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A Morgan City man fled the scene of a disturbance before officers arrived, but was seen by Berwick police and was chased through Berwick into Bayou Vista and back into Morgan City, ending in his arrest, Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair said in a news release.
—Louis Alton Bourque, 33, of Onstead Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 12:47 a.m. Monday on charges of aggravated flight from an officer and resisting an officer, as a fugitive and on a warrant for the charge of criminal neglect of family.
Officers were called to investigate a complaint of a disturbance at a residence on Onstead Street. While officers were responding to the complaint, the Morgan City Police Department received a second call identifying Bourgue as the person causing the disturbance, Blair said.
Officers were informed Bourque had fled the area headed toward Berwick. Officers from Berwick Police Department were able to locate Bourque traveling on U.S. 90. When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the vehicle fled from officers. Bourque traveled to Bayou Vista before turning around heading back toward Morgan City. Officers were able to pursue Bourque back into Morgan City as he traveled to an address on Walnut Drive and finally surrendered to officers. A warrant check revealed 16th District Court held an active warrant. He was placed jailed.
Blair also reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 113 calls of service and the following arrests were made:
—Traylon Anthony Grogan, 27, of Wren Street in Morgan City was arrested at 10:24 p.m. Friday on a warrant for failure to appear. Officers came into contact with Grogan at a local business on La. 70. A warrants check revealed City Court of Morgan City held an active warrant. He was jailed.
—Jason James Ashley, 31, of Iberia Street in Franklin, was arrested at 10 p.m. Saturday on a warrant for two counts of failure to appear. Ashley was turned over to the Morgan City Police Department by a Bonding Recovering Agency. Ashley failed to appear on his court dated for City Court of Morgan City and the 16th District Court. He was jailed.
—Brandon Michael Delozier, 32, of Cypress Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:18 a.m. on charges of tail light violation, first offense possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. \An officer patrolling the area of La. 182 and Cottonwood Street observed a traffic violation and conducted a traffic stop. The driver was identified as Delozier. The officer detected the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle and Delozier was found to be in possession of suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Blair said. Delozier was jailed.
—Alysha M. Carlton, 29, of Laverna Street in Gonzales, was arrested at 11:16 a.m. Sunday on a charge of theft under $1,000.
—Jessica Bourgeois Hue, 37, of Andras Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:45 a.m. Sunday on charges of second offense possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Officers were called to a local business on Seventh Street about two individuals who appeared to be under the influence of an illegal narcotic. Officers came into contact with Carlton and Hue who appeared to be under the influence. During the officer’s investigation, Carlton was found to have stolen merchandise and concealed it in her purse.
The stolen item was valued at $8.70. Additionally, Hue was found to be in possession of suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia. They both were jailed.
—Nathaniel Lawerence Wicks, 21, of Hiden Acres Street in Houma, was arrested at 5:46 p.m. on Sunday for charges of reckless operation of a motor vehicle and second offense possession of marijuana.
—Austin Cole Williams, 20, of Egle Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 5:46 p.m. Sunday on a charge of first offense possession of marijuana.
The Morgan City Police Department received a call about a reckless driver in the area of La. 70 near the intersection of U.S. 90. Officers responding to the call located the vehicle on U.S. 90 traveling west. Upon the officer locating the vehicle, the officer also observed several traffic violations while attempting to stop the vehicle. Upon conducting a traffic stop the driver was identified as Wicks along with a passenger, Williams. Both Wicks and Williams were found to be in possession of suspected synthetic marijuana, Blair said. They were jailed.
—Robert S. Rotolo, 43, of Rosemary Street in Patterson was arrested at 7:24 p.m. Sunday on a charge of domestic abuse battery.
—Scarlette Marie Burkart, 38, of Park Road in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:24 p.m. Sunday on a charge of domestic abuse battery.
Officers were called to a Park Road address about a domestic disturbance. Officers came into contact with Rotolo and Burkart. During the officer’s investigation, it was learned that Rotolo and Burkart were involved in a dating relationship and had committed a battery on one another, Blair said. Officers observed signs of a battery on both Rotolo and Scarlett. They were jailed.
