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A projected 8-foot crest on the Atchafalaya River in about three weeks won’t be high enough for officials to close Bayou Chene in Amelia.

Forecasters predict the river will crest March 20 in Morgan City, said meteorologist Rob Megnia of the National Weather Service’s Lake Charles office. However, that projection is subject to change, Megnia said. The river was at about 6.4 feet Monday afternoon and projected to reach 6.8 feet by Friday.

At this point, officials have no plans to facilitate an emergency closure of Bayou Chene in Amelia to prevent potential regional flooding, said Tim Matte, executive director of the St. Mary Levee District.

Matte said the projected crest would probably have to be over 10 feet for officials to plan to close Bayou Chene.

Precipitation in the river system that's not yet accounted for could change the 8-foot crest projection, Matte said. Levee district officials will continually monitor the river projections and are talking with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address any issues, he said.

That projected crest is similar to 2018 when the river crested at about 8 feet. St. Mary Parish didn’t see any major impact from last year’s crest, but some surrounding areas did have some issues, Matte said.

The Atchafalaya has already crested once in 2019, reaching 6 1/2 feet in late January.

St. Mary Levee District officials last installed a temporary barge in Bayou Chene to prevent possible flooding in 2016. The Atchafalaya reached 8.2 feet that year. But the river had initially been forecast to crest at 9 1/2 feet, and the Corps had talked about possibly operating the Morganza floodway, which would have raised the crest to 10.2 feet in Morgan City.

The levee district also installed a temporary barge in 2011 when the river got to 10.35 feet.

Phase one of construction on the nearly $90 million Bayou Chene Flood Control and Diversion Project should start in the fall. That project will eventually include a permanent floodgate that can be closed to prevent potential backwater flooding from the Atchafalaya.

Morgan City is in much better since the 2011 flood because of the levee work during the past few years, Matte said. If necessary, placing a row of Hesco baskets along Lakeside Subdivision wouldn’t be difficult to do to provide temporary protection for that area, he said.

Morgan City officials have closed the Freret Street floodgate, but haven’t yet deemed any other floodgate closures necessary, Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi said. Berwick leaders closed the town’s First Street gate Friday and were considering closing the Pacific Street gate in the next couple of days, Mayor Duval Arthur said.

The Walnut Street barge in Morgan City has been closed for over a month, and officials plan to keep it closed until the water level is consistently below the closure threshold, said Lee Dragna , chairman of St. Mary Parish Consolidated Drainage District No. 2.

St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars issued a no-wake zone order Saturday that will remain in effect until further notice for lower St. Martin Parish. Officials are prepared and have a protocol in place for what to do when the water levels reach certain points, Cedars said.

St. Martin officials can get about 1,000 bags of sand to Stephensville within an hour and also have a sandbagging machine to expedite the process, Cedars said.

As of Monday, the Coast Guard had issued the following vessel traffic restrictions for Berwick Bay. South tows transiting the Morgan City bridges and west tows turning the Intracoastal Waterway at mile marker 98.5 west of the Harvey Lock will be limited to a maximum tow length of 600 feet, with deviations allowed on a case-by-case basis. Those deviations will be discontinued by the end of the week once the river reaches 7 feet, said Lt. Timothy Veach, Vessel Traffic Service director and chief of waterways for Marine Safety Unit Morgan City.

Tows over 400 feet turning west at mile marker 98.5 are required to have a shadow assist regardless of horsepower. Towing vessels equipped with a properly operating bow steering unit are exempt from Temporary Emergency Vessel Management Controls. All tows remain subject to the Vessel Traffic Service Berwick Bay high water towing limitations.

For more information on the waterway restrictions, contact Morgan City Waterways Management at 985-380-5334 or Vessel Traffic Service Berwick Bay at 985-380-5370.

A 53-year-old Morgan City man was booked on a warrant for failure to provide notification as a sex offender, Morgan City Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.

—Barron W. Bowie, 53, of Cherry Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:16 a.m. Saturday on 16th Judicial District Court warrants charging him with failure to provide notification as a sex offender and failure to appear for neglect of family.

An officer on patrol came into contact with Bowie on Railroad Avenue. Upon conducting a warrants check, police learned that Bowie had active warrants through 16th District Court. He was jailed.

Blair reported that officers responded to 150 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Marc Justin Rhodes, 43, of Tupelo Street in Morgan City, was arrested at noon Friday on charges of disturbing the peace fighting, simple battery and a warrant charging him with driving under suspension.

—Travis Cain, 27, of Pecan Street in Morgan City, was arrested at noon Friday on a charge of disturbing the peace fighting.

