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A 32-year-old convicted felon was booked on home invasion and battery warrants after Morgan City police located him in possession of crack cocaine, cocaine, heroin and a handgun, Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.

—Bradley E. Druilhet, 32, of First Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:56 a.m. Friday on a warrant charging him with home invasion and domestic abuse battery-child endangerment and charges of possession of heroin, possession of cocaine, possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance and criminal damage to property.

The Morgan City police detective division located Druilhet at a home on Patton Street and arrested him on warrants. The warrants stem from a Sept. 23 incident where Druilhet allegedly forced his way into a home and committed a battery on an individual in the presence of a young child, Blair said.

While placing Druilhet into custody, officers noticed suspected cocaine on the kitchen counter, Blair said. A search warrant was obtained for the home. Officers executed the search warrant and located suspected crack cocaine, cocaine packaged for sale, suspected heroin, a 9mm handgun and drug paraphernalia, Blair said.

A computer check revealed that Druilhet is also a convicted felon which prohibits him from possessing a firearm. Druilhet was jailed.

Blair reported that officers responded to 146 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Gerardo Santiago-Garcia, 37, of Duke Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:09 p.m. Sunday on a warrant charging him with theft over $1,000 and on charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Santiago-Garcia was located on La. 182 and arrested on a warrant. The warrant stems from an incident in May that alleges Santiago-Garcia stole 15 sacks of crawfish from a business.

Officers also located suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his possession, Blair said. Santiago-Garcia was jailed.

—Ryan N. Boudreaux, 23, of Louisa Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:08 a.m. Friday on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and no tail lamps.

An officer in the area of Sixth Street observed a vehicle with improper lighting. A vehicle stop was conducted and the driver identified as Boudreaux. Police found suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle, Blair said. Boudreaux was jailed.

—Keith J. Lamaire, 56, of Dale Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:05 a.m. Friday on a warrant charging him with failure to return leased merchandise. Lamaire was arrested at the police department on a warrant. Lamaire was jailed.

—Kurtis J. Wesley, 34, of Railroad Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:56 a.m. Friday on a warrant charging him with theft less than $1,000.

Wesley was located on Railroad Avenue and arrested on a warrant. The warrant stems from a Sept. 10 incident that alleges Wesley had stolen items from a home, Blair said. Wesley was jailed.

—Shelby J. Gautreau Jr., 63, of Gonzales, was arrested at 7:56 p.m. Friday on charges of reckless operation of a vehicle and DWI first offense.

Officers responded to La. 70 on the grounds of Lake End Park in regard to a vehicle that had crashed into a pole. Officers arrived and located the driver, Gautreau, who sustained no injuries from the crash, Blair said.

The officer could smell alcohol coming from Gautreau’s breath and Gautreau performed poorly on a field sobriety test, Blair said. Gautreau registered 0.142 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test, Blair said. Gautreau was jailed.

—Abram M. Granger, 19, of Apple Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 3:33 p.m. Saturday on charges of possession of marijuana third offense, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of uniform controlled dangerous substance law-drug-free zone.

Officers responded to a home on Wren Street in regard to a disturbance. Officers arrived and located an individual identified as Granger, who was in possession of suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Blair said. Also, the area Granger was located is considered a drug-free zone. Granger was jailed.

—Kayla N. Morin, 29, of Belanger Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:52 p.m. Saturday on charges of driving under suspension, disturbing the peace by offensive language, resisting an officer and on a warrant charging her with failure to appear in court.

Officers located Morin on Belanger Street. A warrant check revealed that she held an active warrant for the Berwick Police Department. While trying to arrest Morin, she began to resist, but she was later subdued, Blair said. Morin was jailed.

—Gaudencio Martinez-Villa, 28, of Roselawn Drive in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:57 p.m. Saturday on charges of no driver’s license and no tail lamps.

An officer on Roderick Street observed a vehicle with improper lighting. A vehicle stop was conducted, and the driver, Martinez-Villa, did not have a valid driver’s license, Blair said. Martinez-Villa was jailed.

—Guillermo Candanedo-Tejeda, 38, of Park Road in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:27 a.m. Sunday on charges of no driver’s license and no tail lamps.

An officer on La. 182 observed a vehicle with improper lighting, and a vehicle stop was conducted. The driver, Cadanedo-Tejeda, did not have a valid driver’s license, Blair said. Cadanedo-Tejeda was jailed.

—Alexis Melendez-Davilia, 31, of Robin Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:09 p.m. Sunday on charges of no turn signals, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A patrol officer observed a vehicle fail to use a turning signal while changing lanes on U.S. 90. A vehicle stop was conducted, and the driver was identified as Melendez-Davilia.

Police found suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle, Blair said. Melendez-Davilia was jailed.

—Jonathan Ashley, 30, of Ninth Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:40 p.m. Sunday on a charge of theft less than $1,000.

Officers responded to a business on La. 182 in regard to a shoplifter. Officers arrived and were given a description of the individual, who had left prior to their arrival, Blair said.

Officers were able to locate the individual fitting the description walking on La. 182, and he was identified as Ashley, Blair said. Ashley admitted to the theft. Ashley was jailed.

