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(Editor’s note: The charges listed here and the narratives that go with them are provided by the police agencies that made the arrests. Guilt or innocence has not been determined in court.)

Morgan City police and St. Mary deputies reported three arrests on charges of resisting an officer Thursday. One of the arrests included a battery on a police officer charge, another aggravated assault with a motor vehicle.

Morgan City

Chief Chad M. Adams reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 36 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

--Dwayne Anthony Skinner, 31, Railroad Avenue, Morgan City, was arrested at 9:24 p.m. Thursday on charges of reckless operation of a motor vehicle, battery on a police officer, two counts of resisting an officer, improper lane usage and driving under suspension.

--Alyssa Acosta, 31, Ditch Avenue, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:31 p.m. Thursday on a charge of resisting an officer.

--Richard Davis, 62, James Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 4:35 p.m. Thursday on charges of disturbing the peace (intoxicated) and failure to appear to pay fine (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

St. Mary

Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to 39 complaints and made these arrests:

--Dajai Monice Green, 31, Baton Rouge, was arrested 6:02 p.m. Thursday on charges of possession of stolen things, aggravated flight from an officer, aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, aggravated obstruction of highway, theft by fraud and resisting an officer.

--Darrell Glen May, 47, Washington, was arrested at 11:35 a.m. Thursday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on acharge of disturbing the peace. May was released on a $500 bond.

--Devin Laborde, 27, Arnaudville, was arrested at 4:21 p.m. Thursday on an East Baton Rouge Parish warrant alleging failure to appear on the charge of larceny. Laborde is being held for another agency.

Bail has not been set at this time.

Patterson

Chief Garrett Grogan reported these arrests:

--Effie Wiltz, 39, Prairie Road, Franklin, was arrested Tuesday on charges of no seat belt, driver’s license suspended, expired license plate and no insurance, and on a warrant from another jurisdiction.

--Makayla J. Ruiz, 24, Park Street, Patterson, was arrested Thursday on a warrant from another jurisdiction.

Franklin

Chief Cedric Handy reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to nine complaints over the last 24-hour reporting period and made this arrest:

--Bre'Asia Richardson, 18, Oakdale Street, Franklin, was arrested at 2:56 p.m. Thursday on a charge of disturbing the peace (fighting). Richardson was booked, processed and released to appear in 3rdWard City Court.

Assumption

Sheriff Leland Falcon reported this arrest:

--Lones P. Guillot III, 45, La. 70 South, Pierre Part, was arrested Thursday on charges of possession of Adderall and possession of Suboxone.

The charges arise from a traffic stop on La. 308 near Napoleonville on Aug. 30.

On Aug. 30, a detective unit conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, now identified Guillot.

The deputy conducted an interview and at the conclusion believed that additional investigation was warranted. The deputy requested and was granted consent to search the vehicle. Quantities of suspected narcotics were seized.

The suspect was not arrested at the time as deputies opted to conduct further analysis of the substances seized. Warrants were secured for the arrest of Guillot, resulting in his arrest on Thursday.

Guillot was booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center ending a bond hearing.

