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Attendees to a Teen Dating Violence Awareness Vigil at Bayou Vista Community Center release balloons Monday night honoring victims of dating violence. February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Chez Hope Family Violence Crisis Center, which serves St. Mary, Assumption, Iberia and St. Martin parishes, hosted the event. Students from Morgan City, Berwick and Patterson high schools along with law enforcement and other officials participated in the vigil. (The Daily Review/Zachary Fitzgerald)
An off-duty St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office deputy was arrested Sunday in Terrebonne Parish on a DWI charge. A juvenile was also in the vehicle the off-duty deputy was driving, according to state police.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum said in a Tuesday news release that the deputy is no longer employed with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office.
At 4:05 p.m. Sunday, a trooper with State Police Troop C on patrol observed a Nissan Versa traveling north on La. 24 North in Terrebonne Parish with an expired license plate, Troop C Spokesman Tfc. Jesse LaGrange said in an email.
The trooper conducted a traffic stop and met with the driver, Dustin Crabtree, 36, LaGrange said. LaGrange confirmed that Crabtree is a St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office deputy.
The trooper observed signs of impairment and conducted a standardized field sobriety test, which Crabtree failed, LaGrange said.
He was placed under arrest for DWI and submitted a breath sample. Crabtree tested above the legal limit of 0.08 grams-percent blood alcohol content, LaGrange said.
Crabtree was booked into the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Center on charges of DWI involving a juvenile, because a minor was inside the vehicle, and an expired license plate, LaGrange said.
On Jan. 25, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum had announced Crabtree as St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office deputy of the third quarter of 2017.
In a press release about the award, the sheriff’s office said Crabtree was commended for his meticulous and successful case work from gathering evidence and report-writing, to following up on cases with victims, identifying suspects and making arrests.
In late 2017, Crabtree responded to a report of recovered property related to a burglary case. Although the call came in at the end of his shift, Crabtree proceeded to catalog each piece of evidence all while explaining the steps with enthusiasm to a juvenile on scene who had expressed an interest in the forensic work.
In a Monday news release, Anslum said that an off-duty St. Mary Sheriff’s Office deputy was arrested by Louisiana State Police for operating a vehicle while intoxicated in Terrebonne Parish. The deputy wasn't identified in that news release, but Anslum stated that the deputy was placed on suspension without pay pending an internal investigation.
“Our badge is a symbol of the trust the people of St. Mary Parish have placed in us," Anslum said. "We, as law enforcement officers, must maintain a high level of integrity. When a law enforcement officer breaks that trust, they must be held accountable for their decisions.”
A 33-year-old Morgan City man was charged with domestic abuse battery after allegedly trying to strangle someone, Morgan City Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.
—Marcus T. Gray, 33, of First Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 12:36 a.m. Sunday on a charge of domestic abuse battery-strangulation.
Patrol officers responded to the area of Greenwood Street in regard to a domestic battery.
Officers arrived, and Gray was identified as one of the people involved. Police found evidence that Gray choked someone during an altercation, Blair said. Gray was jailed.
Blair reported that officers responded to 86 calls and reported the following arrests:
—Shawn P. Harding, 47, of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jeanerette, was arrested at 7:57 p.m. Sunday on charges of two counts of simple burglary and criminal trespassing.
Patrol officers responded to the area of Filmore Street in regard to a man burglarizing a vehicle. Upon being noticed, the man fled the area on a bike.
A description was obtained of the man, and officers located Harding on a bike in the area, Blair said.
Harding fit the description provided. Police found evidence that Harding had burglarized two vehicles in the area and was identified as the man on Filmore Street. Harding was jailed. The investigation is ongoing.
—Christopher A. Marquez, 31, of Bernard Street in Patterson, was arrested at 1:43 a.m. Friday on charges of DWI first offense and no driver’s license.
Patrol officers observed a vehicle being operated in the area of La. 182 with improper lighting. A stop was initiated and Marquez was identified as the driver.
Marquez was in an intoxicated state and performed poorly on a field sobriety test, Blair said. Marquez registered 0.000 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test.
Marquez allegedly admitted to using narcotics, and toxicology results are pending, Blair said. Marquez was jailed.
—William K. Rawls, 55, of Carrol Drive in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:15 a.m. Friday on a warrant charging him with hit and run.
Rawls was located and arrested at the police department on warrants. The warrants stem from a Jan. 16 investigation when officers responded to the area of Allison Street in regard to a crash.
Officers arrived and learned that one of the vehicles involved fled the scene. Rawls was identified as a suspect during that investigation, and police found evidence linking Rawls to the crash. Warrants were prepared for Rawls arrest. Rawls was jailed.
