was located at St. Mary Law Enforcement Center on active warrants held by the Morgan City Police Department and the City Court of Morgan City. The carnal knowledge of a juvenile warrant stems from a complaint filed with the Morgan City Police Department on Aug. 8. It was learned Escort had inappropriate sexual contact with a minor under the age of seventeen. He was jailed.
—John Dale Thibodeaux, 33, of Camille Drive in Patterson, was arrested at 10:53 p.m. Tuesday on charges of turn signal violation, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a legend drug (clonazepam). An officer on patrol observed a traffic violation in the area of Brashear Avenue and Sixth Street. A traffic stop was conducted and the driver was identified as Thibodeaux. Thibodeaux was found to be in possession of suspected methamphetamine, cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and a legend drug without a prescription. He was jailed.
Sheriff Blaise Smith advised that the Sheriff’s Office responded to 64 complaints and the following arrests were made:
—Ryan C. Edmond, 36, of Archangel Drive in Lafayette, was arrested at 1:54 a.m. Tuesday on charges of proper equipment required on vehicles, possession of a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. A deputy was patrolling the area of U.S. 90 in Patterson when he observed a vehicle with a busted taillight. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Edmond. During the stop, drugs and drug paraphernalia belonging to Edmond were found. He was jailed with no bond set.
—Chad Michael Caramouche, 40, of Second Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:17 a.m. Monday on three warrants for failure to appear on charges of failure to register as a sex offender or child predator, failure to pay registration fee, failure to possess a special sex offender ID card and criminal neglect of family.Deputies went to a residence on Second Street in reference to a subject holding a warrant. Deputies made contact with Caramouche and advised him of the active warrants. Caramouche was jailed with no bail set.
—Obregon Yuri Raphael, 52, of Trinity Street in Port Arthur, Texas, was arrested at 3:06 p.m. Monday on a charge of issuing worthless checks. A deputy made contact with Raphael through the District Attorney’s Office and arrested him on the charge. He was released on a summons to appear Nov. 8.
—Daniel Lee Joseph, 25, of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Patterson, was arrested at 1:16 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant for domestic abuse battery by strangulation. A deputy was patrolling the area of Anthony Street in Bayou Vista when he observed a vehicle without an operable license plate light. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Joseph. Dispatch advised the deputy that Joseph held an active warrant for his arrest. He was jailed with no bail set.
—John Henry, 40, of Chirpy’s Lane in Amelia, was arrested at 7:35 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of battery of a dating partner and a warrant from City Court of Morgan City for failure to appear.
—Samantha Broussard, 32, of Chirpy’s Lane in Amelia, was arrested at 7:56 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of battery of a dating partner.
A deputy was dispatched to Chirpy’s Lane in Amelia in reference to a disturbance. It was learned that Henry and Broussard were involved in a physical altercation. Both were jailed with no bond set.
—Jeremy Paul Jordan, 41, of Neptune Street in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 3:32 p.m. Tuesday on charges of battery of a dating partner, open container and disturbing the peace intoxicated.
—Cherie D. Aucoin, Neptune Street in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 3:32 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of battery of a dating partner.
A deputy was dispatched to Neptune Street in reference to a disturbance involving weapons. Deputies made contact with Jordan in his vehicle at the residence and could smell alcohol on his person. Deputies learned that Jordan and Aucoin committed a battery on one another. During the altercation, multiple neighbors came out of their residence due to the disturbance. Both were jailed with no bond set.
—Tyler Anthony Palmature, 22, of Neptune Street in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 3:32 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant from City Court of Morgan City for failure to appear. A deputy located Palmature while investigating a disturbance on Neptune Street. It was learned he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. He was jailed with no bond set.
—Logan Scott Brown, 22, of Natalie Lane in Patterson, was arrested at 10:40 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to appear. A deputy made contact with Brown at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center on said warrant. He was jailed with no bond set.
Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. reported the following arrest:
—J’von Nerve, 29, of Champion Street in Gray, was arrested at 10:10 p.m. Monday on charges of improper lane usage and driving under suspension. He was jailed with a $279 bond set.
—Clarence Robertson, 36, of Kimino Drive in Houma, was arrested at 12:40 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant for Terrebonne Parish on the charges of failure to appear for child support. Officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a traffic violation and identified the driver as Robertson. A warrants check was conducted and officers learned that Robertson had an active warrant through Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office. He was jailed with no bond set.
Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported the following arrest:
—Ethan M. Mensman, 22, of Tiffany Drive in Patterson, was arrested at 1:46 a.m. Wednesday on charges of second offense possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile and illegal use of controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a person under 17 years of age. He was jailed with no bond set.

Time to give thanks

Thu, 11/21/2019 - 12:02pm

An early Thanksgiving meal was offered to seniors for lunch on Wednesday at the Patterson Area Civic Center. St. Mary Council on Aging partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank and People’s Health to provide a traditional turkey dinner, followed by games of bingo.