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Sand bag distribution announced for lower St. Martin

Fri, 04/05/2019 - 12:34pm

Because of the unexpected flash flooding which occurred yesterday in Stephensville and Belle River, pre-filled sandbags will be available for lower St. Martin Parish residents from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Sunday. The bags will be distributed at Stephensville Park on La. 70, a St. Martin Parish government news release said.

St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars reminds residents that great care should be exercised by motorists on those roads which have not been closed.

Sheriff: Vehicle forced flood waters onto residents’ property

Fri, 04/05/2019 - 10:49am

Staff Report

A man was arrested Thursday in Bayou Vista after detectives saw a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed through flooded streets, forcing water up to people’s homes, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith said in a news release.

—Enrique F. Loza, 39, of South Road in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 3:26 p.m. Thursday on a charge of reckless operation of a vehicle.

Narcotics detectives were assisting with road blockage in the Bayou Vista area due to flooding. While blocking off the intersection of Jupiter and Delmar streets, detective’s attention were drawn to citizens in their yards yelling at a vehicle traveling down Jupiter Street to slow down, Smith said.

Detectives looked back and observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed through flooded streets, forcing water up to houses and property, the sheriff said. Detectives conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, identified as Loza. Loza was issued a summons to appear in court July 29.

Smith reported that deputies responded to 41 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrest in east St. Mary Parish:

—James Patrick Freifeld, 39, of Amelia, was arrested at 11:26 p.m. Thursday on charges of remaining where forbidden and battery of a dating partner.

Deputies were dispatched to a complaint on Cajun Way Lane in Amelia in reference to removing a subject from the property. Upon arrival, deputies made contact with the male subject, identified as Freifeld, who was walking around the building.

Freifeld told deputies that he and his girlfriend had gotten into an altercation that caused him to be banned from the business. Deputies observed physical signs of abuse present on the victim, Smith said. Freifeld was jailed with no bail set.

Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported that officers responded to 33 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Charles Ganaway, 30, of Sixth Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:40 a.m. Thursday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

—James Henry Marks, 28, of Sixth Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:40 a.m. Thursday on charges of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Officers were called to a Sixth Street home in reference to illegal narcotic activity. Upon officers arriving they made contact with Ganaway and Marks. During the investigation, officers found suspected drug paraphernalia in Ganaway’s and Marks’ possession, Blair said.

Officers also found suspected methamphetamine in Marks’ possession, Blair said. Both Ganaway and Marks were jailed.

—Bettina Lynn Duval, 44, of Allison Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 3:10 p.m. Thursday on a charge of probation violation. Duval was arrested in city court for a probation violation. She was jailed.

—John F. Gibson, 54, of Oak Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:46 p.m. Thursday on warrants charging him with two counts of failure to appear for trial.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on La. 182 and identified the driver as Gibson. A warrant check revealed 16th District Court had warrants for his arrest. He was jailed.

—Dashunn Hardickman, 29, of Joseph Street in Franklin, was arrested at 11:22 p.m. Thursday on a Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office warrant.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on Fifth Street and identified the driver as Hardickman. A warrant check revealed Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office held an active warrant for his arrest. He was jailed.

—Devante Robertson, 23, of Pellerin Road in Jeanerette, was arrested at 1:54 a.m. Friday on a charge of possession of synthetic marijuana.

A patrol officer conducted a traffic stop on Federal Avenue and identified Robertson as a passenger. During the traffic stop, officers found suspected synthetic marijuana in Robertson’s possession, Blair said. He was jailed.

Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported the following arrest:

—Elizabeth B. Jones, 56, of Felterman Street in Patterson, was arrested at 1 a.m. Friday on a St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office warrant charging her with failure to appear for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, DWI fourth or subsequent offense, hit-and-run driving and careless operation of a motor vehicle. Jones was jailed on $1,500 bail.

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

—Selena Percle, 20, of 3rd Street in Berwick, was arrested at 10:55 p.m. Thursday on a charge of disturbing the peace intoxicated. Pre-set bail was set at $176.

—Andrea Aucoin, 58, of Fortins Street in Berwick, was arrested at 4:20 a.m. Friday on charges of possession of methamphetamine and hydrocodone, violation of controlled dangerous substance law-drug-free zone and signals and tail lamps required. Bail was set at $1,500.

Saturday Mass canceled at St. Rosalie

Fri, 04/05/2019 - 10:46am

In collaboration with public safety, due to multiple areas of water on the Stephensville Road, Mass at St. Rosalie will be canceled this Saturday, April 6.

Radio logs for April 5

Fri, 04/05/2019 - 10:42am

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, April 4

6:34 a.m. 500 block of Freret Street; Juvenile problems.

7:25 a.m. 7300 block of La. 182 East; Alarm.

8:48 a.m. 900 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.

9:11 a.m. Victor II Boulevard; Suspicious vehicle.

10:20 a.m. 7500 block of La. 182 East; Complaint.

10:33 a.m. 300 block of Sixth Street; Complaint.