—Kentrell Francis Diggs, 27, of Opelousas Street in Donaldsonville, was arrested at 2:23 a.m. Monday on warrants for probation violation and five counts of contempt of court. Officers came into contact with Diggs on Brashear Avenue. A warrants check revealed the City Court of Morgan City held active warrants for his arrest. He was jailed.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith advised that the Sheriff’s Office responded to 135 complaints and reported the following arrests:
—Kirk Joseph Coleman, 59, of Uranus Street in Bayou Vista was arrested at 10:21 a.m. Thursday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of failure to return to jury duty after lunch. A deputy made contact with Coleman at a residence on Uranus Street and transported him to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center on the active warrant. Coleman was jailed and released on a judicial release.
—Carla Theresa Gagliano, 47, of Lake Palourde Road in Amelia, was arrested at 11:04 a.m. Friday on a charge of domestic abuse battery. A deputy was dispatched to a residence on Lake Palourde Road in reference to a domestic disturbance.
The deputy made contact with a complainant who stated that Gagliano had struck the complainant earlier. The deputy made contact with Gagliano at her residence and she admitted to striking the victim. She was jailed and later released on her own recognizance.
—Jevon Ray Lively, 27, of Domingue Street in Jeanerette, was arrested at 8:42 p.m. Saturday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of operating a vehicle while license is suspended/revoked/canceled and operating a vehicle with an unlit license plate light. A booking deputy made contact with Lively when he was brought in on a bond surrender at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center. He was jailed with no bail set.
—Zhane Jatasha Pool, 25, Old Jeanerette Road in New Iberia, was arrested at 8:50 a.m. Sunday on charges of driving on a roadway laned for traffic, possession of marijuana and illegal use of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a minor. A deputy was patrolling U.S. 90 East in Bayou Vista when he observed a vehicle cross over the solid white line. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Pool. Through the stop, marijuana belonging to Pool was found, Smith said. Pool was arrested and released on a summons to appear on Feb. 7.
—Ashley Marie Schildwachter, 28, of La. 182 in Patterson, was arrested at 11:15 a.m. Sunday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of leash law violation. A deputy was patrolling the area of Southeast Boulevard in Bayou Vista when he observed a vehicle with an expired motor vehicle inspection sticker. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Schildwachter. Dispatch advised that Schildwachter held an active warrant through the Patterson Police Department. He was jailed with no bail set.
Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. reported the following arrests:
—Darnelle Jones, 48, of Park Place in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Thursday on charges of disturbing the peace and simple battery. Officers responded to a disturbance call at a Fifth Street residence in Berwick. Officers learned that Jones was creating a verbal disturbance. Officers made contact with Jones and were able to determine through investigation that Jones had been screaming at family members, had flipped a table in the kitchen causing damages and had committed a battery. He was jailed and released on a $477 bond.
—Salomon Cabanilla Carvajal, 36, of Lake Palourde Road in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:22 p.m. Saturday on charges of two tail lights required, driving under suspension, and possession of a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance (cocaine). Officers were patrolling the area of La. 182 when they observed a vehicle traveling with no tail lights.
A traffic stop was conducted and officers made contact with the driver who was identified as Carvajal. Officers learned that Carvajal had a suspended driver’s license. He was placed under arrest and later to found in possession of Cocaine. He was jailed with no bond set.
—Cody Fryou, 29, of Trevino Street in Berwick, was arrested at 1:19 a.m. Sunday on charges of disturbing the peace intoxicated and possession of marijuana.
Officers were dispatched to the area of Jacobs Street in reference to a subject trespassing on private property. The complainant indicated that they did not know the male subject and that it appeared that the male subject was under the influence of a narcotic. Officers responded to the location and located Fryou on Nicklaus Street. Officers indicated that he was under the influence of a narcotic which was causing him to hallucinate. He was jailed and released on a $3,000 bond.
Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported the following arrests:
—Marlon Davis, 39, of Railroad Avenue in Patterson, was arrested at 4:06 p.m. Saturday on charges of simple battery involving domestic and simple assault. He was jailed with no bond set.
—Christopher Danthony Dumas, 23, of Mercello Street in Thibodeaux, was arrested at midnight Monday on charges of possession of marijuana and failure to yield to an emergency vehicle. He was jailed with bond set at $2327.
—Devin Michael Leblanc, 18, of River Road in Berwick, was arrested at 12:52 a.m. Sunday on charges of speeding 16-19 over. He was jailed and released on a $565 bond.

