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A 44-year-old Berwick man was booked on multiple charges after Morgan City police stopped a vehicle with tires in poor condition, Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.

—Elzie R. Mason Jr., 44, of River Road in Berwick, was arrested at 4:58 p.m. Wednesday on charges of driving under suspension, motor vehicle without proper equipment, expired motor vehicle inspection sticker, no insurance and a warrant charging him with failure to pay fines.

An officer in the area of La. 182 and Federal Avenue observed a vehicle with its tires not able to maintain traction on the roadway. A traffic stop was conducted and the driver, Mason, had a suspended driver’s license, Blair said.

The officer observed that the vehicle’s tires were in poor condition. The vehicle also did not have valid insurance, and the inspection sticker was expired, Blair said.

Mason had a city court warrant for his arrest. Mason was jailed.

Blair reported that officers responded to 48 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Juan Lopez, 44, of Arlington Street in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 10:17 p.m. Wednesday on charges of no driver’s license and headlights required.

An officer patrolling the area of La. 182 near David Drive observed a vehicle with improper lighting. A traffic stop was conducted, and the driver, Lopez, did not have a valid driver’s license, Blair said. Lopez was jailed.

Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported the following arrest:

—Rachelle Theriot, 35, of Robicheaux Alley in Berwick, was arrested at 8:10 p.m. Wednesday on charges of DWI first offense and improper lane usage. Theriot posted $2,750 bail.

Patterson Police Chief Janis Merritt reported no arrests.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The groups backing a constitutional amendment requiring unanimous jury verdicts in Louisiana felony trials are so politically diverse that casual observers might think support for the proposal is, well, unanimous.
Not quite. The Louisiana District Attorneys Association is officially neutral and a couple of district attorneys have spoken out strongly against the measure. Still, several prominent district attorneys back the change and other proponents include organizations not often on the same political page.
For instance, the conservative Christian group Louisiana Family Forum and the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity are encouraging passage, as are progressive groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, Southern Poverty Law Center and the Innocence Project New Orleans.
Opponents call the current practice of allowing 10-2 or 11-1 verdicts in serious felonies (except death penalty cases) a vestige of Jim Crow-era policies promoting white supremacy, making it easier to convict non-white defendants even if one or two non-whites are on a jury.
Sen. J.P. Morrell is the New Orleans Democrat who pushed the amendment through the Legislature. He believes another factor behind the widespread support may be that, when it comes to locking someone up, conservatives and progressives share a mutual distrust of government.
An AFP online video evokes that sentiment, arguing that people innocent of crimes could be imprisoned as the result of a split verdict.
Another video by the Unanimous Jury Coalition features two exonerated convicts who were imprisoned as a result of split verdicts.
“A lot of groups that are not usually allies seem to agree on this issue,” Morrell said in a recent interview.
“Once you know the history of this law, then you have to vote to repeal it,” former Grant Parish District Attorney Ed Tarpley, a Republican, told the Press Club of Baton Rouge recently. “This is something that is a stain on the legacy of our state.”
District attorneys backing the measure include Hillar Moore III in Baton Rouge, James Stewart in Caddo Parish, Keith Stutes in Lafayette and Paul Connick of Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans. New Orleans’ district attorney Leon Cannizzaro is staying neutral.
Sabine Parish District Attorney Don Burkett, who testified against the measure, remains opposed. One juror, he said, should not be able to prevent conviction in a case where guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt. “Child molesters, drug dealers, murderers — it’s going to make it tougher than ever to convict them,” Burkett said.
There are signs that the days of non-unanimous verdicts may be numbered regardless of what happens Nov. 6 in Louisiana.
In Oregon, the only other state that allows split verdicts, a state appeals court is considering whether the practice is constitutional. And in Louisiana, Burkett must decide whether to appeal a Sabine Parish judge’s recent ruling that split verdicts are unconstitutional.
The ruling, which followed an 11-1 verdict in a murder case, currently applies only to Sabine Parish.

Rose Stansbury, 76, a native of Morgan City and resident of Maurice, died Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, at Pelican Pointe Healthcare in Maurice.
She is survived by five children, Sidney Nelson of Patterson, Linda Suire of Kaplan, Lela Smith of Boise, Idaho, Everette Broxson Jr. of Morgan City and George Broxson of Des Moines, Iowa; two stepdaughters, Anita Broxson of Abbeville and Alice Culverhouse of Sarepta; 20 grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, a daughter, a stepson, four brothers and three sisters.
Visitation will be Friday from 11 a.m. until services at 1 p.m. at Twin City Funeral Home in Morgan City. Burial will follow in Morgan City Cemetery.
Twin City Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Five of the six candidates for Louisiana Secretary of State found common ground in a forum Monday evening as they each tried to shake interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin’s perceived confidence in his incumbency.
There was little hostility between panelists since they were not allowed to address each other directly. But, a few managed to sneak in some indirect jabs with just over a week to go until the Nov. 6 election.
Rep. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, said he was displeased with Ardoin’s leadership as it relates to local election officials, like the registrars of voters and the clerks of court.
“I’ve met with many of them across the state, and I was surprised to ask them some very simple questions about the administration,” Edmonds said. “For example: ‘When was the last time the Secretary of State was in your office?’ And the answer I received numerous times was ‘never.’”
Renée Fontenot Free of Baton Rouge, who was a top aide to two secretaries of state, said she saw a big problem with the offices’ business portal, which Ardoin said he helped set up when he was first assistant Sec. of State under Schedler.
“In my travels across the state I have heard several complaints,” Free said. “Because not everyone is an attorney, not everyone is a learned businessman, and we need to cater to all of the people, not just the ones who have experience.”
Ardoin took over the office when Tom Schedler abruptly resigned in May after being sued by a former employee for sexual harassment. He denied any wrongdoing, and the case was settled for $167,000, with most of the sum being paid by the state.
Rep. Julie Stokes, R-Kenner, repeatedly said that managing elections should not be a partisan process and that she would bring her experience as a certified public accountant to bear in figuring out how to improve various aspects of the agency’s work.
“This office is not about whether you’re a Certified Public Accountant, or voting against doubling taxes,” Ardoin countered. “This office is about protecting elections.”
Six of the nine candidates in the race attended the forum at LSU’s Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs. It was part of LSU’s Behind the Ballot symposium, a two-day event featuring a variety of panels on voting and the 2018 midterm elections.
The other candidates on the panel were former State Sen. A.G. Crowe, R-Pearl River, and Gwen Collins-Greenup, a Democratic lawyer.
As has been the case throughout the race, the panel mainly focused on the secretary of state’s role in overseeing Louisiana elections and protecting their integrity.
Most of the candidates agreed that the key to increasing voter turnout is to increase civic engagement.
“People don’t want to waste their time if they think their vote doesn’t matter,” Rep. Edmonds said.
Free seemed to agree, saying that if you can help young people understand the impact of their votes, then “you’ll have a generation that votes for the rest of their lives.”
Crowe expressed some concerns that the race is overlooking most of the office’s other duties, which include archiving state records and handling registration filings for companies.
“There are seven to eight divisions of this office, and before elections were put in, the number one job of the Secretary of State was archives and records and protecting your information,” Crowe said. “The Secretary of State’s responsibility, still to this day, the single most important responsibility is to protect your privacy.”
Local journalists and LSU students questioned the panelists. The panel was moderated by former Miss Louisiana Laryssa Bonacquisti, a senior broadcast major at LSU.