RSS Feed

Two people wanted in connection with a March 5 armed robbery in Morgan City have been arrested in Texas, one after a multicounty pursuit in Arkansas.

Wayne Michael Escort, 33, Barrow Street, Morgan City, was arrested Saturday on charges of armed robbery, armed robbery with a firearm and two counts of home invasion.

Courtney Chenevert, 39, Onstead Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:33 a.m. Friday on a charge of accessory after the fact to armed robbery.

According to he Morgan City Police Department, investigators with the Detectives Division responded March 5 to the area of Clothilde Street. in regard to a report of a armed robbery. According to reports, the assailant robbed a local business, making away with U.S. currency and merchandise.

During the course of the investigation, Escort was developed as a suspect. Evidence was discovered linking Escort to the armed robbery, the department said. Warrants were obtained for Escorts arrest.

Escort was also found to have active arrest warrants through the Morgan City Police Department alleging two counts of home invasion due to an unrelated investigation.

Chenevert was also developed as a suspect in aiding Escort after the robbery occurred. Warrants were obtained for Chenevert's arrest. It was learned that the duo had fled to Texas, the department said.

Throughout the course of the investigation, investigators corresponded with multiple agencies throughout Texas and Arkansas.

On March 8, Chenevert was located in Jefferson County, Texas. She was arrested and awaited extradition to Louisiana on the active arrest warrants held by the Morgan City Police. On Friday, Chenevert was transported from Texas to the Morgan City Jail, where she was booked and incarcerated.

The investigation continued and information was developed regarding Wayne Escort, in different areas of Texas. Escort was contacted by law enforcement in Arkansas, when Escort fled, leading to a multicounty pursuit. Escort evaded officers and was able to flee that area.

Detectives were able to communicate information to area agencies in Arkansas and Texas. Escort was located by the Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office. where he was taken into custody. Escort was incarcerated, awaiting extradition back to Louisiana.

Chief James F. Blair and the Morgan City Police Department thanked the Clark County, Nevada County amd Hempstead County sheriff's offices, the Prescott Police Department, the Arkansas Fish and Game Commission, and the Arkansas State Police, all in Arkansas; the Department of Public Safety, the sheriff's offices in Jefferson and Nacogdoches counties, the Beaumont, Nacogdoches, Lamarque, and Dickinson police departments in Texas; and the Lafayette Police Department "for their collaborative efforts in this investigation."

From the St. Mary Parish School Board:

ST. MARY PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
March 21, 2022
RE: Severe Weather School Closure
St. Mary Parish Schools will be closed on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 due to severe weather anticipated to impact the parish throughout the day. Following a conference call with the National Weather Service and in consultation with the Office of Homeland Security, district officials determined that a school closure
would be necessary as a precautionary measure.

BERWICK – Teaching teens to drive safely, a task once left to bloody crash movies in driver’s ed, has gone virtual.
Arrive Alive, presented by a coalition of safety groups and private sponsors, came to Berwick High on Monday morning, providing the experience of driving while intoxicated or distracted without hurting anything but pride.
It’s a new way to reduce deaths from traffic accidents, which claimed 91 lives among drivers 15-20 in 2021 in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.
Arrive Alive featured a Jeep SUV equipped with virtual reality goggles for the driver. The SUV stayed in one spot, but the driver was able to experience the simulated effects of intoxication through the goggles while taking a virtual trip. Monitors allowed other students to see what the driver was seeing.
“It was a little different than I thought it would,” said Berwick High senior Brett Bearb after stepping from behind the goggles and the wheel. “It was hard to do.
“All my reactions were late. It really makes you think.”
Maybe he shouldn’t feel bad. James Richard, a Berwick Town Council member and longtime police chief, took a virtual ride and emerged with a grade of “poor. Very poor,” he said.
“It was a challenging test. I made a few errors in driving. It gave a good test. …
“It made you dizzy,” Richard said. “It makes your head spin a little.”
Students also were able to see what a roadside drunk-driving test is like, and were encouraged to throw beanbags at a target before putting on VR goggles and after.
Arrive Alive is a project that partners the South Central Regional Safety Coalition, the Acadiana Regional Safety Coalition, Nicholls State, the Louisiana State Police and private sponsor State Farm.
It’s an activity that fits in with the Louisiana Strategic Transportation Safety Plan, said Cassie M. Parker of the South Central Planning and Development Commission.
It offers the students something other than a passive, watch-a-film or hear-a-lecture experience, Parker said.
“You have to make it interactive,” she said. “They want to do something, to touch, to feel.”
Students are surveyed after they take their virtual drive.
“We get a real sense of attitudes that can change behavior,” Parker said. “That’s the goal.”
Can the program get through to teenagers?
Richard, who has raised six of his own, thinks so.
“Sometimes it’s very difficult,” he said. “It’s challenging raising teenagers.”
Being a police chief helped, he said.
But “for parents having trouble, this might help.”

After the victim in a Sunday morning shooting died, the suspect in the crime faces a first-degree murder charge, Morgan City police said Monday.
Geondre Jamal Thomas, 29, 11th Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 4:40 p.m. Sunday on the first-degree murder charge and charges of armed robbery, armed robbery with a firearm, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana and resisting an officer.
Officers with the Morgan City Police Department responded Sunday morning to the area of Egle Street after an armed robbery report, the Police Department said.
Officers arrived and located a victim who had been robbed at gunpoint. Officers also located another victim, separate from the initial complaint, in the same area that had suffered gunshot wounds. That male victim was transported to an out of area hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators with the Morgan City Police Department Detectives Division responded. During the course of the investigation, Thomas was developed as a suspect in the armed robbery. Thomas was also found to be a convicted felon, which prohibits him from possessing a firearm. Arrest warrants were obtained for Thomas’ arrest.
About 4:30 p.m. Sunday, investigators executed a search warrant in the area of Orange Street. Thomas fled on foot and was apprehended after a short foot chase.
Thomas was found to be in possession of a firearm and suspected marijuana. Evidence was uncovered through the course of the investigation linking Thomas to the homicide, the Police Department said. The victim’s name is being withheld pending next of kin notifications.
Thomas was arrested and transported to the Morgan City Jail, where he was booked and incarcerated. The investigation is still ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Morgan City Police Department Detectives Division at 985-380-4605.
In Louisiana, first-degree murder is a homicide committed with the intent to kill or cause serious bodily harm in the presence of a defined list of circumstances. This circumstances include the status of the victim — children under 12 or people over 65, for example — and the presence of another crime, including armed robbery.
After a conviction for first-degree murder, a trial jury decides whether the defendant will be executed or sentenced to life in prison without parole.