Willy Loman, the most famous salesman in American literature, talked about being alone out there on a smile and a shoeshine.

Telly Lasalle's shoes move more deliberately. He uses a walker. And he's not alone. His mother, Cynthia Lasalle, drops him off at a corner and picks him up after he works his way down the block.

Lasalle has the smile down. And he can sell.

For 20 years, he's been selling the raffle tickets that help support the ARC if St. Mary/Center of Hope, the parish's only vocational program for people with disabilities. With more than five weeks left before the drawing, Lasalle has sold enough tickets to pay for more than a quarter of the Center of Hope's annual mortgage payment on its Centerville building.

Lasalle, 45, is a person with cerebral palsy. The condition forces him to use the walker and interferes with his speech.

But "obviously people can understand him," said Kristal Hebert, the Center of Hope director. "They buy tickets from him. ...

"He's getting pretty famous out there. I just wanted people to know that despite his difficulty, his disability, he's still out there working for the center."

Lasalle puts in the hours and the work "to help raise money for the center," he said.

"Because we need it, huh?" Hebert said.

"Yes sir," Lasalle replied.

The drawing for the raffle will be Dec. 16. The 21 prizes have been donated by local businesses and range from big TVs to wine glasses.

Tickets cost $2 each. Lasalle, who sold 130 books of 10 tickets last year, has already sold 150 books this year.

The Center of Hope started in Morgan City in 1967, Hebert said. By 1999 the program was housed in an aging building on Centerville's Missouri Street. The raffle started as a way to raise money for a new building.

"Then the building got so old and dilapidated that we had to build," Hebert said. "So we have a mortgage."

Program participants now sell the raffle tickets that raise money for the $10,500 annual note.

The old building was across a parking a lot from the site of the new structure.

"While it was building, (program participants) got to watch it go up," Hebert said. "There were many times at the end when it was safe that I'd bring them in (the unfinished building) and they'd be thanking the workers for building it.

"I'd say, 'Don't thank the workers. You did this.'"

The program's operation is funded by the state-federal Medicaid program and now serves 25 participants, which Hebert said is about as much as the program's transportation can handle.

They receive training in the skills need to hold down a job, as well as in life skills such as name recognition and counting money.

They also work for wages. Telly Lasalle works in the program's thrift store.

"We sell used clothing ... shoes, shirts, pants, stuff like that," Lasalle said.

Hebert said the participants like their jobs.

"Sometimes when they have a doctor's appointment, I have to tell them we're closed because they get upset if they miss work," Hebert said. "They take their paycheck very seriously. Like we all do."

More than 1,100 people cast ballots for the Nov. 16 primary on Saturday, the first day of early voting.
According to the St. Mary Registrar of Voters Office, 1,166 ballots are already in.
In Morgan City, 719 people cast early votes Saturday. In Franklin, 442 people voted.
Another five ballots have come in by mail.
Early voting continues each day, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., through Nov. 9.
You can vote early at the Parish Courthouse or the Registrar of Voters Office at 301 Third St. in Morgan City.