10:34 a.m. Glenwood Avenue; Medical emergency.

12:03 p.m. Glenwood Avenue; Vehicle accident.

12:05 p.m. 2400 block of Tiger Drive ; Juvenile problems.

12:21 p.m. Federal Avenue; Stalled vehicle.

12:57 p.m. 1600 block of Maple Street; Stalled vehicle.

1:02 p.m. 1000 block of Clothilde Street; Vehicle accident.

1:20 p.m. Brashear Avenue; Stalled vehicle.

1:28 p.m. Federal Avenue; Stalled vehicle.

2:02 p.m. Hickory Street; Stalled vehicle.

2:09 p.m. La. 70; Stalled vehicle.

2:16 p.m. 700 block of Youngs Road; 911 open line.

2:18 p.m. Belanger Street; Stalled vehicle.

3:03 p.m. Maple Street; Reckless driver.

4:08 p.m. 200 block of Arizona Street; Criminal damage to property.

4:14 p.m. 300 block of Sixth Street; Patrol request.

4:57 p.m. Seventh and Duke streets; Signs and signals.

5:38 p.m. 100 block of Oak Street; Civil complaint.

6:59 p.m. 2300 block of La. 70; Assistance.

8:30 p.m. 200 block of Arizona Street; Criminal damage to property.

10:20 p.m. 1300 block of Victor II Boulevard; Alarm.

11:01 p.m. 800 block of Ditch Avenue; Complaint.

Friday, April 5

3:53 a.m. Sixth and Utah streets; Assistance.

Thursday storms soak Tri-City area

Fri, 04/05/2019 - 9:58am

Staff Report

East St. Mary Parish may or may not get a brief chance to dry out after Thursday’s storm, which caused widespread street flooding. But the National Weather Service forecast says more heavy weather is almost certain to hit Sunday.
Only clouds are in the forecast until Saturday night, when there will be a 20 percent chance of rain.
By Sunday, the rain chances increase to 50 percent, then 80 percent with rain likely and storms possible, the forecast says.
But nothing in the forecast looks like a repeat of Thursday.
The gauge at Patterson’s Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport measured 6.38 inches of rain between 6:56 a.m. and 6:56 p.m.
The heaviest rain, nearly 3 inches, fell between about 11 a.m. and noon. Another 1.84 inches fell in the following hour.
Wind gusts of up to 26 mph were recorded Thursday afternoon.
The downpour sent area police officers scrambling to set up barricades on streets that suddenly became impassable.
Berwick officials received reports that eight homes in the Country Club Estates area had some water in them due to Thursday’s flooding, Mayor Duval Arthur said. Pumps had been running since 10 a.m. Thursday but struggled to keep up because of how much rain the area received so quickly, he said. Crews did a great job of working to combat the flooding, he said.
Patterson City Hall got some water in the front part of the building due to a roof leak, but officials were able to get the building dry before any mold was able to form, Mayor Rodney Grogan said. About five to 10 homes in Patterson got water in them. Grogan said he received calls asking the city to turn on pumps, but said Patterson uses gravity drains not pumps.
“As soon as the rain stopped the water started flowing out,” Grogan said.
Five vehicles in Patterson had to be towed as a result of flooding, along with one removed from a canal, Grogan said. No injuries were reported in those incidents. Essentially all of Patterson’s streets flooded, including Catherine Street, which Grogan had previously never seen happen.
Grogan got two or three calls of flooding south of the railroad tracks and in two homes behind the library.
As of Friday morning, Morgan City Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi said no flooding damage had been reported to City Hall due to Thursday’s heavy storms.
“Our system worked great,” Grizzaffi said.
All of St. Mary Parish had high water due to the heavy rain, Parish President David Hanagriff said. However, Hanagriff didn’t receive any reports of home flooding in the unincorporated areas of the parish. The majority of the flooding issues in the unincorporated areas of the parish occurred in Bayou Vista, Hanagriff said. Multiple roads flooded in Bayou Vista, and Southeast Boulevard was shut down due to large amount of water in a short time, Hanagriff said. There were also a few flooding issues in the Siracusa Subdivision area.
In Centerville, St. Mary Parish Superintendent Teresa Bagwell was interrupted twice during a half-hour interview. The first was a call to report that rain was coming into Franklin Junior High.
The second interruption was news that wind had blown down a tree limb near her car without damaging it.
Heavy rain was the rule across south Louisiana.
Acadiana Regional Airport in far northwestern Iberia Parish recorded more than 4 inches of rain. Media accounts report scattered power outages and two school buses blown off the road and into ditches. No injuries were reported.
The Advocate reported that lightning hit Southern University’s Museum of Arts on Thursday morning, starting a fire that the Baton Rouge Fire Department put out in half an hour.
MSA-West Academy in Plaquemine was also struck by lightning. No injuries were reported in either strike.

