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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.)

Berwick police say they arrested a man accused of leaving the scene of a crash and a woman accused of buying alcohol for minors.

Berwick

Police Chief David S. Leonard reported these arrests:

—Jody R. Cubbedge Sr., 64, Egle Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:35 p.m. Tuesday on charges of hit and run, careless operation of a motor vehicle with crash, driving under suspension, no insurance and switched license plate.

About 7:47 p.m. Tuesday, the Berwick Police Department received a call of a two-vehicle crash on La. 182. It was learned that one of the vehicles left the scene after the crash.

A description of the vehicle was given by witnesses. The vehicle was located a short time later. Officers made contact with the driver of the vehicle, who was identified as Cubbedge.

Cubbedge was placed under arrest and transported to the Berwick Police Department, where he was booked.

—Margaret Bergeron, 34, Carline Street, Berwick, was arrested at 11:04 p.m. on a warrant alleging contributing the delinquency of a juvenile.

About 11:04 p.m. Tuesday, officers located Bergeron at her residence on Carline Street. Bergeron was advised of an active warrant though the Berwick Police Department and was placed under arrest without incident for the charge of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

The warrant stems from a previous investigation that was being conducted by the Berwick Police Department and through that investigation, it was learned that Bergeron was purchasing alcohol for minors. It was also learned that she was allowing the minor to consume alcohol in her presence. Bergeron was released on a summons to appear in court.

Morgan City

Interim Police Chief Mark E. Griffin Jr. reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 40 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made this arrest:

—Patrick Bourque, 41, Iberia Street, New Iberia, was arrested at 5 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant alleging theft under $1,000.

St. Mary

Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 34 complaints and made this arrest:

—Christopher Lynn Haynes, 39, Morgan City, was arrested at 11:19 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant alleging theft and bank fraud. Bail has not been set.

Assumption

Sheriff Leland Falcon reported this arrest:

— Franklin Kendall Jarvis Verret, 26, Naquin Street, Houma, was arrested Tuesday on charges of possession of marijuana (second offense), driving with a suspended driver’s license, speeding, expired motor vehicle inspection tag and no seat belt and on a fugitive warrant from Lafourche Parish.

The charges arise from a traffic stop Tuesday evening on La. 398 in the Bayou L’Ourse area.

A detective unit observed a vehicle commit multiple traffic violations and initiated a stop of that vehicle assisted by the uniformed patrol division.

The deputies made contact with the driver, identified as Verret. The deputies noted an odor of suspected marijuana from the vehicle.

The driver consented to a search of the vehicle and during that process, a quantity of suspected marijuana was seized.

During a criminal records check, it was determined that Verret was wanted on a fugitive warrant from Lafourche Parish and was driving under a suspended license.

Verret was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center and remains incarcerated pending a bond hearing.

Franklin

Police Chief Morris Beverly reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to 11 complaints over the last 24-hour reporting period and made this arrest:

—Missy Alexander, 35, Folsom Drive, Beaumont, Texas, was arrested at 10:48 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of theft of motor vehicle fuel. Alexander was booked, processed and released to appear in 3rd Ward City Court.

BERWICK — Because its Town Council members are elected at large, Berwick is spared the chore of redrawing political districts based on 2020 Census results.

But the town still finds itself at the center of debates over redistricting, including the effort to redraw St. Mary Parish Council districts.

Parish Councilman Patrick Hebert appealed Tuesday to the Town Council to support a redistricting plan that puts Berwick in a single Parish Council district.

The alignment adopted by the Parish Council last month as a working plan, which keeps Berwick split between Hebert’s District 6 and Councilman Mark Duhon’s District 8, is “the worst map Berwick could get,” Hebert said.

The Parish Council hired the South Central Regional Planning and Development Commission to come up with plans for redistricting. The commission staff came back with three alternatives.

The only real contention so far is over Berwick.