Officers were dispatched to a fight on Tupelo Street near Levee Road. Officers arrived and identified Rhodes and Cain as the subjects involved in a fist fight. Rhodes and Cain were charged with disturbing the peace by fighting. Rhodes was additionally charged with simple battery for striking a separate victim on scene, Blair said.

City court also had an active warrant for Rhodes. Rhodes and Cain were jailed.

—Scott Russell Barr, 36, of La. 71 in Bay City, Texas, was arrested at 1:42 p.m. Friday on a warrant charging him with two counts of failure to appear in court. Barr turned himself in to the police department on a city court warrant. He was jailed.

—Marquil Singleton, 19, of Tiffany Street in Patterson, was arrested at 10:13 a.m. Saturday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear in court to pay a probation fee.

Officers came into contacted with Singleton during a traffic stop on Sixth Street. Police learned that city court had a warrant for Singleton’s arrest. He was jailed.

—Brennan Norton Skinner, 26, of Grace Street in Siracusa, was arrested at 12:59 p.m. Saturday on charges of reckless operation of a motor vehicle, driving under suspension and obstruction of driver’s view.

Officers observed a vehicle driving in a reckless manner on Poncio Street with an obstructed driver’s window. Officers conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as Skinner, who had a suspended driver’s license, Blair said. Skinner was jailed.

—Laqwajhia Bourgeois, 21, of Federal Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 2 p.m. Saturday on warrants charging her with simple battery and theft less than $1,000.

Bourgeois was located and arrested at the police department on city court warrants. She was jailed.

—Appala Raju Allipilli, 42, of Egle Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 5:21 p.m. Saturday on a charge of entry on or remaining after being forbidden.

Officers were dispatched to an Egle Street address in reference to a complaint. Upon officers’ arrival, they came into contact with Allipilli, who had been previously barred from the property by the landlord, Blair said. He was jailed.

—John Clark, 52, of Willard Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 5:48 p.m. Saturday on a charge of battery of a dating partner.

Officers were dispatched to a home on Willard Street in reference to a disturbance. Upon officers arriving on the scene, the complainant identified Clark as the subject committing a battery on the victim, Blair said. He was jailed.

—Andy Joseph Maise, 41, of Matthew Street in Lafitte, was arrested at 6:26 p.m. Saturday on charges of turn signal required, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on Brashear Avenue for a traffic violation. The driver was identified as Maise. During the traffic stop, officers located suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in his possession, Blair said. He was jailed.

—Sergio Guerra Contreras, 40, of Cynthia Street in Amelia, was arrested at 7:35 p.m. Saturday on charges of two headlamps required and driving under suspension.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on La. 182 for a traffic violation. The driver was identified as Contreras, who had a suspended driver’s license, Blair said. He was jailed.

—Jorge Luis De La Cruz-Tolentino, 20, of West Syls Lane in Amelia, was arrested at 7:53 p.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of cocaine.

Officers observed De La Cruz-Tolentino acting suspiciously in a parking lot on Myrtle Street. Officers located suspected cocaine in his possession, Blair said. He was jailed.

—Elizabeth V. Rivera, 35, of Cynthia Street in Amelia, was arrested at 8:33 p.m. Saturday on a charge of driving under suspension.

Officers conducting a traffic investigation came into contact with Rivera, who had a suspended driver’s license, Blair said. She was jailed.

—Claude Moses Charlot, 25, of Leonard Street in Patterson, was arrested at 11:09 a.m. Sunday on warrants charging him with failure to appear in court, resisting an officer, possession of marijuana and obstruction of justice.

Officers located Moses at a motel on La. 182 on warrants. He was jailed.

—Cheryle Lynn Lumpkin, 37, of Cypremort Road in Jeanerette, was arrested at 2:04 a.m. Sunday on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on Ninth Street and identified Lumpkin as a passenger in the vehicle. During the traffic stop, officers located suspected marijuana in her possession, Blair said. She was jailed.

—James Howard Tumbleson, 53, of Inlet Lane in New Orleans, was arrested at 7 p.m. Sunday on charges of careless operation, driving under suspension, open alcoholic container and DWI first offense.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on La. 70. Officers identified the driver as Tumbleson . Officers detected an alcoholic beverage on his breath. Officers observed an open alcoholic beverage inside his vehicle. He did poorly on a field sobriety test and registered 0.091 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test, Blair said. He was jailed.

—Taylor Brocato, 24, of Elk Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:43 p.m. Sunday on charges of reckless operation of a motor vehicle and DWI first offense.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on La. 182 for a traffic violation. Officers identified the driver as Brocato. He did poorly on a field sobriety test and later registered 0.111 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test, Blair said. He was jailed.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that deputies responded to 122 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:

—Lee Paul Pierce, 35, of Maple Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 5:35 p.m. Friday on a charge of domestic abuse battery.

