10-4-23
IAN HOWARD HAS PLED GUILTY TO FIRST-DEGREE MURDER FOR KILLING LAFAYETTE POLICE CORPORAL MICHAEL MIDDLEBROOK SIX YEARS AGO. HOWARD ALSO PLED GUILTY TO THREE COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED FIRST-DEGREE MURDER FOR WOUNDING THREE PEOPLE IN THE SHOOTING, WHICH HAPPENED AT A CONVENIENCE STORE ON MOSS STREET. PROSECUTORS WERE GOING FOR THE DEATH PENALTY IN THE CASE BUT ACCEPTED LIFE IN PRISON AS PART OF A PLEA DEAL. DISTRICT ATTORNEY DON LANDRY SAYS HOWARD WILL SPEND HIS SENTENCE IN A SINGLE CELL AT ANGOLA AND HAS AGREED TO NOT ASK FOR A PARDON OR ANY KIND OF RELIEF THAT WOULD RESULT IN HIM BEING RELEASED FROM PRISON.
ANOTHER SUSPECT IN THE MURDER OF VONSHONSKEE CHARLES WAS EXTRADITED FROM CALIFORNIA BY VILLE PLATTE POLICE OVER THE WEEKEND. DANIELLE DUNCAN HAS MORE.
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A MAN SERVING LIFE IN PRISON FOR THE FIRST-DEGREE MURDER OF MICKEY SHUNICK HAS BEEN DENIED IN HIS EFFORTS TO APPEAL HIS CONVICTION. BRANDON LAVERGNE CONFESSED TO THE MURDER BUT LATER, ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, HE TRIED TO OVERTURN HIS GUILTY PLEA. THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL COURT IN LAFAYETTE PARISH RULED LAVERGNE HAD EXHAUSTED HIS APPEALS AND FAILED TO SHOW THAT THERE IS ANY EXCEPTION THAT WOULD PERMIT FUTURE APPEALS. YESTERDAY THE STATE SUPREME COURT UPHELD THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL COURT’S DECISION.
THE TOWN OF LAKE ARTHUR IS UNDER A PRECAUTIONARY BOIL ADVISORY. THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS WITH THE SYSTEM WHICH HAS LED TO WATER FROM THE SYSTEM BEING UNDER QUESTIONABLE MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY. REPAIRS WERE MADE TO A SIX-INCH WATER LINE ON FOURTH STREET YESTERDAY EVENING. THE ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
THE IOTA VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT REMINDED THE PUBLIC THAT A BURN BAN REMAINS IN PLACE FOR ACADIA PARISH. THAT’S AFTER THEY RESPONDED TO MULTIPLE FIRES ON SUNDAY. AT AROUND TEN-FORTY-FIVE, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO TWO ACRES OF GROUND FIRES IN TREES OFF OF CRABAPPLE ROAD. LATER THEY WERE DISPATCHED TO AN AREA OFF OF RASBERRY LANE WHERE A LARGE PILE OF WOOD AND TREES WERE ON FIRE AS WELL AS NUMEROUS SPOT FIRES ACROSS TEN ACRES. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THEY HAD TO PUT OUT A BURN PILE WEST OF TOWN THAT HAD REIGNITED.
THE ACADIANA REGION IS EXPECTED TO SEE A GROWTH OF SEVEN THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED JOBS OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS. THAT’S ACCORDING TO ECONOMIST LOREN SCOTT, WHO ISSUED HIS ANNUAL ECONOMIC FORECAST FOR THE STATE. HE FORECASTS A GAIN OF THIRTY-EIGHT HUNDRED JOBS NEXT YEAR AND THIRTY-FIVE HUNDRED THE FOLLOWING YEAR AND CREDITS THAT TO RENEWAL ENERGY AND MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS. SCOTT SAYS THE LAFAYETTE METRO AREA HAS RECOVERD ALL BUT TWENTY-SEVEN HUNDRED JOBS THAT WERE LOST BECAUSE OF THE COVID-NINETEEN PANDEMIC AND HE SAYS THAT DEFICIT SHOULD BE GONE BY EARLY NEXT YEAR.
ECONOMIST LOREN SCOTT WAS ALSO OPTIMISTIC ABOUT JOB GROWTH FOR SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. HE’S FORECASTING A GAIN OF SEVENTY-TWO HUNDRED JOBS OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS FOR THE REGION. HE SAYS HIS FORECAST IS DEPENDENT ON LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS PROJECTS PULLING THE TRIGGER AND SAYING THEY ARE GOING TO BUILD. SCOTT SAYS THREE OF THE PROJECTS HAVE A HIGH PROBABILITY OF PULLING THE TRIGGER.
THE ACADIA PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS SEARCHING FOR A SUSPECT WHO COMMITTED AN ARMED ROBBERY AT A BUSINESS IN THE SEVENTY-TWO HUNDRED BLOCK OF THE EGAN HIGHWAY ON SEPTEMBER TWENTY-FOURTH. THE SUSPECT POINTED A RIFLE AT AN EMPLOYEE BEFORE RUNNING AWAY WITH AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF CASH. HE IS DESCRIBED AS A TALL WHITE MAN WITH A MEDIUM BUILD WHO WAS WEARING A BLACK AND RED HOODED SWEATSHIRT WITH BLUE JEANS. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ON THIS CRIME IS URGED TO CALL THE TIPS LINE AT SEVEN-EIGHT-NINE TIPS. UP TO A TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR CASH REWARD IS BEING OFFERED FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO AN ARREST.