—Michael W. Federer Jr., 27, of Theriot Alley in Berwick, was arrested at 10:50 p.m. Friday on charges of driving under suspension, switched license plate, no insurance and improper lane usage.
Patrol officers observed a vehicle being operated in the area of La. 182 in an erratic manner, swerving from lane to lane. A stop was initiated, and Federer, the driver, had a suspended driver’s license, and the vehicle he was operating did not have proper insurance as required, Blair said. Federer was jailed.
—Keia K. Johnson, 41, of Camille Drive in Patterson, was arrested at 2:18 a.m. Saturday on charges of DWI first offense, improper lighting and no insurance.
Patrol officers observed a vehicle being operated in the area of La. 182 with improper lighting. A stop was initiated, and Johnson was identified as the driver. John was in an intoxicated state, Blair said.
The vehicle Johnson was operating did not have proper insurance. Johnson performed poorly on a field sobriety test and registered 0.092 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test, Blair said. Johnson was jailed.
—James Harris Jr., 57, of Bowman Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:51 p.m. Saturday on charges of driving under suspension, no insurance and open container of alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle.
Patrol officers observed a vehicle being operated in the area of Federal Avenue with improper lighting. A stop was initiated, and Harris, the driver, had a suspended driver’s license, and the vehicle he was operating was not properly insured, Blair said.
Harris was also in possession of an alcoholic beverage in the motor vehicle. Harris was jailed.
—Shaquinia M. Harris, 23, of Arizona Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:49 p.m. Saturday on warrants charging her with failure to appear for trial and failure to appear for 501 Notice.
—Brennan N. Skinner, 25, of Grace Street in Siracusaville, was arrested at 8:49 p.m. Saturday on a charge of failure to appear for arraignment.
Harris and Skinner were located and arrested in the area of Patton Street on city court warrants. Harris and Skinner were jailed.
—Tony A. Williams, 58, of Palm View Court in Haines City, Florida, was arrested at 11:02 p.m. Saturday on charges of DWI first offense and improper lane usage.
Patrol officers observed a vehicle being operated in the area of La. 182 in an erratic manner, swerving from lane to lane. A stop was initiated, and Williams was identified as the driver.
Williams was in an intoxicated state and performed poorly on a field sobriety test, Blair said. Williams registered 0.122 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test. Williams was jailed.
—Stephen A. Boyd Jr., 29, of Ratcliff Lane in Franklin, was arrested at 8:42 a.m. Sunday on charges of driving under suspension, disregard of traffic controls, switched license plate, no insurance and vehicle license required.
Patrol officers observed a vehicle being operated in the area of Brashear Avenue disregard a traffic control. A stop was initiated, and Boyd, the driver, had a suspended driver’s license, and the vehicle he was operating had a license plate that belonged to another vehicle, Blair said.
The plate on the vehicle that should have been displayed was canceled, Blair said. The vehicle also did not have proper insurance. Boyd was jailed.
—Sharell E. Gregorieff, 30, of Camille Drive in Patterson, was arrested at 2:10 a.m. Sunday on charges of DWI first offense and improper lane usage.
Patrol officers observed a vehicle being operated in the area of East Boulevard in an erratic manner. A stop was initiated, and Gregorieff, the driver, was in an intoxicated state, Blair said.
Gregorieff performed poorly on a field sobriety test and registered 0.195 grams-percent blood alcohol content on a chemical test. Gregorieff was jailed.
—Jordan Granger, 28, of North Everett Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11 a.m. Sunday on a charge of disturbing the peace intoxicated and on a warrant charging him with two counts of failure to appear to pay a fine.
Patrol officers responded to the area of La. 182 in regard to an intoxicated person. Officers arrived, and Granger was identified. Granger was in an intoxicated state, Blair said. Granger also had active warrants through city court. Granger was jailed.
—Richard I. Ruelas, 26, of La. 182 in Morgan City, was arrested at 10:10 p.m. Sunday on a warrant charging him with two counts of failure to appear for arraignment.
Ruelas was located and arrested at the police department on a city court warrant. Ruelas was jailed.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum reported that deputies responded to 94 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:
—Rachel Knight, 32, of O Street in Patterson, was arrested at 7:54 a.m. Saturday on a warrant charging her with defamation and cyberstalking.
In August 2017, a deputy conducted an investigation into a report of harassment. The deputy collected evidence that a video of a woman engaged in a sex act was posted on social media by Knight, Anslum said.
The deputy obtained a warrant for Knight’s arrest. On Saturday, a deputy located Knight at her home on the warrant. Knight was booked into jail and then released on $1,500 bail.