Hebert favors Alternative 3, which would put all of Berwick in his District 6 and reduce the portion of the district extending across the Atchafalaya into Morgan City. Duhon’s District 8 would be confined east of the river.

But the council adopted Alternative 2 as its working plan. As in the current map, Duhon’s District 8 would stretch from Amelia across the river into Berwick near the bridge. The proposed alternative puts more of Berwick into Duhon’s district.

Duhon has defended his desire to keep part of Berwick in his district, saying he got more than 60% of the vote there in 2019 because he serves constituents well.

On Tuesday, Berwick Councilman James Richard agreed with that sentiment, saying Duhon has been prompt and helpful. But, Richard said, what happens after a new council representative is elected from that district?

The objections to the split districts are that a council member representing an Amelia-to-Berwick district might be less responsive to the town’s needs, and that a political candidate from the district would have to run a campaign from Amelia to Berwick.

Having all Berwick in a single district “just made it more convenient,” Mayor Duval Arthur said.

Councilman Raymond Price suggested a resolution supporting the compact Berwick district favored by Hebert. But a vote on the resolution will have to wait until it can be prepared and advertised as agenda item for the Aug. 9 meeting.

The Parish Council is still working on the new district maps and hasn’t formally adopted any of the alternatives.

Berwick also figured in deliberations over the new St. Mary Parish School Board districts, which have already been adopted. In order to create a more compact District III, a mobile home park with nearly 300 residents near Ber-wick’s Country Club Estates was taken from District VIII and placed in District III.

That led to complaints that the Berwick residents in the mobile home park deserved to be in a Berwick district.

Also Tuesday:

—Engineer Reid Miller said plans for subsurface drainage work serving the Country Club Estates area have been sub-mitted to the state. Bids could go out as early as September, he said.

A pair of flash floods in 2019 flooded homes in the subdivision. The town government developed a plan for alleviating the flooding.

Some of the work, such as clearing ditches, was accomplished quickly. But the subsurface work requires work costing more than $1 million.

The town government received a $1.2 million grant from the state Department of Transportation and Development for the work, with a 10% match from the town.

—The council unanimously passed an ordinance resetting a property tax rate.

The council had set a millage broadly dedicated to recreation, public works, public safety and other functions at 6.38 mills based on the latest parishwide reassessment. But voters had approved a renewal of the tax at 6.0 mills. The ordinance passed Tues-day makes it clear the rate is 6.0 mills.

The rate takes effect this year, so no one was billed at the higher rate.

—The new Lighthouse food truck court is on track to open Aug. 4, Councilwoman Colleen Askew said. One food truck operator has signed up so far, and four others have applied.

The early years of midlife are a hectic time for many people. Around the time many people reach their late 30s and early 40s, they’re balancing the responsibilities of a career and a family. But as people enter their 50s, some of those responsibilities tend to be less significant, leaving more time for recreational pursuits.
Hobbies and other pursuits outside of work are often more fun when enjoyed with friends. People over 50 undoubtedly recognize that it’s not always so easy to make new friends, even though it’s undeniably beneficial to have supportive relationships into your golden years.
A 2017 study from researchers at Michigan State University found that valuing friendships was a stronger predictor of health and happiness among older adults than valuing family. Those results align with an earlier Australian study that found Australians age 70 or older tended to live significantly longer if they had more strong friendships.
Making friends after 50 might not be as simple as it was during your school days, but these strategies can help men and women in midlife build new friendships.
—Identify your interests. Fifty-somethings who have spent the last couple of decades building a career and raising a family can give some serious thought to their interests outside of work or passions they hope to pursue now that they have more time to commit to such pursuits.
The more interested you are in a given activity, the more likely you are to stick with it. And the longer you stick with something, the more likely you are to meet like-minded individuals (i.e., future friends) willing to make similar commitments.
—Utilize social media. In years past, men and women over 50 may not have had any readily available tools to reach out and connect with new people. Social media has made it much easier to build such connections.
Even the most obscure passions likely have a social media group of locals devoted to them, and these groups can be great ways to meet new people. A local runner’s club may have its own social media accounts, and local governments and community groups often share information about sports leagues and other groups via social media.
—Sign up for group outings. Communities often sponsor group outings to museums, the theater, sporting events and other day trips. Signing up for a bus trip to a museum presents a great opportunity to meet people who share your interests, providing the potential to build lasting friendships built on a foundation of shared interests.
—Broaden your horizons. Just because you’re in your 50s doesn’t mean your friends have to be.
Don’t hesitate to invite younger or older acquaintances and colleagues over for dinner or on weekend excursions. Friends come in all shapes, sizes and ages, so you could be missing out if you’re not willing to extend a hand in friendship to people of different ages and backgrounds.
Making friends after 50 can be challenging. However, various strategies can help men and women over 50 connect with new people.

