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Two employees of a facility for women and children in St. Mary Parish allegedly misappropriated hundreds of thousands in funds meant for needy families, according to the Louisiana legislative auditor.

Auditor Mike Waguespack published a contracted audit of the St. Mary Parish Hospital Service District's Claire House last week that covered fiscal year 2022, the last year before a cooperative endeavor agreement shifted management from the parish to Odyssey House Louisiana Inc.

The report, compiled by certified public accountants at Darnall, Sikes & Frederick, unveiled a "potential misappropriation of TANF funds by billing after discharge from Claire House for both women and children for approximately $218,000 from 2019-21."

TANF is an acronym for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a federal program that provides states and territories with flexibility in operating programs designed to help low-income families with children achieve economic self-sufficiency.

"Claire House currently receives 100% of its operating revenue through the federal agency, the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services," according to the report. "This grant is for temporary assistance for needy families."

The situation means that without the federal funding, "Claire House would not exist," auditors wrote.

The alleged misappropriation involved a program director and another employee at the Claire House Treatment Center who are no longer employed at the facility.

The alleged fraud included receivables that were not initially detected by officials due to an "oversight from the TANF office between the Claire House reporting system," according to the report.

Auditors noted that "other allegations were related to the non-profit 'Friends of Claire House' which is not part of the Claire House financials/operations."

"All monetary donations in relation to Claire House are deposited into a separate bank account controlled by Friends of Claire House," the report read. "Friends of Claire House has a 501(c)(3) status (tax-exempt), and is a separate entity from Claire House."

Officials notified the louisiana legislative auditor and district attorney about the misappropriation in writing, though there were no open investigations when the report was concluded on Dec. 28. The report cites "no charges or formal proceedings to date."

"No litigation currently per District Attorney," auditors wrote. "No amounts collectible or set per St. Mary Parish Council. Matter has not been adjudicated."

Claire House is a year-long residential program that includes a dozen beds for women and two dozen for children in St. Mary Parish.

"Utilizing individual, group and family counseling, as well as exercise, recreational activity, 12-step self-help groups and structured, disciplined environment, the women and children will receive state-of-the-art care to restructure their lives and life successfully, drug free," the website reads. "The children's program will facilitate cognitive, social, emotional and physical learning by utilizing developmentally appropriate practices and equipment in addition to a complete holistic learning experience."

Saturday was a big day for little Stetson Ingram.

Stetson, 4, got to see how the radio works on a small boat that was part of Saturday's Coast Guard Career Day at the Port of Morgan City dock. His father, Petty Office 1st Class Robert Ingram, showed him how to use the press-to-talk button.

Then came the big show, the landing of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter on the dock. Stetson was able to climb inside, and Rescue Swimmer Mike Antoon explained the basket that can be lowered from the helicopter by a cable to pluck stranded boaters from the water.

"That's going to be too high!" Stetson said. Antoon answered with a question: "How else are you going to get out of the water?"

Stetson was one of the people who came to an event that was part demonstration of the Coast Guard's mission and part recruiting opportunity. Cutter crews, safety and security personnel, the helicopter crew and others represented Coast Guard units based in Morgan City, Vermilion Parish and New Orleans.

As for crowd-pleasers, nothing says “military” like big machines, and on Saturday, the Coast Guard brought the goods. Attendees could take a look at the rescue helicopter and two cutters, the Axe based in Morgan City and the Amberjack, whose home port is Abbeville.

When the MH-60 arrived, Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Denning circled the big Sikorsky helicopter around the dock once, dipping low, before coming around again parallel to the dock astern of the Amberjack. The big rotors sprayed attendees with water from the Intracoastal Canal as the copter slipped sideways and settled softly on the concrete.

The MH-60 is one of three that replaced a fleet of five MH-65s at Belle Chasse last summer. They stay busy.

One helicopter and its crew of four is on call around the clock, Denning said. They're called out 300-400 times a year from an area stretching from Lake Charles to Apalachicola, Florida, and extending 250 miles offshore.

The record number of people rescued by by a Coast Guard MH-60 is 26, the crew of a ship that sank off Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Denning said his aircraft and crew rescued eight people from a 57-foot boat 15 miles off Dauphin Island, Alabama, in November.

"There's a lot of job satisfaction in that you get to go out and help people," Denning said.

The cutter Amberjack is a search and rescue vessel, driven by two 650-horsepower diesel engines and armed with a pair of 50-caliber guns on either side of the bow.

One of five boats in this area is out at all times, said Boatswain's Mate Blade Shoop of the Amberjack. The boat's crew is seven to 12 members and typical stays out three to five days at a time.

The Amberjack's jobs include not just rescues but inspecting vessels for safety violations and making sure no one brings in contraband. Shoop said that he's been involved with 60 searches over the last two years and hasn't found any drugs yet.

The cutter crews try to respect the needs of fishing vessels, especially in years like 2022, when fuel prices were high and shrimp prices were low.

