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Berwick alum Jones finishes 18th nationally in long jump at NCAAs

Fri, 06/07/2019 - 12:48pm

Staff Report

LSU freshman Kenan Jones finished in 18thplace in the long jump Wednesday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas.
Jones, the lone freshman competitor, leaped 24 feet, 9 inches.
He was one of three Tiger competitors in the meet, along with sophomore JuVaughn Harrison and junior Rayvon Grey.
Harrison won the national title with a personal best of 26 feet, 11 inches. Grey finished in 21st place with a leap of 24 feet, 2.5 inches.

Horseshoe Week 10 Spring League report

Fri, 06/07/2019 - 12:44pm

Bayou Horseshoe Pitchers Association Spring League Week 10 W L Fab 4 62.5 27.5 Corn Holes 55.5 34.5 Blue Suede Shoes 48.5 41.5 Swamp Dogs 48.5 41.5 STAG 44 46 High scratch point average: (30’) Tim Gilmore 84.5, Al Dodson 73.9 and Dudley Michel 65.8; (40’) Clyde Landry 49.8, Jimmy Percle 45.4 and Dwain Arceneaux 44.3. High individual ringer percentage: (30’) Gilmore 63.3, Dodson 47.0 and Michel 46.7; and (40’) Landry 31.5, Randy ...

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Atchafalaya Golf Association Trifecta winners

Fri, 06/07/2019 - 12:40pm

The Atchafalaya Golf Association held its Trifecta in May at The Atchafalaya at Idlewild. The format involved competitors playing 18 holes, and after the round, six holes randomly were drawn three times with the top players advancing at each level. Below are the first- and second-place winners.

Women's All-Pro Tour Pro Am winners

Fri, 06/07/2019 - 12:16pm

The Women's All-Pro Tour Pro Am was held April 8 at The Atchafalaya at Idlewild near Patterson. Below are the top two teams.

Atchafalaya Golf Association One-Man Scramble winners

Fri, 06/07/2019 - 12:09pm

The Atchafalaya Golf Association held its One-Man Scramble March 2 at The Atchafalaya at Idlewild near Patterson. The format included players hitting two balls at each interval and selecting the better one. There were two divisions of play -- Net and Gross.