(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 sheriff’s deputies arrested a Berwick woman Monday on child pornography charges and a Morgan City woman accused of stealing a wallet and using the victim’s cards to make purchases.

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:

—Destany Ann Marie Amburgey, 18, Berwick, was arrested at 11:05 a.m. Monday on charges of pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13 and distribution of pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13.

On April 8, a detective with the Investigations Division of the SMPSO met with a detective with the Morgan City Police Department regarding a case of child pornography that had been sent by the ICAC Task Force with the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office.

The investigation was turned over to the SMPSO Investigations Division and through the investigation, photographic evidence was obtained from Amburgey’s possession which led to the charges and arrest.

Amburgey was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bail has not been set at this time.

—Charmain Hebert, 36, Morgan City, was arrested at 7:30 p.m. Monday on a charge of theft.

On Saturday, a deputy was dispatched to a residence in order to take a complaint of a theft that occurred at a Bayou Vista business Friday.

The deputy made contact with the complainant, who stated that she was in a Bayou Vista business when someone stole her wallet out of her purse. Upon returning home and checking the balances of her bank accounts, she realized that someone had used her cards to make purchases at a local business in Bayou Vista.

Through the investigation, photos were obtained from surveillance footage of a man and a woman who are persons of interest in this theft. The photos were posted on Facebook, and anonymous tips were sent in identifying Hebert as the woman in the photos.

On Monday, deputies obtained a warrant for Hebert and made contact with her at a local hotel. She was arrested and transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bail was set at $1,500.

The Patrol Division would like to thank the public for their assistance in this investigation.

—Barry Steven Landry, 64, Patterson, was arrested at 7:55 p.m. Monday on charges of reckless operation with accident and driving while intoxicated. Landry
was released on $3,000 bond.

—Lorenzo Charles Merritt, 34, Patterson, was arrested at 3:52 p.m. Monday on a warrant alleging failure to appear on the charges of flight from an officer, possession of marijuana and improper lane usage. Bail has not been set at this time.

Patterson

Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported these arrests:

—Keyandre Polidore, 31, Patterson was arrested at 1:34 a.m. Tuesday on charges of no driver’s license, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, resisting an officer by flight (vehicle) and resisting an arrest by flight. Polidore is incarcerated with no bond sett.

—Michael Federer, 31, Patterson, was arrested at 11:33 p.m. Monday on charges of domestic abuse battery and simple criminal damage to property. Federer is incarcerated with no bond set.

Morgan City

Interim Police Chief Mark E. Griffin Jr. reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 46 calls for service over the last 24-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

—Ethan Joseph Landry, 19, Glenwood Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 1:56 p.m. Monday on a charge of failure to appear for arraignment (6th Ward
Morgan City Court).

—Kendell Johnson, 37, Egle Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 1:56 p.m. on a charge of failure to appear to pay fine (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

—Patrick Bourque, 41, Iberia Street, New Iberia, was arrested at 4:07 p.m. Monday on a charge of theft under $1,000.

—John R. Deglandon, 54, Onstead Street, was arrested at 4:32 p.m. Monday on charges of driving while intoxicated (first offense) and reckless operation of a motor vehicle.