2-2-22
A MAN IS IN THE HOSPITAL AFTER A SHOOTING LAST NIGHT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF LAFAYETTE. SYLVIA MASTERS REPORTS.
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A FORMER CROWLEY AND LAKE ARTHUR POLICE OFFICER WAS SENTENCED YESTERDAY TO FORTY YEARS IN PRISON FOR CHILD MOLESTATION. SIX WOMEN, WHO CLAIMED TO BE THE VICTIMS OF FORTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD DAMON BROUSSARD, WERE ON HAND TO SEE HIM SENTENCED. HE WAS FOUND GUILTY IN NOVEMBER. CHILD MOLESTATION IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERREPORTED CRIMES AND ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY BRIAN LANGFORD SAYS HIS HOPE IS MORE PEOPLE WILL COME FORWARD AND THE COMMUNITY WOULD EMBRACE AND SUPPORT THEM.
AFTER A THREE-DAY TRIAL, A JEFF DAVIS PARISH JURY FOUND FORTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD JASON RAY CRAFT OF JENNINGS GUILTY OF RAPING A CHILD. IT TOOK THE JURY ONLY FOUR HOURS TO COME TO THEIR DECISION. HE IS SET TO BE SENTENCED ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY FOURTEENTH, AND HE FACES A MANDATORY LIFE SENTENCE WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE. SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES BEGAN INVESTIGATING THE CASE IN JUNE OF TWENTY-NINETEEN WHEN THE VICTIM TOLD FAMILY MEMBERS WHAT HAPPENED.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards denied Tuesday that he delayed or interfered with investigations into the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene. And for the first time he characterized the actions of the troopers, seen on video stunning, punching and dragging the Black motorist, as racist. The Democratic governor’s remarks were the first since an Associated Press report that showed he had been notified within hours of Greene’s death that troopers engaged in a “violent, lengthy struggle,” yet he kept quiet as state police pushed a much different story that Greene died from a crash following a high-speed chase.
LAST NIGHT THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO HIRE A DEMOGRAPHER TO REDRAW FOUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS. A CITY ORDINANCE REQUIRES COUNCIL DISTRICTS BE WITHIN FIVE PERCENT OF WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED THE AVERAGE MEDIAN POPULATION. COUNCILMAN GLENN LAZARD SAYS THAT, OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS, HIS DISTRICT AND COUNCILMAN PAT LEWIS’ DISTRICT HAVE LOST POPULATION WHILE TWO SOUTH LOUISIANA DISTRICTS HAVE GROWN. HE SAYS THE LINES NEED TO BE REDRAWN SO THE NUMBERS ARE MORE BALANCED.
A NEW CHARTER SCHOOL HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR VERMILLION PARISH BY THE STATE BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION. THE VERMILLION CHARTER FOUNDATION INITIALLY WENT TO THE VERMILLION PARISH SCHOOL BOARD FOR APPROVAL BUT WERE DENIED. THE PRESIDENT OF THE FOUNDATION, BRIDGET WINTER, SAYS THEIR MAIN GOAL IS TO HELP WITH OVERCROWDING. THE TARGET DATE FOR OPENING THE CHARTER SCHOOL IS AUGUST OF TWENTY-TWENTY-THREE.
THE HERMAN DUPUIS PONTOON BRIDGE IN SAINT MARTIN PARISH WILL BE REMOVED BEGINNING NEXT WEEK. PARISH PRESIDENT CHESTER CEDARS SAYS IT WILL BE REPLACED BY A STATE OF THE ART TWO LANE BRIDGE, AT A COST OF NINE MILLION DOLLARS. THE PASSAGE WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL THE BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETED. CEDARS SAYS RESIDENTS WHO TRAVEL IN THE AREA SHOULD KEEP THAT IN MIND.
THE NEW IBERIA POLICE DEPARTMENT RELEASED STATISTICS SHOWING CRIME IS DOWN IN THE AREA. THERE WERE THIRTY SHOOTINGS IN THE AREA LAST YEAR, DOWN BY THREE FROM TWENTY-TWENTY. SIX ARMED ROBBERIES WERE REPORTED LAST YEAR, DOWN BY TWO AND SEXUAL ASSAULTS DECREASED BY SIX. SPOKESPERSON SERGEANT DAESHA HUGHES SAYS AN INCREASED AWARENESS OF CRIME IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS IMPROVED COMMUNITY AND POLICE RELATIONS CONTRIBUTED TO THE DECREASE.
