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FRANKLIN — An inmate involved in one of two St. Mary Parish jail escapes that became issues in the sheriff’s race in November will serve three years in prison after his sentencing earlier this month.
Sixteenth Judicial District Judge Suzanne DeMahy sentenced Jeremy Anthony Perez, 25, of New Iberia to a year at hard labor on a charge of aggravated battery from a police office and two years on a count of simple escape. DeMahy ordered Perez to serve the terms consecutively.
In May, Perez was arrested in St. Mary Parish on the flight charge plus driving without a license, careless operation, and possession of synthetic cannabinoids and drug paraphernalia.
On June 15, Perez escaped from St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center and was later arrested in Crowley before being returned to St. Mary Parish, where he faced the additional simple escape charge.
Under a plea deal, all charges from the May inci-dent except aggravated flight were dropped. Perez pleaded guilty to aggravated flight and simple escape. He was sentenced Jan. 2.
Assistant District Attorney Brady Holtzclaw prosecuted the case. Michael Caffery was the defense attorney.
Perez’ escape happened 12 days after four men escaped from the same jail in Centerville.
All four were quickly recaptured. Two of those men, Williams Deans and Tanner Scarbrough, have already received three-year prison sentences. Charges are pending against the other two.
The two June escapes led to firings at the sheriff’s office and the reassignment of the jail’s warden. The personnel moves became an issue in interim Sheriff Scott Anslum’s re-election campaign when opponents pointed to them as a cause of poor morale in the office.
Anslum lost the Dec. 8 runoff to Blaise Smith.
A 33-year-old Berwick woman was charged with distribution of methamphetamine, among other charges, stemming from a December 2018 incident, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith said in a news release.
—Rachel Fabre, 33, of Palmer Street in Berwick, was arrested at 12:43 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant on charges of driver must be licensed, following vehicles, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of alprazolam, possession of clonazepam and possession of marijuana.
Detectives with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Section were patrolling the area of Patterson when they observed a vehicle driven by Fabre who held an active warrant for her arrest. The warrant stems from a Dec. 10, 2018, incident in which a traffic stop involving Fabre spawned an investigation, which resulted in the warrant being issued for her arrest. Fabre was jailed with no bail set.
Smith reported that deputies responded to 38 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:
—Kevin Dore, 21, of David Drive in Patterson, was arrested at 1:52 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of theft.
A deputy patrolling Bayou Vista was dispatched to a business in reference to a theft. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with business personnel who stated that an employee performed a service on his personal equipment and charged it to the business without permission.
The deputy made contact with Dore and during the investigation, Dore admitted that he had committed the offense, Smith said. Dore was released on a summons to appear in court April 4.
—Surface Dural, 33, of Belanger Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 4:41 p.m. Wednesday on charges of no headlights, driving under suspension, and on an active warrant for failure to appear on charges of speeding and fail to honor a written promise to appear.
A deputy patrolling Amelia observed a vehicle traveling east towards Siracusaville with a non-operable headlight. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Dural. Through the stop, the deputy learned that Dural’s license was suspended and that there was an active warrant for his arrest. Dural was booked into jail and then released on $1,615 bail.
—Dustin Boudreaux, 28, of Levee Road in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:46 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant charging him with unauthorized use of a movable.
A deputy located Boudreaux at a home on Third Street in Berwick and advised him of a warrant for his arrest. The warrant stems from a Jan. 7 incident in which a business had equipment missing from the business. Investigators learned that the equipment was moved to a location by Boudreaux, the sheriff said. Boudreaux was jailed with no bail set.
Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported that officers responded to 28 calls and reported the following arrests:
—Shawn M. Taylor, 40, of River Road in Berwick, was arrested at 9:28 a.m. Wednesday on a warrant charging him with probation violation. Taylor was arrested at the police department on a city court warrant. Taylor was jailed.
—Bailon O. Rico, 29, of Balch Springs, Texas, was arrested at 2:21 a.m. Thursday on a charge of possession of alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle.
—Angel O. Jimenez, 32, of Balch Springs, Texas, was arrested at 2:21 a.m. Thursday on charges of no driver’s license and possession of alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle.
An officer in the area of La. 70 near Brashear Avenue observed a vehicle parked partially in the roadway. The officer approached the vehicle and noticed two individuals asleep inside. The officer made contact with the driver identified as Jimenez, who didn’t have a driver’s license, Blair said.
The passenger in the vehicle was identified as Rico. The officer also noticed open containers of alcohol, Blair said. Both Jimenez and Rico were jailed.
Berwick Police Chief David Leonard reported no arrests.
Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported no arrests.
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.
Wednesday, Jan. 23
11:35 a.m. 200 block of Onstead Street; Loud music.