By JThe day after Thanksgiving I found myself carrying out my traditional duties of getting the Christmas decorations down out of the shed and putting the lights up. In the process there’s humming, whistling, and occasionally singing if the words come to mind.
The holidays are special to me and my favorite time of year. The weather is cooler and people don’t seem so uptight about things as the year draws to a close.
It’s also the time of year we celebrate Advent and for the next four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve, we celebrate the Nativity of Christ.
My wife has several hanging ferns along our front patio. They’re beautiful and are no burden to string Christmas lights around.
It takes several hours to deck our halls. Christine generally takes the inside of the house and I take the outside. While stringing the lights, suddenly, a house finch burst from one of the hanging ferns.
My initial reaction was to pay it no mind. After all, birds have always attempted to nest in one or more of her hanging plants, particularly in the spring. And, house finches are welcomed guests. They’re colorful, eat at our bird feeder in the backyard and their song is sweet, cheery, and pleasant.
I got to thinking about the finches behavior and decided to take a look in the hanging plant. Sure enough, the little finch had built a nest and inside were four eggs.
“Can’t be,” I thought to myself.
Finches are prolific breeders and can lay 1 to 6 clutches of eggs each year. Only, their breeding and nesting season is March through August, not at the beginning of Advent.
I personally figured it was an anomaly and didn’t give the eggs much of a chance. House finches are common throughout the United States, but, along the Louisiana coastline they’re mostly a winter migrant.
Female house finches incubate the eggs, which takes about 13 to 14 days. This past week, I decided to take a peek in the nest, since I saw no activity from momma and poppa house finches. Lo and behold, there were four little fuzz balls all huddled together.
I contacted via social media, Erik Johnson, who is the director of Audubon Louisiana.
Johnson’s initial reaction was, “Wow, very interesting. ‘Winter’ breeding,” he said, “isn’t noted in the Cornell Birds of the World species account.”
Moreover, he let me know it would be great if I could track the success of this. Also, he thought it was worthy of a note as a valuable contribution to the Journal of Louisiana Ornithology.
Johnson said Audubon does its nest checks every 3 to 4 days to count eggs or chicks and they do it by taking just a quick peek. He also suggested I avoid early mornings and late evenings in cold weather.
Well, you can imagine now I’m worried about the little family that happens to be nesting less than 8 feet from my front door, not to mention about 6 feet off the ground. What about cats, heavy rains, cold temperatures, and what if there’s not a sufficient food source for the nestlings?
The theme of Advent is hope, peace, joy and love. All of those thoughts mean things as we celebrate the Nativity of Christ.
The world can be cruel sometimes and often appears there’s not enough of any of those Advent thoughts. But hope and love can overcome a multitude of things. Maybe even mixed-up birds that literally show up on your doorstep.
As I recall in the story of the Nativity, the young couple Mary and Joseph had to travel to a place where there was no room for them. A manger was all they could find. Surrounded by animals, Mary gave birth to the Savior of the World.
One of my “hopes” as the days draw nearer to Christmas is my little Advent house finches all fledge. And, in the days after fill my yard with cheery songs of “joy.” Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
John Flores is the Morgan City Review’s outdoor writer. He can be contacted at gowiththeflo@cox.net.

On Monday, Jan. 8, Gov.-elect Jeff Landry will become Gov. Jeff Landry and all of his supporters — from lobbyists and donors to business executives and hangers-on — will jockey for access and proximity.
After all, nothing floats all boats in Louisiana like a new governor riding the crest of a strong electoral victory. Favors and friends go hand-in-hand when building an administration, and Inauguration Day will be the official launch pad for a multitude of political hopes and dreams. 
As those in Capitoland are wont to do, Inauguration Day has gone from a full day’s worth of ceremony and celebration to several days of costly pomp and romp. The big day includes not only a swearing-in ceremony, but also a Catholic Mass that prior Sunday, a ball that evening and other outside events that morning and during the previous week, which will be the first week of January.
Landry will get the month kicked off by hosting receptions to honor House members (on Thursday Jan. 4) and senators (on Friday, Jan. 5) while raising money for his Protect Louisiana Values organization. The new 501(c)(4) is expected to support the policy priorities of the governor-elect, much like a similar nonprofit did for outgoing Gov. John Bel Edwards.
If you want to get into one of those receptions, slated for the Hilton in downtown Baton Rouge, you’ll need to be part of a sponsorship package ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. 
After a long election cycle, donors and lobbyists bristled at those figures, but those who want to keep working for a living already know the cost of government relations is on the upswing — with no end in sight.
The politicos closest to Landry will get a chance to repent on Sunday, Jan. 7, when they join the governor-elect and his family at an invitation-only Mass at St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church in St. Martinville. First Lady-elect Sharon Landry will also be in attendance. 
There are also a couple of high-caliber receptions scheduled for that Sunday evening in Baton Rouge, sandwiched squarely between mass and the actual inauguration.
The House Republican delegation will host one of those evening receptions with GOP legislators and statewide elected officials at the Old Governor’s Mansion. Ten sponsors are expected to pony up $5,000 each in exchange for 10 tickets to the event. 
Alton Ashy of Advanced Strategies is hosting his sixth pre-inauguration event the same evening, in support of the incoming governor. Like others, Ashy and his organizers decided to increase this year’s sponsorship for their event to $10,000 for a package of 10 tickets. 
And just like the other events on tap in January, demand is high. “We’re not having any problems filling sponsorships,” said Ashy. “It’s a pretty good warmup for Washington Mardi Gras.”
The fundraising train continues the next morning, on the big day, with a breakfast fundraiser and open house featuring Reps. Julie Emerson and Jack McFarland. Hosted by Top Drawer Strategies in the Lobdell House in Spanish Town, the event has a suggested donation range of $500 to $2,500. 
A few hours later, at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 8., invited guests and dignitaries will witness the swearing in of Louisiana’s next governor on the Capitol steps, along with other statewide elected officials.
Bud Courson of Courson Nickel is the inauguration organizer, serving as the tip of the spear for the swearing-in ceremony — as he has nine other times for 5 other governors.
“I’ve been friends with Jeff for more than 25 years, so this one is special,” said Courson. “We’re going to be doing a few things a little bit different, and the Capitol grounds are going to look amazing. The renovations they’re doing to the grounds are going to be ready in time.”
Later that evening, at 7 p.m. at the Raising Canes River Center, the Landry family will attend the “People’s Party” — a 5,000-ticket black-tie ball that is open to the public via www.OneTeam.La. 
Gov.-elect Landry is promising an “unbelievable celebration” and — believe it or not — the cheapest ticket of the entire week. Going to the ball (if you can make the cut) will only set you back $100 per ticket.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www. LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on Twitter @ LaPoliticsNow.

