4-8-22
THE MAN AT THE CENTER OF THE ELLA GOODIE MISSING PERSONS CASE HAS BEEN EXTRADITED FROM MISSOURI TO RAPIDES PARISH TO FACE SEVERAL UNRELATED CHARGES INCLUDING ATTEMPTED FIRST-DEGREE MURDER. RAPIDES PARISH DISTRICT ATTORNEY PHILLIP TERRELL CALLED BRANDON FRANCISCO A DANGEROUS INDIVIDUAL. FRANCISCO WAS THE LAST PERSON KNOWN TO HAVE SEEN ELLA GOODIE ON MARCH NINTH, AND HE WAS CAPTURED IN SAINT JOSEPH, MISSOURI, WHERE GOODIE’S CAR WAS FOUND. DEREK SENEGAL, A STATE POLICE TROOPER, SAYS THE HUMAN SIDE OF YOU WANTS TO RUN UP AND SAY WHAT HAPPENED, BUT, BECAUSE OF THE TYPE OF CASE, THEY HAVE TO DO IT BY THE BOOK.
THE SAINT MARTIN PARISH GOVERNMENT HAS FILED A RESPONSE TO LITIGATION FILED BY THE LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT LAST MONTH OVER SPOIL BANKS ON THE VERMILLION RIVER. LAFAYETTE FILED A PETITION FOR A DECLARATORY JUDGEMENT ASKING A JUDGE TO RULE THAT THE PROJECT WAS DONE PROPERLY AND THEY DID NOT NEED TO GET A PERMIT FROM THE U-S ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. THE SAINT MARTIN PARISH GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE SAYS THERE’S NO LEGAL BASIS FOR THE LAFAYETTE PARISH LITIGATION. THEY SAY THE L-C-G’S ASSERTIONS ARE REPLETE WITH INACCURACIES AND MISREPRESENTATIONS THAT WILL BE PROVEN.
Legislation to keep transgender athletes in Louisiana from competing on college and K-12 women’s and girls’ sport teams has been unanimously approved by a state Senate committee. Similar legislation was vetoed last year by Gov. John Bel Edwards. He has not said whether he would veto the bill again if it reaches his desk. Backers said the measure is needed to ensure that girls are not unfairly edged out of athletic scholarship opportunities by athletes who are biologically male.
LAKE CHARLES POLICE ARRESTED TWELVE PEOPLE IN CONNECTION WITH THE SHOOTING DEATH OF A SIX-YEAR-OLD GIRL ON MARCH TWENTIETH. SHOTS WERE FIRED AT A HOME ON MILL STREET IN LAKE CHARLES IN A DRIVE-BY SHOOTING AT AROUND TEN-FORTY-FIVE THAT NIGHT, AND DRAYA MICHELLE GUILLORY WAS SHOT AND DIED FROM HER INJURIES. DETECTIVES HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE SHOOTING WAS A RETALIATION FROM AN ONGOING EARLIER INCIDENT. OFFICERS LEARNED THAT A NUMBER OF THE SUSPECTS BELONGED TO A GROUP KNOWN AT “NAWF SIDE BABIES.”
A FIRE AT THE FORMER ROMERO’S GROCERY STORE IN OSSUN, WHICH WAS CLOSED LAST DECEMBER, IS BEING INVESTIGATED AS AN ARSON AND BURGLARY. THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS A DEPUTY FOUND A LARGE SAFE IN THE ROADWAY, WHICH HE RECOGNIZED AS BELONGING TO ROMERO’S, AND THEN DISCOVERED THE BUILDING WAS ON FIRE. SCOTT FIRE CHIEF CHAD SONNIER TELLS KLFY TV THAT THE FIRE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN INTENTIONALLY SET. THE OWNER OF THE FORMER ROMERO’S GROCERY SAID THE BURGLARS GOT AWAY WITH CASH, LIQUOR AND OTHER VALUABLE ITEMS, AND WHAT THEY DID NOT TAKE, THEY SET ON FIRE.
A SECOND SUSPECT IN A FEBRUARY FOURTEENTH HOMOCIDE IN OPELOUSAS WAS APPREHENDED YESTERDAY. TWENTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD COREY ROSETTE JUNIOR WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN HIS HOME ON NICOLE LANE. NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD LENNY BRUCE OF DERIDDER WAS ARRESTED IN LEESVILLE AND WAS TAKEN BACK TO OPELOUSAS, WHERE HE WILL FACE CHARGES OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER, ARMED ROBBERY AND ILLEGAL CARRYING OF A FIREARM. THE FIRST SUSPECT, EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD JALEEL MALIK DURISSEAU OF OPELOUSAS, WAS ARRESTED ON THE SAME CHARGES IN FEBRUARY.
No longer waiting for a federal investigation, a state prosecutor says he intends to pursue his own case against the Louisiana troopers involved in the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene. Union Parish District Attorney John Belton told a legislative committee Thursday that U.S. Justice Department prosecutors last week dropped their request for him to hold off on state charges until the federal probe is complete, and he added that Greene’s mother also asked him to pursue charges against the troopers seen on video stunning, punching and dragging Greene. Nearly three years after Greene’s death, no one has yet been criminally charged.
AN ABBEVILLE MURDER SUSPECT WAS ARRESTED WEDNESDAY IN COTTONPORT AFTER A THREE-HOUR STANDOFF. GARY TURNER JUNIOR OF ABBEVILLE IS WANTED FOR THE SHOOTING DEATH OF EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD FREDDY GOMEZSOTO OF ABBEVILLE ON MARCH EIGHTEENTH. ABBEVILLE POLICE CHIEF BILL SPEARMAN SAYS THEY GOT A CREDIBLE TIP THAT TURNER WAS IN A HOME IN COTTONPORT AND OFFICERS WITH THE COTTONPORT AND MOREAUVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENTS, AS WELL AS DEPUTIES FROM AVOYELLES PARISH, SURROUNDED THE HOME. HE SURRENDERED TO NEGOTIATORS AFTER THE THREE-HOUR STANDOFF, AND YESTERDAY MORNING WAS EXTRADITED TO VERMILLION PARISH.
