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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.)

St. Mary and Assumption deputies made arrests on methamphetamine charges over the weekend, and Morgan City police reported an arrest on sex crime charges.

St. Mary

Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 85 complaints and made these arrests:

--Ronald Ray Wesley Jr., 40, Jeanerette, was arrested at 3:20 p.m. Friday on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine and introduction of contraband into a penal institution.

Bail has not been set at this time.

--Jose Miguel Perez-Izaguirre, 25, Amelia, was arrested at 11:38 p.m. Friday on charges of hit and run, vehicle license requirement, driver must be licensed, driving while intoxicated and no insurance. Perez-Izaguirre was released on a $4,000 bond.

--Jessica Trahan Savoie, 37, New Iberia, was arrested at 2:47 p.m. Saturday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on charges of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles and theft. Bail has not been set at this time.

--Rachel Whitney Lebourgeois, 34, Metairie, was arrested at 3:43 p.m. Saturday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on charges of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles and theft. Bail has not been set at this time.

Morgan City

Chief Chad M. Adams reported that over the last 72-hour reporting period, the Morgan City Police Department responded to 108 calls for service and made these arrests:

--Mainor Garcia, 19, Glenwood Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 9:28 p.m. Friday on charges of indecent behavior with a juvenile and carnal knowledge of a juvenile (felony).

--Denisica A. Starling, 41, Barrow Street, was arrested on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

--Jeff Reiger, 56, Glenwood Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 2:19 p.m. Friday on a warrant alleging failure to appear for arraignment (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

--Bridget Pojar, 44, Egle Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 6:16 p.m. Friday on charges of domestic abuse battery and two counts of battery on the infirm.

--John A. Williams, 36, La. 182, Morgan City, was arrested at 12:36 p.m. Saturday on a charge of criminal damage to property (less than $1,000).

--Bristol Gros, 23, Glenwood Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 3:51 p.m. Saturday on a warrant alleging failure to appear (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

--John A. Gibson, 33, Headland Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:14 p.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of marijuana.

--Terrell V. Bullock, 29, Fourth Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 1:18 a.m. Sunday on charges of monetary instrument abuse and possession of methamphetamine and on warrants alleging two counts of failure to pay fines (6th Ward Morgan City Court) and criminal neglect of family (16th Judicial District Court).

Franklin

Interim Chief Tina Thibodeaux reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to 24 complaints over the weekend and made these arrests:

--Irving Lumpkin Sr., 62, Verdun Lane, Franklin, was arrested at 10:39 a.m. Saturday on a warrant for 16th Judicial District Court alleging failure to appear on a charge of criminal neglect of family. Lumpkin was booked, processed and transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.

--Kendell Johnson, 19, La. 87, Franklin, was arrested at 7:57 p.m. Sunday on three counts of simple battery. Johnson was booked, processed and held on a $7,500 bond.

Assumption

Sheriff Leland Falcon reported these arrests:

--Jovian Jerome Clark, 41, Friendship Alley, Amelia, was arrested Sunday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, obstruction of justice, and turning movements and signals required.

-- Summer Marae Gaudet, 28, Lake Palourde Road, Morgan City, was arrested on a charge of possession of methamphetamine.

The charges resulted from a Sunday afternoon traffic stop in the 1100 block of La. 662 in Bayou L’Ourse.

A uniformed patrol deputy observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation and initiated a stop. The deputy made contact with the driver, now identified as Clark. The deputy noted signs of illegal drug activity. The deputy noted a pungent odor of suspected marijuana g from the vehicle.

The deputy requested consent to search the vehicle, which was granted. The ensuing search resulted in the seizure of a quantity of methamphetamine.

Clark and Gaudet were both arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center. Bond for Clark was set at $30,000, for Gaudet at $15,000.

The Sheriff's Office followed up with a press release saying that the Summer Gaudet of Pierre Part is not the Summer Gaudet who was arrested Sunday.