1:19 p.m. 800 block of Martin Luther King Exit; Accident.
1:42 p.m. 900 block of Spruce Street; Assistance.
3:20 p.m. 200 block of Halsey Street; Phone harassment.
3:23 p.m. 7100 block of Park Road; Alarm.
3:40 p.m. 800 block of Ditch Avenue; Complaint.
4:41 p.m. Duke Street; Stalled vehicle.
7:03 p.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Arrest.
7:21 p.m. 100 block of Brownell Homes; Utility.
7:57 p.m. 6700 block of La. 182; Communication complaint.
Thursday, Jan. 24
1:58 a.m. Brashear Avenue down ramp; Arrest.
4:09 a.m. 7300 block of La. 182; Alarm.
4:12 a.m. 500 block of Brashear Avenue; Alarm.
4:47 a.m. 1300 block of Victor II Boulevard; Assistance.
Many U.S. Coast Guard members continue to work without pay through the partial federal government shutdown. Therefore, local community leaders are trying to raise money for Coast Guard families in the Morgan City area.
There are 27 Coast Guard families in St. Mary Parish affected by the shutdown. Coast Guard members have already missed one paycheck and are close to missing another one, Morgan City Councilman Louis Tamporello said.
A group of volunteers will be selling hamburgers at Vida Paint & Supply Co., 6700 La. 182 in Morgan City from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday. Proceeds will be given to the U.S. Coast Guard chief warrant officer for distribution to help Coast Guard families in the Morgan City area. A meal consisting of a burger, chips and a drink is $6.
People may text their orders to 985-714-3198, and volunteers will deliver orders of at least five burgers upon request, said Charlie Solar of Xtreme Athletics, a local fundraising group.
For those who don't want to purchase burgers, fundraiser organizers will also accept monetary donations from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday at Vida Paint. Those donations will go to help Coast Guard families, Solar said.
Also, people may donate a $10 gift card at Sweet Indulgence Bakery, 922 Seventh St. in Morgan City, and receive a free gift. All gift cards will be given to local Coast Guard families.
Additionally, people wanting to assist Coast Guard families can bring or mail monetary donations to Coast Guard office located at 800 David Drive in Morgan City. Checks should be made out to Atchafalaya CWOA, Tamporello said.
The city of Morgan City is waiving late fees on utility payments for Coast Guard families living in the city and extending the due date of payments until Coast Guard members are paid, Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi said.
Nationwide, the Coast Guard is continuing operations that provide national security and protect lives and property, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis Magee of the Coast Guard's 8th District. Those operations include search and rescue, law enforcement, ensuring safety and security on the waterways and environmental response to any pollution or discharges of substances into waterways.
Any operations that aren't providing national security or protecting lives and property are either being reduced or stopped, Magee said. The areas that could see cuts include certain types of training, regularly scheduled maintenance to aids to navigation and some administrative work for maritime documentation.
Magee said that anyone who wants to help Coast Guard members affected by the shutdown may contact Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, an organization that provides loans and other assistance to Coast Guard members, by visiting cgmahq.org/.
Cajun Coast’s annual Eagle Expo will take a different look at St. Mary’s bald eagle populations this year. There will be more looking for eagles.
Organizers have added more of the popular boat tours through St. Mary waterways where bald eagles and their nests are regularly spotted.
This year’s events will be Feb. 22-23.
Those additional tours will replace the Saturday lectures at which experts talked about the biology of America’s national symbol and other bird species.
“More people wanted the boat tours,” said Carrie Stansbury, executive director of Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau staff.
“If people like (the presentations), we may bring them back. We needed to do something different and shake things up.”
As it was, Eagle Expo has drawn people from around Louisiana and neighboring areas such as Houston. Some of the visitors from more distant parts of the country were lured here by tourist center brochures on the way to other destinations.
They come to see something they couldn’t have seen 50 years ago: a thriving bald eagle population.
Bald eagles were once thought to prey on chickens and other domestic animals and were worth bounty money to people who killed them. After World War II, the introduction of DDT to control mosquitoes worked its way into the food chain of eagles and other bird species, rendering their egg shells thin and easily breakable.
By 1973, Louisiana had only five known nesting pairs of bald eagles, according to the Louisiana Audubon Society. Our national bird was on the endangered species list.
Strict federal protections passed in 1940 and a ban on DDT enacted in 1972 helped the bald eagle make a come-back.
In 1995, Louisiana had more than 350 nesting pairs, second only to Florida.
Bald eagles like to build their nests, which can weigh a ton, in trees near waterways where they can catch fish. The Atchafalaya Basin is key eagle habitat.
The Eagle Expo has four tours:
—Boat Tour 1, an Atchafalaya Basin Tour with John Burke.
