10-22-25
THREE PEOPLE FROM TEXAS WERE KILLED IN A PLANE CRASH IN LAFAYETTE PARISH YESTERDAY MORNING. THE BEECHCRAFT BARON TWIN-ENGINE PLANE TOOK OFF FROM HOOKS MEMORIAL AIRPORT IN HOUSTON JUST BEFORE TEN A-M AND ITS INTENDED DESTINATION WAS A PRIVATE AIRPORT EIGHT MILES SOUTH OF CANKTON. IT CRASHED IN A FIELD AT THE CORNER OF GLORIA SWITCH ROAD AND L-A NINETY-THREE NEAR THE COMMUNITY OF VATICAN. LAFAYETTTE PARISH DEPUTIES ASSISTED F-A-A INVESTIGATORS IN SECURING THE CRASH SITE.
A CROWLEY COUPLE IS BEHIND BARS FACING SERIOUS CHARGES AFTER THE DEATH OF THEIR TEN-MONTH-OLD BABY. GEORGE FAUST REPORTS.
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A LAKE CHARLES MAN WAS ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY FIRING MULTIPLE SHOTS AT A PERSON DURING A HEATED ARGUMENT. KAYLA VINCENT OF THE CALCASIEU PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS FIFTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD CHRISTOPHER WAYNE JONES ADMITTED TO SHOOTING THE OTHER PERSON SUNDAY NIGHT AT A HOME IN MOSS BLUFF. HE’S BEING HELD WITHOUT BOND ON A CHARGE OF DOMESTIC ABUSE BATTERY WITH A DANGEROUS WEAPON WITH SERIOUS BODILY INJURY. THE VICTIM WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL TO RECEIVE TREATMENT FOR MULTIPLE GUNSHOT WOUNDS.
FOUR PUBLIC DEFENDERS, WHOSE CONTRACTS WERE NOT RENEWED, HAVE FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE STATE, SAYING THEIR FIRING WAS NOT JUSTIFIED. THE FOUR SAY THEY WERE PUSHED OUT BY PUBLIC DEFENDER REMY STARNS AFTER THEY OPPOSED HIS POLICY GOALS, INCLUDING SEIZING MORE CONTROL OVER THE STATE’S PUBLIC DEFENSE SYSTEM. STARNS WAS NAMED AS A DEFENDANT AS WELL AS THE OFFICE OF STATE PUBLIC DEFENDER AND THE LOUISIANA PUBLIC DEFENDER BOARD. THEY ARE SEEKING THEIR JOBS BACK AS WELL AS PUNITIVE DAMAGES.
TWO LAFAYETTE BUSINESSMEN WERE SENTENCED FOR THEIR ROLES IN A KICKBACK SCHEME INVOLVING THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE. JOSEPH PREJEAN GOT AN EIGHTEEN MONTH PRISON SENTENCE AND A FORTY THOUSAND DOLLAR FINE. LEONARD FRANQUES WAS SENTENCED TO TWELVE MONTHS PRISON TIME AND A ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLAR FINE. BOTH PLED GUILTY TO CHARGES RELATED TO THE KICKBACK SCHEME.
THE SAINT LANDRY PARISH GOVERNMENT HAS LAUNCHED A WEEKLY SHOW THAT WILL AIR EACH FRIDAY ON THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA, FEATURING A NEW TOPIC EACH WEEK. THE HOST WILL BE PARISH PRESIDENT JESSE BELLARD. HE SAYS IT WILL BE A QUESTION AND ANSWER TYPE OF FORMAT WHERE HE DOESN’T KNOW THE QUESTIONS BEFOREHAND SO THAT HIS ANSWERS ARE GENUINE AND NOT REHEARSED. BELLARD SAYS HE HOPES THE SHOW CREATES A CULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT.
A TRAIN MALFUNCTION RESULTED IN A SMALL FIRE JUST YARDS FROM HOMES IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. CHRIS VICE, THE FIRE CHIEF FOR SULPHUR AND VINTON, SAYS THE SAME TRAIN CONTINUED TO TEXAS AND IT SET OFF ABOUT EIGHT DIFFERENT FIRES BETWEEN THE EDGERLY AND TOOMEY AREAS. HE SAYS IT WAS ABOUT A FOUR HOUR ORDEAL TO FIGHT THOSE FIRES. ALL OF SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA IS UNDER A BURN BAN.
TWO SAINT LANDRY PARISH MEN WERE GIVEN LIFE SENTENCES YESTERDAY FOR THE MURDER OF TWENTY-YEAR-OLD WADE VAUGHN-SMITH OF MELVILLE IN FEBRUARY OF TWENTY-TWENTY-TWO. VAUGH-SMITH WAS SHOT MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN MELVILLE AND KROTZ SPRINGS AND CRASHED HIS VEHICLE INTO A TREE. IN JUNE, A JURY FOUND TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD JADEN ARDOIN OF KROTZ SPRINGS AND TWENTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD JAIMON MASON OF PORT BARRE GUILTY OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER. THEY WERE ALSO FOUND GUILTY OF THE ATTEMPTED FIRST-DEGREE MURDER OF VAUGHN-SMITH’S BROTHER, TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD JAMES VAUGHN.