—Donald Brown Jr., 34, of Chatsworth Road in Franklin, was arrested at 8:54 p.m. Saturday on a warrant charging him with disturbing the peace and simple battery.
On Jan. 5, deputies responded to a call for service in Amelia in reference to a suspicious person. When deputies arrived on South Verret Street they observed Brown to be in an excited state and attempted to keep him calm until Acadian Ambulance arrived, Anslum said.
While speaking with Brown, deputies learned that he had been smoking synthetic cannabinoids. Brown continually yelled at deputies and first responders, causing a disturbance in the neighborhood, Anslum said.
Prior to being transported to the hospital, Brown grabbed a first responder and pushed him, Anslum said. Deputies obtained a warrant for his arrest.
On Saturday, a deputy located Brown on Second Street in Amelia on the warrant and transported him to parish jail. Brown was released on $1,000 bail.
—Carl Joseph Sr., 58, of Roy’s Lane in Verdunville, was arrested at 7:19 p.m. Saturday on a charge of domestic abuse battery-child endangerment law.
A deputy responded to a call for service regarding a domestic battery at a home in Verdunville. The deputy found evidence that Joseph grabbed and pushed a woman, Anslum said. The battery occurred in the presence of a minor. The deputy transported Joseph to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Joseph was released on $3,500 bail.
Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported the following arrests:
—Rena Wilson, 39, of Snead Street in Berwick, was arrested at 4:49 p.m. Sunday on charges of criminal trespassing, criminal mischief and resisting an officer. Wilson was transported to Morgan City Police Department.
—Richard Jones III, 36, of Live Oak Street in Patterson, was arrested at 2:12 a.m. Monday on a charge of disturbing the peace intoxicated. Jones posted $176 bail.
Patterson Police Chief Patrick LaSalle reported no arrests.
A 53-year-old Morgan City man was captured after he allegedly drove away in a Morgan City police vehicle and later jumped in the Atchafalaya River to try to evade arrest, Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.
Craig Albarado, 53, of Everett Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 3:24 p.m. Friday on a warrant charging him with possession of marijuana and on charges of possession of methamphetamine, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, aggravated escape, aggravated obstruction of highway commerce, aggravated flight from an officer and criminal damage to property.
Heather M. Theriot, 40, of First Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 3:15 p.m. Friday on warrants charging her with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Albarado and Theriot were located and arrested on warrants. The warrant for Albarado stems from an Oct. 11, 2017, narcotics investigation when Albarado was found in possession of suspected marijuana, Blair said.
The investigation continued and warrants were prepared for Albarado’s arrest. Albarado was taken into custody and was in possession of suspected methamphetamine, Blair said.
Albarado was placed in a patrol unit, and while attempting to place Theriot into custody, Albarado was able to free himself from the handcuffs and gain entry into the front seat of the patrol unit, Blair said.
Albarado then fled the scene in the patrol unit and officers gave chase, Blair said. Albarado traveled at high speeds and in an erratic manner showing no due regard to the public, Blair said.
The manner in which he operated the patrol unit caused damage to the vehicle. Albarado fled to the riverfront at a business in the area of First Street, Blair said. Albarado jumped into the river in an attempt to evade arrest, Blair said.
After a short search, Albarado was located and taken back into custody.
The warrants for Theriot stem from a July 10, 2017, investigation when Theriot was found to be in possession of suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Blair said. The investigation continued and warrants were prepared for Theriot’s arrest.
Albarado and Theriot were jailed. No bail is set for Albarado, and Theriot has a $1,285 pre-set bail.
JEANERETTE (AP) — Authorities say a shooting at a Mardi Gras parade has killed one man and hospitalized another in southern Louisiana.
Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman Maj. Wendell Raborn said the shooting happened Sunday afternoon at the Krewe of Ezana's annual Mardi Gras Parade in Jeanerette.
The Jeanerette City Marshal's Office initially discovered two victims at the scene. One was shot in the chest and the other in the leg.
One man was taken to a local hospital but his condition wasn't immediately released. The man who was shot in the chest was airlifted to a hospital in Lafayette where he died from his wound.
Raborn says the sheriff's office took over the ongoing investigation at the city marshal's office's request. Further details weren't immediately released.
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Miguez Photography
The Krewe of Dionysus presented “Mission Dionysus” during its 39th Mardi Gras tableau Saturday at the Berwick Civic Complex. Representing Galactic King Erich and Galactic Queen Emmanuelle were Dionysus King and Queen XXXIX Scott Anslum and Stephanie Anslum. The krewe will present its annual parade in Berwick at 2 p.m. Feb. 10.
BATON ROUGE — Louisiana’s treasury is getting a boost to its bottom line from Washington, and it’s chipping away slightly at the size of the state’s budget gap. But even that bit of financial forecast improvement triggers disagreement in the partisan environment of Louisiana’s Capitol.