"I don't want to hurt anybody's business," Shoop said.

He has one strong recommendation for captains: Get an emergency position-indicating radio beacon, or EPIRB. In an emergency, the portable beacons can send a vessel's position directly to the Coast Guard.

"The cool thing about EPRIBs that I preach to captains is that they have information about the boat and cellphone numbers and stuff," Shoop said. And that information can be valuable to potential rescuers.

Docked in front of the Amberjack on Saturday was the Axe, the Morgan-City based cutter that has a different kind of mission important to the frequently silted waterways in the area.

The 75-foot Axe can carry 50- to 60-foot, utility-pole-like piles and tow a 68-foot barge equipped with a crane, said Damage Controlman Michael Ledsworth.

On a typical three- to five-day mission for the 15-member crew, they'll got to a spot in need of a navigation aid. They'll drive a metal "spud" into the bottom of the waterway to provide stability, and then drive piles on which color- and shape-coded channel markers are placed.

Along with the markers, the piles can also be equipped with radar reflectors.

The Axe works the area between Port Fourchon and Calcasieu.

The commander of each of the two cutters is an enlisted man rather than an officer, something Senior Chief Petty Officer Gabe Bosman, assigned to be the officer in command of the Axe, likes.. The officer in command of the Amberjack is Senior Chief Andrew Gyurscik.

"What's interesting with the Coast Guard is that it gives [enlisted personnel] the opportunity to be in charge of a unit," Bosman said.

Another recruiting fact: The Coast Guard now accepts recruits up to age 42. The service has about 43,000 active-duty personnel and a reserve force of 30,000.

"It's rewarding getting to see people get the whole picture of what we do," said Senior Chief Mark Molina of the Coast Guard's Recruiting Office in New Orleans. "That's what we're here for, to tell the public what the Coast Guard does."

(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 arrests on marijuana and paraphernalia charges.

St. Mary

Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 28 complaints and made these arrests:

--Juston Pierre Welsh, 40, Charenton, was arrested at 2:45 p.m. Thursday on charges of obstruction of justice (tampering), possession of marijuana, driver must be licensed, and stop signs and yield signs.

--Tina Michelle Berrios, 48, Charenton, at 11:37 a.m. Thursday on a charge of failure to appear on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting an officer by providing false information. Bail has not been set at this time.

Welsh was released on a $2,500 bond.

Jamie Lynn Thibodaux, 36, Thibodaux, was arrested at 7:50 p.m. Thursday, was arrested Thursday on a charge of failure to appear on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under suspension, improper turn and failure to give signal.

Bail was set at $3,000.

Morgan City

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

--Brodie Boudreaux, 29, Saturn Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 4:03 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

--Sara Ann Bella, 37, Pale Sail Drive, Houston, was arrested at 1:39 p.m. Thursday on a charge of public intimidation.

--Leanna Maria Steele, 35, Park Street, Patterson, was arrested at 2:39 p.m. Thursday on a charge of contempt of court (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

They were the standouts on either side of the ball during Central Catholic’s 8-3 football play run in 2022. Now they’re moving on to college ball.

School rushing and touchdown record-holder Damondrick Blackburn signed a letter of intent Friday to attend and play football for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Teammate Andrew Cavalier, an All-District first-teamer at both linebacker and offensive lineman, signed a letter with Nicholls State.

Cavalier stood out for his aggressive play on defense.

Cavalier posted 84 tackles, 6-1/2 tackles for losses and three sacks on his way to a second All-State first team selection this season.

But head coach C.L. Grogan notes that Cavalier played many positions during his career as a four-year starter.

And one of those positions was long-snap specialist.
played for the Eagles. Nicholls State is projecting the 6-foot, 205-pound Cavalier as a deep snapper.

Cavalier follows some of his family members to Nicholls. And “I liked the atmosphere,” he said.

Blackburn will go to UL as a running back after his record-shattering senior season.

The 6-foot, 225-pound Blackburn carried the ball nearly 19 times a game in 2022 and rushed for a school record 2,012 yards.

He scored 36 rushing TDs to go with another five as a receiver for 41 total touchdowns, also a school record. In all, he caught 23 passes for 451 receiving yards.

Blackburn was named to the All-District first team and was voted Offensive Co-MVP.

He chose UL “because they were interested in me and showed me a lot of love,” Black said.

“He was just that special an athlete for us,” Grogan said.

“It worked out for Andrew and Damondrick, and they get the opportunity to play college football.”

Blackburn is the son of Davida Bias and the late Lawrence Blackburn. Cavalier’s parents are Joe and Shantell Cavalier. All are from Morgan City.

In 2023, Nicholls will try to come back from a 3-8 season. The Colonels finished with a 3-3 Southland Conference record for head coach Tim Rebowe.

UL fell 23-16 to Houston in the Independence Bowl, finishing the 2022 season with a 6-7 record, 4-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin’ Cajun head coach is Michael Desormeaux.