10-24-25
AN INMATE, WHO ESCAPED FROM THE SAINT LANDRY PARISH JAIL, HAS BEEN RECAPTURED. THE OPELOUSAS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE SAINT LANDRY PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAY FORTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD BRYAN MICKENS WAS CAUGHT THIS MORNING AT AROUND SIX-THIRTY. DETAILS ABOUT THE ESCAPE AND CHARGES HAVE NOT YET BEEN RELEASED. OPELOUSAS POLICE THANKED THE PUBLIC FOR THEIR COOPERATION AND TIPS THAT HELPED LAW ENFORCEMENT TO RECAPTURE MICKENS.
U-L LAFAYETTE IS LAYING OFF SEVENTY EMPLOYEES. INTERIM PRESIDENT JAIMIE HEBERT SAYS THE DECISION WAS MADE IN ORDER TO ADDRESS A TWENTY-FIVE MILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT. HE SAYS THE REDUCTIONS WILL COME FROM A COMBINATION OF POSITION ELIMINATIONS, RETIREMENTS, RESIGNATIONS, AND JOB REASSIGNMENTS. EARLIER IN THE DAY, THE U-L SYSTEM BOARD ADOPTED NEW FINANCIAL SAFEGUARDS BECAUSE OF THE DEFICIT, DESIGNED TO DETECT FINANCIAL DISTRESS EALIER SO CORRECTIVE MEASURES CAN BE INITIATED EARLIER.
A CALCASIEU PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPUTY HAS BEEN ARRESTED AND FIRED. TWENTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD LILPAUL WILLIAMS JUNIOR OF LAKE CHARLES WAS THE RESPONDING DEPUTY IN A CASE INVOLVING THE THEFT OF A CREDIT CARD AND FUNDS FROM A LAKE CHARLES BUSINESS. WILLIAMS COLLECTED THE INITIAL INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE BUT ALLEGEDLY LEFT OUT INFORMATION DUE TO PREVIOUSLY KNOWING THE SUSPECT. HE IS CHARGED WITH MALFEASANCE IN OFFICE AND INJURING PUBLIC RECORDS.
GOVERNOR JEFF LANDRY SIGNED AN EMERGENCY DECLARATION TO HELP FUND SNAP BENEFITS FOR THE STATE’S ELDERLY, DISABLED AND CHILDREN DURING THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. THE DECLARATION WILL ALLOW THE STATE LEGISLATURE TO USE THE REVENUE STABILIZATION FUND TO PAY SNAP BENEFITS. LANDRY URGED ABLE-BODIED CITIZENS TO PURSUE AVAILABLE JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN THE STATE. HE ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERNS ABOUT THE RELIABILITY OF SNAP AND SIMILAR PROGRAMS DUE TO ONGOING POLITICAL DISPUTES.
AN ABBEVILLE MAN DIED WHILE ALLEGEDLY FLEEING FROM KAPLAN POLICE FOLLOWING AN ATTEMPTED TRAFFIC STOP. FORTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD JOHNATHAN TAYLOR CRASHED HIS VEHICLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT ON L-A FOURTEEN NEAR FORE ROAD. AUTHORITIES SAY TAYLOR FAILED TO NEGOTIATE A RIGHT CURVE, CAUSING HIS VEHICLE TO LEAVE THE ROAD, STRIKING SEVERAL TREES AND OVERTURNING. TAYLOR WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE AND DIED AT THE SCENE.
LAFAYETTE POLICE HAVE ARRESTED TWO PEOPLE FOLLOWING A HIGH-SPEED CHASE LATE TUESDAY NIGHT. THE CHASE BEGAN WHEN THE DRIVER FLED FROM A TRAFFIC STOP AND IT ENDED WHEN POLICE USED SPIKE STRIPS IN THE ELEVEN HUNDRED BLOCK OF NORTHEAST EVANGELINE THRUWAY. EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD DENIAH BOUTTE, WHO HAD OUTSTANDING WARRANTS FOR PRINCIPLE TO ASSAULT BY DRIVE-BY SHOOTING AND PRINCIPLE TO ILLEGAL USE OF WEAPONS, NOW FACES CHARGES OF AGGRAVATED FLIGHT FROM AN OFFICER AND RECKLESS DRIVING. ALSO ARRESTED WAS TWENTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD CLIFFORD ROBINSON FOR FELON IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM AND POSSESSION OF DRUGS.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES HAS CITED TWO MEN FOR AN ALLEGED SHRIMPING VIOLATION IN CAMERON PARISH. AGENTS FOUND A SHRIMPING VESSEL IN MUD BAYOU WHERE NETS WERE BEING USED TO BLOCK THE PASSAGE OF FISH. SIXTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD LAWRENCE MALLETT AND FORTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD SKY LEGER, BOTH OF CAMERON, WERE CITED FOR BLOCKING THE PASSAGE OF FISH, WHICH CARRIES A PENALTY OF UP TO NINETY DAYS IN JAIL AND A FINE OF TWO HUNDRED FIFTY TO FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS. THE AGENTS SEIZED JUST OVER TWO THOUSAND POUNDS OF SHRIMP AND SOLD THEM TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER.
ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS HAS BEEN ALLOCATED FROM NEW IBERIA’S PULIC SAFETY BUDGET FOR NEW LIGHTING AND REPAIRS. TARGET AREAS FOR LIGHTING IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE CITY PARK, THE WEST END AND ACADIAN ACRES. THE CITY RECENTLY SIGNED A FRANCHISE AGREEMENT WITH CLECO IN WHICH THE UTILITY WILL PATROL FOR OUTAGES THREE TIMES A YEAR AND REPAIR DAMAGED LIGHTS. MAYOR PRO TEM RICKY GONSOULIN SAYS POLICE OFFICERS WILL CONDUCT NIGHT PATROLS TO IDENTIFY AREAS NEEDING IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.