Captain Caviar will tour into the Atchafalaya Basin.
1 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday.
—Boat Tour 2, Bayou Black Tour with Billy Gaston of Cajun Man’s Tours, who will journey into the backwater of Bayou Black, adding his special Cajun touch.
2 p.m. Saturday
—Boat Tour 3, Turtle Bayou Tour with LUMCON.
Journey into Turtle Bayou to view bald eagles and get a glimpse of an eagle nest.
10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday.
—Boat Tour 4, Bayou Long Tour with Captain Ivy. The Bayou Long Tour includes various waterways including Lake Verret, Bayou Magazille, Four Mile Bayou, Grassy Lake, Bayou Cheramie, Bayou Milhomme, and Lake Palourde.
9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Friday and 7:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Award-winning outdoors writer John Flores will speak at a Friday reception at the Visitors Center.
CC Lockwood will conduct a photography workshop Feb. 22. The class needs a minimum of 10 students and a maximum of 16.
The class includes a field trip to Bayou Black. Separate registration is required. For information, contact 225-245-5008, 227-763-1259 or cactusclyd@aol.com.
The Water & Nature Expo will again feature exhibits on nature and the outdoors. It will be Saturday at M.D. Shannon Elementary.
Wings to Soar will again be part of Eagle Expo, introducing audiences to birds of prey. John Stokes and Dale Kernahan will have special presentations at junior high schools in Morgan City, Franklin, Berwick and Franklin, and at the Patterson Civic Center for private school and home school students.
The Rotary Club of Morgan City sponsors the Wings to Soar event.
Registration for event packages range from $69 to $130.
For more information call 985-380-8224 or 800-256-2931 or www.cajuncoast.com/eagleexpo.
To purchase tickets: https://bontempstix.com/events/14th-annual-eagle-expo
September 9, 1936- January 22, 2019
Logan Joseph Daigle, 82, a resident of Morgan City, passed away on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at his home.
Logan was born on September 9, 1936 in Napoleonville, the son of Nelson and Lea Leonard Daigle.
Being born on the bayou, Logan had a love of being in the outdoors fishing and hunting. He enjoyed dancing and loved to go to The Silverado to dance and everyone knew him there! He loved his dog Chico and together they were best friends.
He will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by three children, Ricky Daigle and wife Bertha of Patterson and Barbara Johnson and husband Wayne of Houma; one stepson, Henry James Nelson and wife Rita of Denham Springs; nine grandchildren, Stephanie Mouhot, Amber Hendrix, Nick Nelson, Paige Butler, Adriane Angeron, Wesley Johnson, Alyssa Daigle, Ashley Daigle and Shelby Johnson; six great-grandchildren; and one brother, Ernest Daigle of St. George, Utah.
Logan was preceded in death by his parents, Nelson and Lea Leonard Daigle; one brother, Paul Daigle; and one sister, Laura Aucoin.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at Twin City Funeral Home with Pastor Steve Manville officiating. A visitation will be held from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Friday, January 25, 2019 at Twin City Funeral Home with the visitation resuming from 8 a.m. until the time of the service on Saturday at the funeral home. Following the services, Logan will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery.
Elizabeth Ann Mooney, 62, a native of Morgan City and resident of Berwick, died Jan. 21, 2019 at her residence.
She is survived by a son, Dustin Vaughn of Bayou Vista; a granddaughter; her mother, Genevieve A. Blanchard of Morgan City; two brothers, Larry Blanchard of Berwick and Craig Blanchard of Golden Meadow; two sisters, Gloria Causey and Michelle Blanchard, both of Patterson; and a host of other relatives.
She was preceded in death by her father and two sisters.
Visitation will be Saturday from noon until services at 4 p.m. at Twin City Funeral Home.
Twin City Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Kemper Williams, 95, a resident of Patterson, died Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, at Franklin Foundation Hospital.
Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements, which are incomplete at this time.
BATON ROUGE (AP) — ExxonMobile says inconsistencies surrounding Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program could deter future spending at Baton Rouge plants.
The Advocate reports ExxonMobile said Tuesday that it’s dropping its remaining city requests for the program, which offers industrial manufacturers a 10-year break from paying 80 percent of local taxes.
The move comes after the local school board rejected the company’s requests to be exempt from paying $2.9 million to local schools. The company says Baton Rouge treats companies inconsistently and local election officials are being misled by anti-business activist groups.
The state Board of Commerce and Industry used to approve local property tax exemptions without local input. In 2016, Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered that companies seeking the tax break get approval from local taxing districts such as school boards and municipalities.
Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874
Morgan City Review
1014 Front Street, Morgan City, LA 70380
Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255