2-20-25
L-C-G HAS ANNOUNCED THE OPENING OF A WARMING SHELTER AT THE DUPUIS RECREATION CENTER ON PONT DES MOUTON ROAD. GEORGE FAUST HAS THE DETAILS.
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NEW LAFAYETTE POLICE CHIEF PAUL TROUARD SAYS HE WANTS TO GROW AND STRENGTHEN THE DEPARTMENT. HE TELLS KADN TV THAT OVER THE PAST EIGHT MONTHS WHILE SERVING AS INTERIM CHIEF, HE REACHED HIS GOAL OF STABILIZING THE DEPARTMENT. TROUARD SAYS HE HOPES TO CONTINUE A TREND OF REDUCED HOMOCIDES, WHICH WERE DOWN FORTY-SIX PERCENT LAST YEAR FROM TWENTY-TWENTY-THREE, WHICH HAD A RECORD HIGH NUMBER OF HOMOCIDES. HE ALSO SAYS THEY’VE BROUGHT IN EXPERTS TO SOLIDIFY THE CITY’S SAFETY PLAN AHEAD OF MARDI GRAS AND FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL.
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONER DAVANTE LEWIS WAS REMOVED AS VICE CHAIRMAN YESTERDAY. THE MOVE COMES AFTER LEWIS POSTED A CRITICISM OF GOVERNOR JEFF LANDRY ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT INCLUDED A PROFANITY TO DESCRIBE LANDRY. SOME ADVOCACY GROUPS DEFENDED LEWIS AND SAID THEY BELIEVED LANDRY WAS BEHIND THE MOVE. CHAIRMAN MIKE FRANCIS SAYS HE HAS NOT SPOKEN TO THE GOVERNOR AND THAT HE DECIDED TO MAKE THE MOTION OF HIS OWN ACCORD.
TWO MEN FROM STARKS WERE ARRESTED FOR A HOME BURGLARY ON BELLOW ROAD. THE CALCASIEU PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS COPPER LINES WERE CUT AND STOLEN, DAMAGING THE INFRASTRUCTURE. FORTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD HARLEY MORGAN THE SECOND AND TWENTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD BRIAN KARG WERE SPOTTED IN A SUSPICIOUS CAR NEARBY AND, UNDER QUESTIONING, KARG CONFIRMED HE AND MORGAN AND AN UNKNOWN SUSPECT COMMITTED THE BURGLARY. THE TWO FACE SEVERAL CHARGES INCLUDING SIMPLE BURGLARY AND SIMPLE CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND BOTH THEIR BONDS WERE SET AT THIRTY-ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
A LAWTELL MAN, ACCUSED OF BURNING A VEHICLE BELONGING TO A MISSING WOMAN WHO WAS FOUND DEAD EARLIER THIS WEEK, NOW FACES A FIRST-DEGREE MURDER CHARGE. TWENTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD IRVING ARGUELLAS WAS INITIALLY CHARGED WITH ARSON AND HE REPORTEDLY LED SAINT LANDRY PARISH DEPUTIES TO FIND THE BODY OF JORLY BENITEZ, WHICH WAS IN A SHALLOW BODY OF WATER NEAR THE FIELD WHERE THE BURNT VEHICLE WAS LOCATED. INVESTIGATORS LEARNED THAT ARGUELLAS AND BENITIZ ARE COUSINS WHO LIVED AT THE SAME ADDRESS. INVESTIGATORS SAY MORE ARRESTS ARE POSSIBLE.
AROUND MIDNIGHT ON WEDNESDAY IN LAFAYETTE, A VACANT HOME FIRE CAUSED DAMAGE TO A NEIGHBORING HOME. THE HOMES WERE LOCATED AT THE CORNER OF SOUTHWEST EVANGELINE THRUWAY AND SIXTH STREET. THE VACANT HOUSE SUSTAINED HEAVY DAMAGE WHILE THE NEIGHBORING HOUSE HAD MINOR DAMAGE AND THE OCCUPANTS MADE IT OUT SAFELY. OFFICIALS DETERMINED THE FIRE STARTED IN THE VACANT HOME AND THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION.
LOUISIANA RESIDENTS HAVE UNTIL MAY SEVENTH TO GET THEIR DRIVER’S LICENSE OR I-D CARDS MADE REAL I-D COMPLIANT. I-D’S THAT ARE NOT REAL I-D COMPLIANT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR USE AS IDENTIFICATION AT AIRPORT SECURITY CHECKPOINTS AND FOR ACCESS TO CERTAIN FEDERAL FACILITIES. THE LOUISIANA OFFICE OF MOTOR VEHICLES ANNOUNCED THEY WILL BE OPEN ON THREE SATURDAYS THIS SPRING TO HELP RESIDENT BECOME REAL I-D COMPLIANT. RESIDENTS MUST VISIT A FIELD OFFICE OR PUBLIC TAG AGENT LOCATON TO OBTAIN A REAL-I-D.
AN OPELOUSAS FIREFIGHTER SAVED THE LIFE OF A DOG THAT WAS TRAPPED IN A BURNING HOME. THE FIREFIGHTER, BLAZE BARRAS, FOUND THE UNRESPONSIVE DOG NAMED ACE AND BROUGHT HIM OUTSIDE THE HOME. BARRAS PERFORMED CHEST COMPRESSIONS ON THE DOG AND PROVIDED OXYGEN FROM HIS AIR PACK. OFFICIALS SAID THAT, THANKS TO BARRAS’ QUICK ACTIONS, ACE WAS SUCCESSFULLY REVIVED AND RETURNED TO HIS OWNER.
