2-5-19
YESTERDAY L-U-S’ INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JEFF STEWART ISSUED A STATEMENT ABOUT THE CHEMICAL SPILL LATE ON SUNDAY NIGHT. HERE’S JEFF HORCHAK.
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A MAN AND WOMAN FROM PITTSBURGH, WHO WERE CAUGHT IN CALCASIEU PARISH TRANSPORTING COCAINE, WERE SENTENCED YESTERDAY. 52-YEAR-OLD JOSEPH WILBON AND 59-YEAR-OLD MARVA L. FLENORY PLEADED GUILTY LAST JULY. THEY WERE PULLED OVER IN CALCASIEU PARISH IN JUNE OF 2016 BY STATE TROOPERS, WHO SEARCHED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND SIX BRICKS OF COCAINE WEIGHING NEARLY SIXTEEN POUNDS. WILBON WAS SENTENCED TO SIX-AND-A-HALF YEARS IN PRISON WHILE FLENORY WAS GIVEN FOUR YEARS AND NINE MONTHS.
THE ACADIA PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE HAS RELEASED THE IDENTITY OF A HOMOCIDE. THE BODY OF 32-YEAR-OLD MATTHEW MARK BRISCOE OF CHURCH POINT WAS FOUND IN A WOODED AREA NEAR BRANCH ON SUNDAY MORNING. ACADIA PARISH SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES BELIEVE BRISCOE WAS RIDING IN A VEHICLE WITH KERVEE WOODARD AND 34-YEAR-OLD TYLA MECHE, BOTH OF CHURCH POINT, WHEN AN ARGUMENT BROKE OUT AND EITHER WOODARD OR MECHE SHOT AND KILLED BRISCOE. WOODARD HAS BEEN ARRESTED BUT DEPUTIES ARE STILL SEARCHING FOR MECHE.
THE NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE STATE EARNING CAREER DIPLOMAS ROSE DRAMATICALLY LAST YEAR TO 23 PERCENT. THAT COMPARES TO TWO PERCENT IN 2013. THE RISE IS THE RESULT OF A STATE OVERHAUL KNOWN AS JUMP START THAT WAS AN EFFORT TO MAKE CAREER AND TECHNICAL FIELDS MORE APPEALING TO STUDENTS. STATE OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE GOING TO BE LAUNCHING JUMP START TWO-POINT-OH, WHICH AIMS TO BUILD ON THE INITIAL SUCCESS BY BOOSTING THE STUDENTS EARNING CAREER DIPLOMAS TO FORTY PERCENT.
CARENCRO POLICE HAVE ARRESTED TWO MEN IN THE MURDER OF 19-YEAR-OLD DEAMONDRE ARCENEAUX OF LAFAYETTE. THE BODY OF ARCENEAUX WAS FOUND OCTOBER 21ST IN A DITCH ALONG BREAUX ROAD. A LENGTHY INVESTIGATION BY CARENCRO POLICE DETECTIVES LED TO THE ARREST OF 20-YEAR-OLD QUENTIN WASHINGTON AND 21-YEAR-OLD TYRON COATES. THEY EACH FACE A CHARGE OF SECOND DEGREE MURDER.
A CALCASIEU PARISH JURY IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DELIBERATIONS THIS AFTERNOON IN THE FIRST DEGREE MURDER TRIAL OF DERRICK SMALL. SMALL HAS ADMITTED SHOOTING JALEN HANDY, WHO ROBBED HIM DURING A DRUG TRANSACTION. SMALL TESTIFIED THAT HE SHOT AT HANDY BECAUSE HE THOUGH HE WAS GOING TO DIE AFTER HANDY JABBED HIM IN THE SIDE WITH A SHARP OBJECT. DURING CROSS EXAMINATION, SMALL ADMITTED HE NOW KNOWS HANDY WAS NOT ARMED.
A NEW IBERIA MAN WAS CONVICTED LAST FRIDAY ON DRUG AND GUN CHARGES. A SEARCH OF 36-YEAR-OLD TABIAN MICHAEL DAVIS’ HOME IN APRIL OF 2017 LED TO THE SEIZURE OF 15 GRAMS OF POWDER COCAINE, TWO GRAMS OF CRACK COCAINE, 96 METHAMPHETAMINE PILLS AND OTHER ILLICIT DRUGS AS WELL AS THREE FIREARMS AND A BULLETPROOF VEST. AN IBERIA PARISH JURY FOUND DAVIS GUILTY ON TEN DRUG AND WEAPON CHARGES. DAVIS FACES UP TO THIRTY YEARS IN PRISON WHEN HE IS SENTENCED ON MAY NINTH.
THERE ARE JUST UNDER ONE HUNDRED BUSINESSES IN THE DOWNTOWN CROWLEY AREA GENERATING ROUGHLY ONE THOUSAND JOBS. THE ACADIA PARISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE REPORTS THAT HALF OF THOSE BUSINESSES CAME IN AFTER THE RENOVATION OF THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE OF THE SOUTH AND CITY HALL IN 2009. CHAMBER PRESIDENT AND C-E-O AMY THIBODEAUX TELLS KATC TV THAT THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE IS THE ANCHOR THAT DRAWS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO CROWLEY AND SERVES AS A COMMUNITY CENTER. BEFORE THE RENOVATION THERE WERE MORE THAN A DOZEN VACANT BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN, BUT NOW THERE ARE ONLY THREE AND MOST OF THOSE HAVE BEEN BOUGHT WITH PLANS FOR RENOVATION.