PATTERSON – They’ve played basketball together since they were little. Now they’ve got a shot at the big time.

Patterson High’s boys basketball players were treated to a media day at the school’s gym Monday as they prepare for Wednesday’s Non-Select Division III state semifinal at Lake Charles’ Burton Coliseum. A win in Wednesday’s 4:45 p.m. semifinal against top-seeded Port Allen would put the Lumberjacks in Saturday’s championship final against either Winnfield or French Settlement.

In Non-Select Division IV, Franklin will play White Castle in a 6:15 p.m. Tuesday semifinal , also at Burton Coliseum.

Patterson reached the Division III semifinals by beating Rayville in a 58-53 thriller Friday.

“I’m still in disbelief,” said guard Kendall Francois. “I thank God every day.”

Mayor Rodney Grogan, sporting a No. 34 Lumberjacks jersey for the event, joked that he could have used a defibrillator or a pacemaker during Friday’s game.

“On behalf of the city of Patterson, we commend you all,” Grogan told the players.

Head football coach Garrett Kreamer added his praise.

“I can’t say enough about the team and the coaching staff and what they’ve done …,” Kreamer said. “Let’s go over there and get it done.”

Head coach Warrell Span said this group of players has been together since Biddy basketball.

Now he takes the group into a their biggest game in a big arena. They’ll leave Tuesday, stop to eat in Lafayette and, catch the Franklin-White Castle game after arriving in Lake Charles.

“I need them to understand that there’s a lot of stuff you’ll run into …,” Span said. “We’re here for a mission. The mission is to win.”

Assistant coach Terrance Johnson ran down the list of top Lumberjacks: sophomore Carlos Brooks, son of another assistant coach of the same name, who has provided smart play at point guard; Francois at the other guard; Khylin Brooks, who “does a lot of stuff for us,” Johnson said. “He makes us go a lot”; Demond Davis Jr., who has made an impact in only his second year of basketball; Taij Tillman with his unselfish play off the bench; and Josiah Jennings, who recently signed a letter of intent to play football for Mississippi College.

“[Jennings] has come a long way,” Johnson said. “I think that in the last few weeks, he’s caught on to the idea that he’s a leader.”

Patterson finished the regular season at 20-4. The Lumberjacks had a bye in the bi-regional round, then beat Caldwell Parish 61-47 in the regionals before advancing with the Rayville win.

Khylin Brooks has faith in his team as the Lumberjacks head into the semifinal.

“If you trust your teammates,” he said, “you can do big things together.”

The Lumberjack media day was held on a basketball court named for Carey “Mac” Staples, the coach who led the Lumberjacks to the state semifinals in 1977. Staples died in 2017.

Patterson boys basketball roster
0 Carlos Brooks Jr.
3 Khylin Brooks
4 Kendall Francois
34 Demond Davis Jr.
23 Josiah Jennings
2 Taij Tillman
13 Kobe Marcel
11 Zakylin Taylor
14 Ke'ron Ray
15 Brayden Clarkston
22 Jalen Young
24 Aiden Gowan

The St. Mary Parish Council's first March meeting, which would be normally be March 8, has been rescheduled for March 7.

The nearly 75-year-old Charenton Floodgate, which stopped operation in the 1980s and was welded shut to maintain its structural integrity in 2011, will be replaced by early 2025 with a new floodgate as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Atchafalaya Basin flood control/Wax Lake levy system to help reduce flood risk for the people of South Louisiana.

Federal, state and local officials broke ground on the $55.2 million Charenton Floodgate project on Monday, Feb. 27. The new floodgate promises not only to help with flood risk, but also to open up that part of the basin and levy system for recreational use again, officials said.

“This is a great day for St. Mary Parish,” Parish President David Hanagriff said. “We’ve been having a lot of these great days. A lot has been accomplished over the last several years, and this is the next step and the next chapter in St. Mary Parish for providing flood control, and also recreation, which I love. I’ve lived here most of my life and I never remember going through these locks. All I remember is them being locked up, welded shut.”