Deputies were dispatched to a home in Bayou Vista for a disturbance. Upon arrival, minor injuries were observed on the victim, Smith said. After speaking with a witness, police determined that Pierce had committed a battery on the victim, the sheriff said. Pierce was jailed with no bail set.

—Brennan Tabor, 31, of Chatsworth Drive in Morgan City, was arrested at 2 a.m. Saturday on charges of possession of Schedule II drugs and drug paraphernalia.

—Lacey Scully, 25, of Egle Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 3:11 a.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of marijuana.

A deputy patrolling the area of U.S. 90 conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a traffic violation. Through the stop, the deputy made contact with the driver and occupants of the vehicle.

While doing so, the deputy could smell the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle, along with the passenger in the front seat, Smith said. The front passenger was identified as Tabor, and the rear passenger was identified as Scully.

A K-9 unit arrived on scene and conducted a search of the vehicle. The K-9 alerted to the odor of narcotics, Smith said. A container was located under the passenger seat containing methamphetamine and a clear short straw. Marijuana was located in the rear passenger seat, the sheriff said.

Scully was released on a summons to appear in court May 2. Tabor was jailed with bail set at $2,500.

—Elijah Bradley, 24, of L Curve Drive in Houma, was arrested at 12:12 p.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of marijuana.

—Daniel Michael Elliot, 19, of Cane Road in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 12:19 p.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, two warrants for failure to appear in court and a warrant for theft and criminal trespass.

Deputies went to a Bayou Vista home in an attempt to serve two protective orders and locate a subject on outstanding warrants. Deputies made contact with Elliot who was arrested.

During the arrest, deputies located drug paraphernalia on Elliot, the sheriff said. While arresting Elliot, there was another subject in the home acting suspicious who was identified as Bradley. A deputy observed Bradley reach into his pocket and pull out a small clear plastic bag containing marijuana. Bradley attempted to conceal the bag, Smith said. He was released on a summons to appear in court May 2. Elliot was jailed with bail set at $3,900.

—Luis Javia Obregon, 36, of Railroad Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:34 a.m. Saturday on a warrant charging him with domestic abuse battery.

A deputy went to a home on Railroad Avenue in Morgan City to serve a protective order. Obregon was located at the home. He was jailed with bail set at $10,000.

—Mandi Nicole Hatfield, 31, of Main Street in Patterson, was arrested at 11:39 a.m. Sunday on two warrants charging her with failure to appear in court.

Hatfield was located at the Patterson Police Department. She was transported to parish jail with no bail set.

Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported the following arrests:

—Brittany Loupe, 29, of Main Street in Patterson, was arrested at 12:25 a.m. Sunday on a charge of simple battery. Cash bail was set at $455.

—Seyday Baca, 35, of West Parker Street in Houston, was arrested at 1:31 a.m. Monday on charges of reckless operation, speeding 86 mph in a 55 mph zone and no driver’s license. Cash bail was set at $928.

—Tina Franklin, 43, of Utah Street in Berwick, was arrested at 1:28 a.m. Sunday on a charge of simple battery. Cash bail was set at $455.

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

—Aris Granger, 32, of Versen Street in Berwick, was arrested at 6:56 p.m. Saturday on a charge of disturbing the peace second offense. Granger posted $196 cash bail.

On March 10, the 2019 Cypress Sawmill Festival Queen’s Pageant will return. Deadline to enter is 6 p.m. March 1.
The pageant is part of the Cypress Sawmill Festival set April 5-7 at Kemper Williams Park near Patterson.
There are two divisions for the queen’s pageant — Teen for ages 14-16 and Miss for ages 17-23. The pageant is open to young women who reside in St. Mary Parish or who graduated from or attends a St. Mary Parish school. Participants must have never been married and never pregnant.
Entry fee is $85. Both queens will be awarded either an academic scholarship or reimbursement of queen travel expenses of equal value. Runners-up, People’s Choice and Miss Congeniality will also be presented with awards.
The last royalty for the Cypress Sawmill Festival were 2014 Miss Queen Rachel Lemoine and Teen Queen Sarah Angeron.
The pageant is returning thanks to fundraising efforts by former queens Lemoine and Carley Gravois Canty. Cypress Sawmill Children’s Pageant will be held April 7. Details on that pageant will be released at a later date.
The new queens will reign over the 2019 Cypress Sawmill Festival that will feature live music, carnival rides, softball tournaments and more.
Young women interested in participating in the Teen or Miss division should email PCSFpag-eants@gmail.com to receive a sample of the queen’s contract, entry forms and information sheets.