It’s a cliché to say an election will come down to turnout, but when the race is as close as Louisiana’s election for governor appears to be, the old expression is unavoidable.
A new poll by Baton Rouge-based JMC Analytics and Polling conducted Oct. 24-26 found incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards, the only Democratic governor in the Deep South, leading his Republican challenger Eddie Rispone, a first-time candidate, 48 percent to 46 percent. In a poll with a margin of error of 4 percent, that’s basically a dead heat.
The same poll found that, of the 6 percent who are undecided, 50 percent are leaning toward Edwards and 47 percent toward Rispone.
In an interview, JMC founder John Couvillon said two main factors likely will determine the winner. The first is turnout among black voters, who overwhelmingly support Democrats.
The second will be how many supporters of Republican Congressman Ralph Abraham the Edwards campaign can pick up.
In Louisiana’s Oct. 12 open primary, Edwards, an attorney and former Army Ranger, led with almost 47 percent of the vote. Rispone, the co-founder of a large industrial contracting business, earned a spot in the runoff with about 27 percent.
Abraham finished out of the running at 24 percent. Republican Patrick “Live Wire” Landry and conservative independent Gary Landrieu got about 1 percent each, while Democrat Oscar Dantzler also got 1 percent.
If Republicans get the same proportion of votes in the runoff as in the primary, Rispone wins. But Couvillon says that won’t necessarily be the case.
“If [Edwards] has a robust turnout operation, and let’s say you pick off a few Abraham voters, I see a path to victory for Gov. Edwards in the runoff, even if the numbers look slightly intimidating right now,” he said.
Some Abraham voters in north Louisiana may have supported him not for ideological or partisan reasons but because he’s from the same region of the state, and those votes won’t automatically transfer to Rispone, Couvillon said.
“I’m looking for 3 percent [of the Abraham vote],” Edwards said Monday during an appearance at the Baton Rouge Press Club. “Mr. Rispone’s looking for 23 percent.”
Asked about black turnout, he acknowledged it was down in the primary compared to his 2015 election but “only slightly so,” and professed feeling “very good” about the state of the campaign.
Republicans point to the primary results, with Edwards failing to get a majority, as a rejection of the incumbent. They say Republicans are united behind Rispone and expect continued attention from the national party will help them stay that way.
President Donald Trump visited Louisiana for a get-out-the-vote rally the night before election day. Vice President Mike Pence was in Baton Rouge for a fundraiser Monday, and state Republicans hope to see the president again before the runoff.
In a heavily Republican state where Trump is popular, Rispone has worked to tie himself to the president while Edwards has emphasized bipartisanship. Couvillon said Democrats’ impeachment inquiry helped motivate Republican turnout that started with early voting and was not necessarily tied to Trump’s election eve appearance.
Robert Collins, a professor of urban studies and public policy at Dillard University and former congressional staffer, said black turnout in the primary lagged behind white turnout by almost 10 percentage points. Almost half of white voters turned out, compared to a little more than 40 percent of potential black voters.
“That’s not a survivable number for a Democrat,” Collins said.
He believes the polarization of national politics has driven moderate rural whites away from the Democrats, and they’re not coming back. For Edwards, increasing black turnout may be the only way to win.
Collins wonders if the Edwards campaign will try to bring in a popular black figure, such as former President Barack Obama or Oprah Winfrey, to boost turnout in urban areas. That could alienate rural white voters, but if the Democrats have already lost those voters, they might not have anything to lose, Collins said.
He said the election might be seen as a “test case” by politicos nationwide. Edwards’ last victory was seen by some as an anomaly because he was facing former Sen. David Vitter, whose potential appeal was tarnished by a prostitution scandal.
If a pro-gun, anti-abortion Democrat like Edwards can’t win in Louisiana, some might conclude that Democrats should write off the South entirely.
“If [Republicans] are able to take John Bel out, I think the national Democrats are going to throw up their hands and say, ‘That’s it,’” Collins said. “‘We might need to put our resources elsewhere.’”