The Abrams will play here April 16

Fri, 04/05/2019 - 9:54am

The Abrams will perform at 7 p.m. April 16 at Morgan City Municipal Auditorium, the last performance of the 2018-19 season for the Community Concert Association.
According to promotional material, John Abrams and James Abrams are using their talent and passion for music to take the family business, which spans four generations already, one step further.
The material contains a quote from folk-rock legend Arlo Guthrie: “The Abrams brothers are way too young to be playing that good.”
The brothers recently went with Warner Music, where they released their debut self-titled album — their first album release under a major label.
Still only in their mid-20s, they have been taking their distinct Americana/country sound on worldwide tours for over 16 years, and have been featured on major United States networks like CMT, NBC, FOX and NPR.
Additionally, the Abrams are among the youngest performers to ever play the world-famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Single event tickets are available for $25 (adults) and $5 (students K-12). However, anyone purchasing Season Subscription for the six-concert 2019-20 season at $45 for adults, $10 for students K-12, will be admitted free to The Abrams concert (seven concerts in all). All tickets may be purchased at the door. See www.morgancitycca.biz for more information.
Under a partnership with the St. Mary Council on Aging, free transportation to and from concerts is available for people 60 and over who live in St. Mary Parish.

Authorities investigate 'suspicious' church fires

Fri, 04/05/2019 - 9:53am

OPELOUSAS (AP) — Authorities in southern Louisiana are investigating a string of “suspicious” fires at three African American churches in recent days.
During a news conference Thursday, Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning said it wasn’t clear whether the fires in St. Landry Parish are connected and he declined to get into specifics of what the investigation had yielded so far but described the blazes as “suspicious.”
“If you’re going to turn to a house of god, turn to it for resurrection,” he said.
State Fire Marshal’s spokeswoman Ashley Rodrigue says all three churches have African American congregations. She said all possibilities on the cause and potential motives are being investigated.
The ATF and the FBI also are involved in the investigation, Browning said. He said that more than 40 people from the marshal’s office are working on the investigation, which he described as “extremely active right now.”
The first fire occurred March 26 at the St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, and the second happened Tuesday when the Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas caught fire.
Then Thursday morning the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas caught fire.
The churches were vacant at the time of the fires, and no one was injured.
Pastors from 10 area churches gathered Thursday to discuss the fires and show support for the affected churches, The Advocate newspaper reported.
The pastors said each of the churches was well over 100 years old.
The Rev. Harry Richard of Greater Union Baptist Church told the newspaper that he doesn’t want people to panic.
“I don’t know who’s doing it or why they’re doing it, but I don’t want to be the one to inject race into it,” he said.

TRENTON MOUTON

Fri, 04/05/2019 - 9:51am

Trenton Mouton, 33, a resident of Gueydan, died Monday, April 1, 2019, at American Legion Hospital in Jennings.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until services at 11 a.m. Saturday at Jones Funeral Home in Franklin. Interment will be private.
He is survived by his mother, Bessie Mouton of Gueydan; father, Wayne Campbell of Morgan City; stepfather, Warren Johnny of Gueydan; three brothers, Ricardo Rubin, Thomas Campbell and Wayne Campbell Jr.; a sister, Antoinette Campbell; and a host of other relatives.
Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

ALLEN JOSEPH BERGERON

Fri, 04/05/2019 - 9:50am

Allen Joseph Bergeron, 53, a native of Morgan City and resident of Patterson, died Wednesday, April 3, 2019, at Teche Regional Medical Center.
He is survived by his wife, Terri Carraway Bergeron of Patterson; three sons, Brandon Bergeron and Joshua Harmon, both of Texas, and Jimmy Harmon and of Utah; his mother, Rose Bergeron; three granddaughters; two brothers, Bobby Bergeron and Eric Bergeron; three sisters, Donell Carraway, Cheryl Gonzalez and Tina Weaver; a half-sister, Dancy Bergeron; and three step siblings, Geraldine Soto, Darlene Frye and Gerald Guillory.
He was preceded in death by his father and an infant sister.
Visitation will be Monday from 5 p.m. until services at 7 p.m. at Twin City Funeral Home in Morgan City.

LEE JOHNSON JR.

Fri, 04/05/2019 - 9:48am

Lee Johnson Jr., 75, a native of Franklin and resident of Houston, died Friday, March 29, 2019, at Texas Medical Center in Houston.
Visitation will be Saturday from 8 a.m. until services at 11 a.m. at Greater St. Stephen Baptist Church in Franklin. Burial will follow in Franklin Cemetery.
He is survived by his companion; five daughters, Gay Johnson of Franklin, Felicia Johnson, Marsan Taylor and Ebonie Moore, all of Houston, and Jedisha Carter-Brown of Beaumont, Texas; three sons, Terrance Johnson, Brandon Carter and Major Walker, all of Houston; 22 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; four brothers, Andrew Johnson of Fairfield, California, Johnny Johnson of Houston, Ivory Johnson of Franklin and George Johnson of Eullis, Texas; four sisters, Stella Freeman of Morgan City, and Maggie Thomas, Ida Johnson and Ydell Washington, all of Franklin; and a host of other relatives.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two siblings.
Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.