—Eddie R. Sanchez, 27, of Oriole Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:30 p.m. Sunday on a warrant charging him with parole violation.

Sanchez was located on Brashear Avenue. A warrant check revealed that he held an active warrant with state of Arizona Department of Corrections. Sanchez was jailed.

—Ashton K. Ainsworth, 28, of Labadieville, was arrested at 1:32 a.m. Monday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Officers located Ainsworth in the area of Louisa Street. Ainsworth was in possession of drug paraphernalia, Blair said. Ainsworth was jailed.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum reported that deputies responded to 109 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:

—Ana Ortiz, 24, of Cypress Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:47 p.m. Saturday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of theft of goods less than $500.

A deputy patrolling Amelia was dispatched to a home on Cypress Street in reference to a disturbance in progress. Upon arrival at the home, the deputy made contact with Ortiz and learned of an active warrant for her arrest. Ortiz was jailed with bail set at $1,500.

—Samuel Gary, 27, of Egle Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:39 p.m. Sunday on a warrant for failure to appear on a charge of domestic abuse battery-first offense.

A corrections deputy made contact with Gary when he turned himself in at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center on an active warrant for his arrest. Gary was arrested and no bail was set.

—Codey Dupre, 21, of Bayou Blue Road in Houma, was arrested at 11:41 p.m. Sunday on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A detective was dispatched to a location in Amelia after being provided with information of possible drug use at a home. Through the investigation, the detective learned that Dupre was at a home using meth, Anslum said.

The detective obtained consent to enter the home and located Dupre, who had drugs and drug paraphernalia in his possession, the sheriff said. Dupre was jailed with no bail set.

Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported the following arrests:

—Samantha Landreneau, 26, of Wilson Street in Berwick, was arrested at 10:42 p.m. Friday on charges of expired license plate, driving under suspension and possession of marijuana. She was released on bail.

—Kayla Morin, 29, of Belanger Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:01 p.m. Saturday on a warrant charging her with failure to appear for a loose dog citation. Morin posted cash bail.

Patterson Police Chief Janis Merritt reported the following arrests:

—Celestine Delaune, 35, of Clements Street in Patterson, was arrested at 7:37 p.m. Sunday on a charge of theft by shoplifting. Bail was set at $1,500.

—Tori Smith, 24, of Park Street in Patterson, was arrested at 7:37 p.m. Sunday on charges of theft by shoplifting and resisting an officer by flight. Bail was set at $3,000.

NEW ORLEANS — It’s not the gilt-detailed craftsmanship or the age of the small, brass, black-enameled binoculars that might fetch a French Quarter antique gallery’s asking price of $795,000. It’s their history: Abraham Lincoln is believed to have used them to get a better view of the stage at Ford’s Theatre on the night he was assassinated.
M.S. Rau Antiques recently acquired the binoculars, known as opera glasses, from a seller who has remained anonymous. Previous owners have included the Forbes family of publishing fame — the magazine reportedly paid $24,000 for them in 1979. Others include generations of descendants of Capt. James McCamly, a military officer believed to have picked the opera glasses up from the street after they fell from Lincoln’s near-lifeless body (it’s unclear if they were in the president’s hands or entangled in his clothing) as he was carried out of the theater on the night of April 14, 1865.
“We deal in history and we deal in great pieces and this is one of the most exciting pieces we’ve ever owned,” Bill Rau, the third-generation owner of the century-old family business on Royal Street, said Thursday.
Rau said he had been contacted roughly two weeks earlier by the previous owner, who said he had paid $424,000 for the opera glasses at Christies’ auction house in 2002. He was interested in selling. “He’s now in his 80s and he’s suffered some health issues and that’s why he called us,” Rau said.
The story behind the artifact: After Lincoln was shot, McCamly was among those helping move the mortally wounded president from the theater to a building across the street. Something fell from Lincoln’s body and McCamly picked it up.
He found the binoculars in his pocket the next day. It’s unclear whether he tried to return them amid the turmoil following the president’s death. They were handed down within the family from generation to generation.
Documents attesting to their authenticity include a 1968 letter from a National Park Service chief curator to McCamly’s great-great-grandson, who was seeking to verify family lore. It said the opera glasses “precisely fit” a case picked up in Lincoln’s box the night he was shot.
There have been skeptics. Another park service curator told The Washington Post in 2011 that she doubted the opera glasses would still have been on Lincoln’s person as he was carried across the street and that the case in which they fit may have been Mary Todd Lincoln’s.
But past buyers have been convinced of the artifact’s authenticity, as is Rau, who pointed to a tiny dent in one eyepiece as evidence lending credibility to the McCamly family story. (The Christie’s website description of the glasses notes a small crack in one lens “as if dropped.”)
“Certainly, our belief, and the market’s belief, from what they’ve sold for in the past, is that they are the real thing,” Rau said.
Stored under a glass display dome, the binoculars are currently on the second floor of the Rau gallery near a Lincoln portrait. Rau says they will be sold to whoever comes up with the sale price, but he adds that his hope is that they go to a collector or museum who will put them on public view. “They are,” he says, “a pivotal piece of American history.”