Fisherman catches 80-pound alligator snapping turtle

Fri, 06/07/2019 - 11:54am

JOHN K. FLORES

When Bobby Aucoin grabbed hold of one of the lines he had set out for alligator snapping turtles this spring, he knew he was in for a tussle. The line was pulled tight and ran straight to the bottom of the swamp he was fishing, where the water is black as coal and often smells rotten, he says.
For 35 minutes, he fought a creature that resembles a prehistoric ankylosaurus and whose bite could cut your finger off at the knuckle. But, finally, when the alligator snapping turtle tired, Aucoin wrestled it into his boat.
Statistically speaking, adult males generally are larger than females and will weigh somewhere between 30 to 45 pounds. Believed to live 50 to 100 years, the oldest male alligator snapping turtles will reach upwards of 100 pounds, though some have been known to exceed 200 pounds. Aucoin’s turtle weighed 80 pounds.
According to Aucoin, he grew up hunting, fishing and catching regular snapping turtles with his grandfather, dad and other family members along the levee where their camp was. But, four years ago after seeing an upload online about catching alligator snapping turtles, he wanted to catch one for himself.
However, the endeavor turned out to be a struggle initially.
“The first year I didn’t catch anything,” Aucoin, 30, said. “So, I started asking the older generation people — older guys that used to do it a long time ago — and they started giving me tips and little secrets, where now I’m catching. Well, pretty much anyways.”
Alligator snapping turtles lead a secretive life. They’re found in the bowels of deep-water swamps and riverine forests of the southern United States. They’re active at night, able to stay submerged for approximately an hour and seldom get up on land except when it’s necessary for females to lay eggs.
Their reclusiveness is what makes them hard to catch, and Aucoin has had to learn through trial and error where to place a set, which includes a quarter-inch nylon line tied to a leader and No. 8 O’Shaughnessy hook.
“I look for washouts or a little ridge or something kind of sticking out of the water where there’s a little bit of moving water around it or through it,” he said. “If it’s a corner of a canal next to a bayou or kind of a four-way spot where a bayou intersects a canal, I will sometimes use 2 or 3 sets. I’ll put one on each corner just to see — just in case. Its hole might be closer to one corner, just as it is another.”
Depending on boat traffic and how hard the current runs, Aucoin said he’ll weight the set so it will rest on the bottom naturally. Typically in these cases, anywhere from one to two ounces of weight is sufficient, he mentions.
Alligator snapping turtles are carnivorous and not opposed to scavenging. Some turtle fishermen use cut baits like shad or mullet. Aucoin uses what he calls green or black eels that are actually three-toed amphiuma. Amphiuma can grow up to 40-inches long, and one of their preferred prey is crawfish.
“I get most of my eels from running crawfish traps,” said Aucoin, who lives in Bayou Vista. “They have little legs on them and look sort of creepy, honestly. But, I cut them up in 3- to 4-inch lengths and sink the hook deep in the pieces and toss them in the water.”
Aucoin said he puts out anywhere from 15 to 20 lines when he fishes alligator snapping turtles. So far this year, he has caught eight turtles. Besides his 80-pound turtle, he has caught a couple in the 50-pound range, three in the 40-pound range and one 35 pounds.
Due to a decline in population from habitat loss and over harvest, some states have listed the alligator snapping turtle as threatened. Currently in Louisiana, there is no commercial harvest allowed for this species of turtle, but there is a recreational harvest. And, though there is no size limit for alligator snapping turtles, there is a harvest limit.
The take is limited to no more than one alligator snapping turtle per day, per person, per vehicle or boat.
Alligator snapping turtles reach sexual maturity at approximately 12 years of age. What’s more, the meat is considered a delicacy, and a turtle sauce piquante is hard to beat.
And though Aucoin has harvested several large alligator snapping turtles this spring for the meat, he has released several of the larger animals to repopulate, he said.
“It’s exciting,” Aucoin said. “It’s like shooting a big buck. You get an adrenaline rush. But, it’s a lot like fishing for alligators. You see the line pulled tight. You grab it. You follow it. And, you don’t know what you’re going to pull up. It’s a challenge, but it’s an accomplishment when you do catch one.”

Flood advisory for east St. Mary

Fri, 06/07/2019 - 11:52am

A pickup blocks Front Street near Brashear on Friday after heavy rain left water standing on the street. The National Weather Service has issued an advisory for flood-prone areas here until 2 p.m. Friday. Storms capable of 1 to 2 inches of rain per hour are in the area.

The Daily Review/Bill Decker

Morgan City High School Summer Skills & Drills Camp sponsors

Fri, 06/07/2019 - 11:48am

Local businesses made donations to the Morgan City High School Summer Skills & Drills Camp. Below are two area sponsors.

Chase suspect booked into Assumption jail

Fri, 06/07/2019 - 11:48am

Staff Report

A 26-year-old man was booked on charges related to a vehicle chase last month that began in Assumption Parish and ended in Morgan City, Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon said in a news release.

—Chad A. Ross Jr., 26, of Griffin Court in Bayou L’Ourse, was booked into Assumption Parish jail Thursday on charges of possession of a firearm or carrying of a firearm by a person convicted of domestic abuse battery, obstruction of justice, speeding, aggravated flight from an officer and disturbing the peace.

On May 29, deputies were dispatched to a Bayou L’Ourse business and intercepted two suspect vehicles while en route.

One of the vehicles stopped, and the deputy attempted to stop the other vehicle but the suspect attempted to elude the officer, Falcon said.

The chase carried over into St. Mary Parish and at some point, the suspect threw an object out the window which was determined to be a handgun, Falcon said.

The chase continued into St. Mary Parish where the suspect eventually was stopped in Morgan City. At that time, the vehicle was determined to contain illegal drugs and a significant amount of cash, Falcon said.

Deputies identified Ross as the driver. Ross was booked into the Morgan City jail on drug and other related charges.