Hanagriff said that during the flooding of 2016, there were discussions with Iberia Parish President Larry Richard about whether opening the gates would help alleviate some of the flooding.

“There wasn’t much of a difference in elevation, but there was a difference,” he said. “I think it was six to eight inches higher on this side versus that side. So again, the fact that we can open it up, in case, going both ways, is great for St. Mary Parish.”

Melissa Darden, chairman of the Chitimacha Tribal Council, agreed that the groundbreaking marked a great day.

“We’ve advocated for this to take place for many years now, not only to benefit the Chitimacha Tribe, the reservation, but all the surrounding communities,” she said. “And I’d like to thank everyone that made this possible because of collaboration. This opens up the recreation. Now we’ll be able to get across and get to Lake Chitimacha, which is our traditional waters, and the Atchafalaya.”
Jaime Pinkham, principal deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, addressed those assembled for the groundbreaking with a saying in his native tongue.

“I wanted to begin my remarks in my native language to acknowledge the Chitimacha Tribe, the ancestral caretakers of this land, and what I said is, ‘The earth is part of my body. I belong to the land out of which I came. The earth is my mother,’” Pinkham said. “And I picked these words because they were spoken by a Nez Perce leader, when they were trying to force my tribe onto a reservation. It seemed fitting to acknowledge the tribe who remain on their ancestral homeland, because they have always been here.”

He also thanked all of the partners and neighbors who came together as guardians of the area.

“Alongside the tribe, you are the custodians of the future,” for the floodgate and surrounding area, he said. “I noticed that back in October of 2010, in a meeting hosted by the tribe, you all came together, and you wanted to bring your vision and your hopes for a future. Overwhelmingly, what you supported then is the direction that we see ourselves going forward today. And you partnered with the Army Corps of Engineers to arrive at a solution that would hold this floodgate to the promise that it made 74 years ago. Now today we’re going to raise this structure’s elevation to restore the appropriate flood level risk, while also restoring navigation for recreational, community and customary values.”

Pinkham said the Army Corps of Engineers worked with the public to find the intersection where its expertise met with the community vision.

“What I find hopeful in projects like this around the country is when we come together as an extended family — federal, tribal, state and local governments — and that we seem to accomplish the most when we’re able to work as partners,” Pinkham said.

A commitment of more than $20 billion in improvements along the Mississippi and its tributaries has prevented an estimated $2.7 trillion in damages since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, Pinkham said, a return of $131 for every dollar spent.

“A hundred thirty-one to one is impressive, but here at Charenton, this project underscores that our job is far from done,” he said. “Because harmonizing also means we have to deliver equity and provide balance in the system that responds to our most at-risk communities in a parish, a city or a tribe. For the Army, we hope to remain your partner in protecting the people you love, your neighbors, and the places that you call home.”

Col. Cullen Jones, New Orleans District commander for the Army Corps of Engineers, said the new floodgate will be increased in height to 11 feet, and will have an electric motor to open the floodgate, replacing the hand-crank system that opened and closed the original structure, which was built in 1949.

“That means that 50,000 citizens of St. Mary Parish will have decreased flood risk, but at the same time, as you heard, we’ll be able to open up this part of the levy for recreation and cultural use that we didn’t have since the ‘80s. That’s phenomenal. At the same time, we’re going to be able to remove the old floodgate, install the new system, a more modern, robust floodgate, and all that’s going to be at federal expense.”

Normal federal appropriations and disaster relief appropriations are paying for the project. Jones said the project should be completed by early 2025.

“As such I am excited to work with all of you as we make this project a reality and we continue to improve things for everyone in South Louisiana,” Jones said.

Hanagriff said the work couldn’t be done by just one agency, naming the Corps of Engineers, Pinkham, state Rep. Vincent St. Blanc, state Sen. Bret Allain, parish representatives, and tribal representatives, as well as the public.

“It takes a group,” he said. “This is not the end. This is just the beginning.”