3-24-15
SETH FONTENOT TOOK THE STAND YESTERDAY AS HIS MURDER TRIAL ENTERED ITS SECOND WEEK. JULIE DARCE REPORTS.
VOICER J :29
TWO LAKE CHARLES MEN HAE BEEN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH A HOMOCIDE THAT HAPPENED SATURDAY MORNING IN IOWA. SHOTS WERE FIRED AT A RESIDENCE IN THE AREA OF SOUTH WELTY STREET AND EAST THIRD STREET, AND POLICE CHASED DOWN A CAR THAT WAS SEEN LEAVING THE HOME AFTER THE GUNSHOTS. TWO MEN IN THE CAR WERE ARRESTED…25-YEAR-OLD JASMEN JONATHON LEDET, WHO HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH SECOND DEGREE MURDER, AND 27-YEAR-OLD DARNELL JOSEPH LEDET FOR ACCESSORY AFTER THE FACT. IOWA POLICE CHIEF KEITH VINCENT SAYS THAT THE NAME OF THE VICTIM AND THE POSSIBLE MOTIVE HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED BECAUSE OF THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION.
TWO OPELOUSAS MEN HAVE BEEN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH A DRIVE-BY SHOOTING, AND OPELOUSAS POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR A THIRD SUSPECT. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED SATURDAY IN THE 600 BLOCK OF CONGRESS STREET. THE ALLEGED SHOOTERS WERE DEVIN AND DONKEITHEN MALLET. DONKEITHEN AND THE ALLEGED DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE USED IN THE DRIVE-BY, LEROY JOSEPH COOLEY THE THIRD, WERE LOCATED AND ARRESTED, WHILE DEVIN REMAINS ON THE LOOSE. NO ONE WAS INJURED.
Gov. Bobby Jindal will wait until the state legislative session ends in June before announcing whether he’ll enter the 2016 presidential race. The Republican governor’s chief political adviser, Timmy Teepell, said Monday that Jindal wants to stay focused on the final session of his term before deciding about the White House bid. The legislative session begins April 13. Lawmakers must wrap up their work by June 11.
THE PRINCIPAL AT NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL RESIGNED MONDAY MORNING. MELINDA VOORHIES SAYS SHE MADE THE DECISION AFTER MEETING WITH INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT BURNELL LEJEUNE, WHO, SHE SAYS, TOLD HER, HE WASN’T SURE SHE WAS THE RIGHT PERSON TO TAKE NORTHSIDE TO THE NEXT LEVEL. VOORHIES WAS LURED OUT OF RETIREMENT TO TAKE THE POSITION BY FORMER SUPERINTENDENT PAT COOPER, UNDER HIS TURNAROUND PLAN FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. LEJEUNE SAYS HE WILL BE MEETING WITH THE SCHOOL’S TWO ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AND THE SCHOOL’S ACADEMIC OFFICER TO DISCUSS HOW THE PRINCIPAL’S DUTIES WILL BE HANDLED WHILE THEY LOOK FOR A REPLACEMENT.
OPERATIONS OF THE ACADIA FERRY IN CAMERON HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED. THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT SAYS THE FERRY IS UNDERGOING REPAIRS. THEY DON’T HAVE A TIMETABLE FOR WHEN THE REPAIRS WILL BE COMPLETED. THE ACADIA FERRY WILL RETURN TO REGULAR SERVICE ONCE THE WORK IS FINISHED.
ST. MARTIN PARISH SHERIFF’ DEPUTIES ARRESTED A BREAUX BRIDGE MAN FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING A TRACTOR. GAGE PATIN WAS CHARGED WITH ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF STOLEN THINGS AND ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF A SCHEDULE THREE CONTROLLED DANGEROUS SUBSTANCE. THE TRACTOR HAD BEEN REPORTED MISSING ON MARCH 14TH FROM A STRUCTURE ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. THE TRACTOR WAS FOUND FRIDAY IN A RURAL AREA OF ST. MARTIN PARISH.
Louisiana’s tuberculosis rate has fallen by more than half over the last five years.
The state Department of Health and Hospitals announced Monday that Louisiana ranks below the national average for cases of the infectious bacterial disease, which mainly affects the lungs. The health department says 16 states had higher case rates than Louisiana last year. In a statement, Health and Hospitals Secretary Kathy Kliebert credited her department’s TB Control Program for putting in place new tools in high-risk groups that have lowered the instances of tuberculosis in the state and deaths from the treatable disease.