Members of a legislative task force are mulling several potential reforms for high-speed police pursuits following the death of two teens in December.
The Task Force on Safety for Law Enforcement Officers Involved in High-Speed Chases on Friday heard from Jim Craft, executive director of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, and Tim Morgan with Pursuit Alert, a technology to alert drivers of high-speed pursuits.
The task force was created through a Senate resolution approved in the 2023 legislative session in response to a New Year’s Eve crash that killed two teens and injured a third. Maggie Dunn, 17, and Caroline Gill, 15, cheerleaders at Brusly High School, died; Liam Dunn, Maggie’s brother, was injured.
The chase involved Baton Rouge and Addis Police officers’ pursuit of a stolen vehicle. Officer David Couthron crashed into the vehicle with the teens. Both Couthron, who worked for the police department in Addis, and the driver who initiated the chase, Tyquel Zanders, 24, were charged with crimes in the incident.
Couthron resigned in January and faces six charges at trial scheduled for March 18.
Craft discussed the benefits and drawbacks of various programs, technologies, policies and training to reduce accidents and injuries related to officer-involved high-speed vehicle pursuits in Louisiana.
“Police academies are required in this state to present a minimum of four hours of training on emergency driving,” he said, adding that annual in-service training of 20 hours per year can also include driving. “That should be a part of their in-service training.”
While agencies have discretion over 12 hours of in-service training, many are priced out of hands-on training on aggravated flight.
“That training is so expensive,” he said. “You beat up the tires, you beat up the cars.”
Craft suggests all law enforcement agencies should have restrictive pursuit policies, with limits on pursuits for certain circumstances and provisions for when they should be terminated.
While Craft said the policies “should be limited to the most serious of crimes,” he acknowledged that “what we’ve seen is the people being pursued have been more and more reckless.
“They can really put the public safety of a community at risk,” he said.
Spike strips, “arrest mats,” and devices to change traffic signals are also available but require funds and training to use effectively, Craft said.
Task force members noted that funding for law enforcement training is on the decline and noted that there currently is no required training for supervisors, who play a critical role in high-speed pursuits.
Task force Chair Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, also pointed to the current penalty for aggravated flight that some argue is insufficient.
“Today the max is five years for aggravated flight, and I don’t think that’s enough,” he said. “It should match the penalties of why you are running.”
Morgan with Pursuit Alert explained how the company’s product, which is installed in police cruisers can alert drivers in the vicinity of high-speed chases to clear traffic and prevent collisions, technology that’s currently in place in numerous police departments in multiple states.
Parents of the teens killed in December testified to their frustrating experience in the aftermath. They stressed the need for more accountability and more training to avoid similar outcomes in the future.
“To me the biggest part is accountability, and that’s zero funding,” said Maggie’s mother, Erin Martin. “I just want to make sure no other mom gets a call like I got that day.”
The task force will review potential reforms and compile recommendations for lawmakers to consider in the 2024 legislative session.