9-18-25
AN INTENSE STORM SWEPT THROUGH ACADIANA YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. MULTIPLE RESIDENTS REPORTED PROPERTY DAMAGE. GEORGE FAUST HAS SOME EXAMPLES.
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THE STORM YESTERDAY ALSO CAUSED SEVERE DAMAGE TO A HOME ON PEARL STREET. A TREE FELL ON THE HOME TRAPPING A WOMAN AND HER YOUNGEST SON. THE WOMAN, DIANE LANDRY, SAYS A NEIGHBOR CAME TO THEIR RESCUE THOUGH HER YOUNGEST SON WAS UNABLE TO LEAVE UNTIL FIRE OFFICIALS CAME BECAUSE OF A FALLEN ELECTRICAL LINE. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.
SAINT MARTINVILLE POLICE CHIEF RICKY MARTIN SAYS AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE MURDER OF SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD IRIS DAVIS REMAINS ACTIVE AND HE URGES ANYONE WITH INFORMATION TO COME FORWARD. DAVIS WAS REPORTED MISSING BY HER GRANDMOTHER IN JULY AND WAS FOUND DEAD FOUR DAYS LATER IN A FIELD NEAR THEIR HOME. POLICE HAVE MADE SEVERAL ARRESTS IN THE CASE. DAVIS’ GRANDPARENTS, EUGENE AND GRACE TAYLOR, WERE CHARGED LAST MONTH WITH CONTRIBUTING TO THE DELINQUENCY OF A JUVENILE WHILE HER OLDER BROTHER, DORIAN SAVOY, ALSO FACES DELINQUENCY CHARGES AS WELL AS A CHARGE OF FAILURE TO REPORT A HOMOCIDE.
CLOSING ARGUMENTS ARE EXPECTED TODAY IN THE FIRST-DEGREE MURDER TRIAL OF CHRISTOPHER CATER OF LAKE CHARLES. CATER ALLEGEDLY ADMITTED TO KILLING AN ACQUAINTANCE, SEVENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD SHEILA ORTEGA, TWO YEARS AGO AND DRIVING HER S-U-V WITH HER BODY IN IT FOR A MONTH BEFORE THE BODY WAS FOUND IN AUGUST OF TWENTY-TWENTY-THREE IN THE VEHICLE OUTSIDE THE PRIEN LAKE MALL. INVESTIGATORS SAYS HE ALSO TOOK OUT LOANS IN HER NAME. THE JURY IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DELIBERATIONS TODAY.
NEW IBERIA DETECTIVES ARE INVESTIGATING A HOMOCIDE AND ARE ASKING FOR THE PUBLIC’S HELP TO IDENTIFY THE KILLER. THE VICTIM WAS FOUND BY AUTHORITIES IN THE DOORWAY OF AN APARTMENT ON MISSISSIPPI STREET. ACADIAN AMBULANCE PRONOUNCED THE MAN DEAD AT THE SCENE. THE NAME OF THE VICTIM HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED.
TWO PEDESTRIANS, A WOMAN AND A THREE-YEAR-OLD GIRL, WERE STRUCK BY A VEHICLE ON NORTH PARK BOULEVARD IN OPELOUSAS YESTERDAY MORNING. POLICE SAY THE DRIVER WAS TRAVELING NORTHBOUND WHEN HE SUFFERED A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, CAUSING HIM TO LOSE CONTROL. THE CHILD HAD MODERATE INJURIES WHILE THE WOMAN SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES. THE INCIDENT REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION.
MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCED ENROLLMENT HAS INCREASED BY FIVE PERCENT OVER LAST FALL TO A TOTAL OF SIX THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED FIFTY-SIX STUDENTS. IT’S THE LARGES ENROLLMENT INCREASE IN TWENTY-TWO YEARS. MCNEESE’S FRESHMAN CLASS IS THE LARGEST IN YEARS WITH A THIRTEEN-POINT-THREE PERCENT INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR. PRESIDENT DOCTOR WADE ROUSSE SAYS THE GROWTH IS THE RESULT OF A STRATEGY OF RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND JOB PLACEMENT.
EVANGELINE PARISH AUTHORITIES ARE CONTINUING TO INVESTIGATE A DISPUTE BETWEEN MAMOU CITY COUNCILMAN DERRELL THOMAS AND RUFUS SEARILE. THOMAS CLAIMS SEARILE WAS TRESPASSING ON HIS FAMILY’S PROPERTY. SEARILE SAYS HE WAS TAKING PICTURES OF THE PROPERTY FOR A WOMAN WHO WAS ALLEGEDLY INJURED THERE DURING A TRAIL RIDE, BUT HE CLAIMS HE WAS NEVER ON THE PROPERTY. SEARILE CLAIMS THOMAS AND OTHERS BLOCKED HIM IN AND WOULDN’T LET HIM LEAVE. SHERIFF CHARLES GUILLORY SAYS THEY ARE INVESTIGATING BOTH SIDES OF THE INCIDENT.
