9-13-23
AN ABANDONED HOUSE CAUGHT FIRE IN THE VILLAGE OF PALMETTO LAST NIGHT. THE HOUSE IS LOCATED OFF HIGHWAY SEVENTY-ONE. MAYOR JOSEPH IRVING SAYS FIREFIGHTER PUT OUT THE FIRE AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. OFFICIALS ARE INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE.
A CEREMONY WAS HELD YESTERDAY TO MARK THE BEGINNING OF CONSTRUCTION FOR A SOCCER SUPER COMPLEX AT MOORE PARK IN LAFAYETTE. PHASE ONE WILL INCLUDE NINE STATE-OF-THE-ART SOCCER FIELDS WITH A MAIN STADIUM THAT HAS ARTIFICAL TURF, L-E-D SPORTS LIGHTING AND SEATING FOR ONE THOUSAND. THE PRICE TAG ON THE PROJECT IS FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS. CONSTRUCTION WILL BEGIN AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER AND IT’S EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR.
A BOOKKEEPER FOR LAKE ARTHUR HIGH SCHOOL HAS BEEN ARRESTED AFTER BEING ACCUSED OF STEALING NEARLY TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. AFTER RECEIVING A COMPLAINT FROM SCHOOL SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS, JEFF DAVIS PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE DETECTIVES LEARNED FORTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD SHAWNTELE MARIE SIMON HAD NOT CLOSED OUT THE BOOKS FOR THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR UNTIL LATE IN THE SUMMER. AN AUDIT OF SCHOOL FINANCIAL RECORDS FOUND THAT NINETY-TWO-HUNDRED DOLLARS WAS DISCOVERED MISSING. SIMON WAS BOOKED INTO THE JEFF DAVIS PARISH JAIL AND IS BEING HELD WITHOUT BOND.
THE LOUISIANA PRIMARY ELECTION, THAT INCLUDES THE GOVERNOR’S RACE IS COMING UP OCTOBER FOURTEENTH. SYLVIA MASTERS HAS SOME VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINES.
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YESTERDAY THERE WAS A REPORT ABOUT INMATES AT THE EVANGELINE PARISH JAIL BEING MISTREATED. SOME FORMER EMPLOYEES AT THE JAIL CONTACTED KLFY TV TO TELL WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO WORK THERE. SYLVIA MASTERS HAS MORE.
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TWO SUSPECTS IN A DRIVE-BY SHOOTING MONDAY AFTERNOON IN CARENCRO HAVE BEEN ARRESTED. THE SHOOTING HAPPENED AT AROUND ONE-FORTY-FIVE P-M ON BLOOMFIELD DRIVE NEAR GLORIA SWITCH. LAFAYETTE PARISH SHERIFF’S DETECTIVES FOUND THE VEHICLE AND CAPTURED BOTH SUSPECTS, INCLUDING ONE THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY FLED THE VEHICLE BUT WAS LATER APPREHENDED. DEPUTIES FOUND THREE HANDGUNS, SOME OF WHICH WERE MODIFIED TO BE FULLY AUTOMATIC, MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED FIFTY GRAMS OF MARIJUANA AND A THOUSAND DOLLARS CASH IN THE VEHICLE.
KLFY TV REPORTED RECENTLY THAT MANY MURDER CASES IN NEW IBERIA HAVE GONE UNSOLVED, BUT MAYOR FREDDIE DECOURT TOLD THEM HE DISAGREED AND WANTED TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. DECOURT SAYS THAT, SINCE THE NEW IBERIA POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS FORMED MORE THAN FIVE YEARS AGO, THERE HAVE BEEN FORTY-FOUR MURDERS AND THIRTY-FIVE HAVE BEEN SOLVED. HE SAYS THAT’S A NEARLY EIGHTY PERCENT SOLVE RATE, SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL SOLVE RATE OF FIFTY PERCENT. DECOURT CREDITS THE COMMUNITY FOR STEPPING UP WHEN THEY SEE SOMETHING.
THE SAINT MARTIN PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS LOOKING FOR A COTEAU HOLMES MAN, WHO WAS LAST SEEN SUNDAY MORNING TRAVELING ON A DIRT BIKE. FAMILY MEMBERS REPORTED FIFTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD WILLARD WILLIAM DASPIT JUNIOR MISSING. DASPIT, WHO IS FIVE-EIGHT, ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY POUNDS, WITH HAZEL EYES AND BROWN HAIR, WAS NOT WEARING A SHIRT WHEN LAST SEEN AND HAD ON A BASEBALL CAP, BLUE JEAN SHORTS AND TENNIS SHOES. ANYONE WHO KNOWS HIS WHEREABOUTS IS ASKED TO CONTACT THE SAINT MARTIN PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE.