The federal tax code rewrite enacted by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump is estimated to bump up Louisiana’s tax collections by at least $200 million-plus annually.
That means the nearly $1 billion hole that had been looming on July 1 appears likely to be closer to $750 million or $800 million instead, according to calculations done by the state revenue department and state economists to take into account the congressional action.
Other states estimating a jump in their tax collections because of the federal tax changes are considering whether to return some of the money to their taxpayers. Not so in Louisiana, where that idea isn’t being floated by public officials grappling with yet another financial morass.
The money here will be used to lessen the magnitude of the state’s “fiscal cliff,” when $1 billion in temporary sales taxes passed by lawmakers in 2016 expire.
So far, that’s about the only agreement Gov. John Bel Edwards and GOP lawmakers seem to have about ways to close the gap.
The Democratic governor wants lawmakers to replace the expiring taxes in a February special session, but he hasn’t called the session yet because he’s been unable to reach an agreement on taxes with House GOP leaders.
Edwards said he’s willing to apply the increased state collections to the $1 billion, to lower the amount of taxes he wants to replace. But some Republican lawmakers are suggesting the tax collection increase could be even larger than the $200 million-plus, and they’re using it to question how much expiring tax revenue they need to offset.
One GOP leader, House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry, says uncertainty about the federal tax changes’ impact on the state treasury is why lawmakers shouldn’t hold a February special session on taxes.
Louisiana lets people deduct they federal income taxes they pay on their state personal income tax returns, to lower the state taxes owed. With many people expected to have lower federal income tax liabilities under the congressional tax changes, Louisiana taxpayers will have a smaller deduction on their state forms.
“We now owe more state money,” said Greg Albrecht, the Legislature’s chief economist.
In addition, federal tax changes boosting the standard deduction will change calculations for those who itemize on their state personal income tax forms.
Albrecht said he estimates Louisiana will collect an additional $226 million in personal income taxes for the upcoming 2018-19 budget year because of the changes. That’s squarely in the $200 million to $250 million range estimated by the Edwards administration.
The federal tax law rewrite also has a heavy effect on corporate taxes. But the spillover impact for Louisiana’s treasury remains unclear, Albrecht said, because of the myriad of changes and the volatility of business tax collections.
Albrecht and the state revenue department don’t have an estimate of whether corporate tax collections in Louisiana might go up.
In order to spend any new money tied to the federal tax laws, lawmakers will need the dollars to be recognized by Louisiana’s income projection panel, the Revenue Estimating Conference. Albrecht said he’ll recommend the personal income tax figure be bumped up, but not the corporate tax projections.
“I would not expect big numbers on the corporate side,” Albrecht said. “We are not closing a billion-dollar problem” with the federal tax changes.
Some House Republican lawmakers, however, have suggested the action in Washington could generate up to $400 million or $500 million annually. Henry talked of such figures in a video posted to his Facebook page touting the “Trump tax plan.”
“That’s one of the reasons that we don’t want to rush into special session. There’s a lot of unknowns,” Henry said.
Those numbers don’t appear to be backed up by state revenue data or economic analysis so far, but they seem to be factoring into the state’s budget and tax debate anyway.
Melinda Deslatte has covered Louisiana politics for The Associated Press since 2000. Follow her at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte
February 10, 1951- February 1, 2018
Linda Ann Cole, 65, a resident of Bayou Vista, passed away Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, at her home surrounded by her loving family.
Linda was born Feb. 10, 1951, in Morgan City, the daughter of Lockwood Bonin Sr. and Lena Sauce.
Linda was a God-fearing woman who loved her Lord to the fullest. She had a love for painting and cooking, and loved cooking for her family. Linda never met a stranger and seemed to know everyone.
She will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her son, Johnny Cole of Bayou Vista; one sister, Ginger Roy and husband Sterling of Bayou Vista; one brother, Kevin Mitchell of Bayou L’Ourse; two sisters-in-law, Maxine Bonin of Houma and Ginger Bonin of Morgan City; brother-in-law, Ricky Aucoin; four stepsisters, Jackie Sampey, Carolyn Courville, Heidi Sampey and Roberta Sampey; her cousin and best friend, Priscilla Billiot; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Linda was preceded in death by her parents, Lockwood Bonin Sr. and Lena Sauce Mitchell; husband, Don Lee Cole; two brothers, Lockwood Bonin Jr. and Curtis Bonin; and stepparents, Jessie Mitchell and Marie Sampey Bonin.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Wilfredo Decal celebrating Mass. A visitation will be held from 9 a.m. until Mass time.
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