Through investigation, deputies learned that Ross was previously convicted of a domestic abuse battery charge, therefore was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

On Thursday, Ross was transferred to the Assumption Parish Detention Center. Ross remained in jail pending a bail hearing.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that deputies responded to 39 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:

—Tashekia Latasha Celestine, 40, of Railroad Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:53 a.m. Thursday on a warrant for failure to appear on a charge of issuing worthless checks less than $500 and a warrant for failure to appear for arraignment on the charge of operating a vehicle while license is suspended.

Celestine was located at the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office on a warrant. She was jailed with bail set at $6,250.

—Savannah Hebert, 25, of Kem Street in Patterson, was arrested at 2:55 p.m. Thursday on a warrant for failure to appear for trial on a charge of violation of a protective order. Hebert was located at the parish courthouse on the warrant. She was jailed with no bail set.

—Adontay Rayshaun Owens, 20, of Tiffany Street in Patterson, was arrested at 9:35 p.m. Thursday on a warrant charging him with probation violation.

A deputy was stationary on Delmar Avenue in Bayou Vista when he observed a vehicle fail to come to a complete stop at a stop sign. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle and contact was made with the driver and the passenger, identified as Owens. A background check on Owens revealed the active warrant. He was jailed with no bail set.

Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported that officers responded to 55 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Bradford G. Jones, 41, of Glenwood Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:44 a.m. Thursday on warrants charging him with two counts of failure to appear in court and probation violation. Jones was located at parish jail and arrested on city court warrants. He was jailed.

—Mandi Nicole Hatfield, 31, of Florence Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:09 a.m. Thursday on a warrant charging her with failure to appear in court.

Officers came into contact with Hatfield on Brashear Avenue. A warrants check revealed 16th Judicial District Court had a warrant for her arrest. She was jailed.

Berwick Police Chief David Leonard Sr. reported the following arrest:

—Larry Boudreaux, 62, of Fifth Street in Berwick, was arrested at 7:16 p.m. Thursday on charges of possession of alprazolam and diazepam.

On Thursday, officers conducted a stop on a man who was identified as Boudreaux on Sixth Street in Berwick. During the stop, officers observed that Boudreaux was allegedly acting nervous. After further investigation, Boudreaux was found in possession of alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam, for which he admitted he did not have a prescription, Leonard said. Boudreaux was jailed with no bail set.

Jones to compete in long jump for LSU Wednesday in NCAA outdoor national championships

Fri, 06/07/2019 - 11:38am

GEOFF STOUTE

gstoute@daily-review.com

LSU freshman long jumper Kenan Jones will conclude his stellar outdoor season Wednesday evening when he competes in the long jump finals at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Mike Myers Stadium in Austin Texas.
Jones is the lone freshman of the 24 competitors in the field. He has the 11th-best mark entering the finals after jumping a personal best of 25 feet, 2.75 inches. The event will start at 6 p.m. and will feature two flights.
Jones and teammates, sophomore JuVaughn Harrison and junior Rayvon Grey, will complete in the second flight. Harrison has the top leap entering the finals, while junior Rayvon Grey has the fifth-best mark.
However, Grey won the indoor national title in the long jump this season, while Harrison was runner-up. Harrison is the NCAA national leader in the long jump this outdoor season.
Jones enters the finals after finishing sixth at the NCAA East Regional where he jumped a personal best of 25 feet, 2.75 inches.
Jones, who has been in Austin since Sunday, said Tuesday that preparations had gone well, noting the team trained at the facility and that Tuesday was a “laid-back” day.
This season, Jones said he thought he has done well.
“Got to see a lot of good competition all around,” Jones said.
Earlier this spring, he split time between football with spring training and track and field.
He said it wasn’t hard balancing the two sports simultaneously.
However, he said, “It was just a lot to juggle.”
While he said competing in both “took a toll on my body,” he said that now he is just focused on track and field with spring training complete, he is doing much better.
With fellow elite long jumpers on the Tigers’ squad, Jones said he has gotten plenty of advice from them, mostly just telling him to learn the technique.
“Other than that, go out and compete with an open mind (and) have fun,” Jones said of other advice he has received from his teammates.
On Wednesday, Jones will represent both LSU and his high school alma mater, Berwick.
“Representing LSU, that’s a wonderful thing, a great thing,” he said. “A lot of people can’t say they can do (that). Representing my home town is one thing that will never get old.”