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OBITUARIES
FRENCH NEWSCAST VILLE PLATTE DRUG ARREST MAY 14, 2008 Ville Platte Police executed an arrest warrant on a local man on drug distribution charges since last March. Detective Joseph “Plywood” Fontenot told kVPI News Darrell Ardoin age 42 of 705 North Soileau Street, Ville Platte was arrested during a traffic stop on Tuesday. He was charged with distribution of crack cocaine in a warrant from an undercover drug buy last March. His bond was set at $15,000 by Judge Thomas Fuselier. He was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Adrien Williams. Ms. Williams , age 38 of 422 Jean Duos Road, Ville Platte was charged with no seat belt, no drivers license and no proof of insurance. Her bond was set at $600. MAMOU DOMESTIC DISPUTE MAY 14, 2008 A Mamou couple was arrested following a domestic dispute that sent one person to the hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the dispute. Mamou Police Detective Todd Ortis identified the couple was Donald Soileau age 37 of 1101 First Street and Lucy Arvie age 34 of 112 8th Street, Mamou. The incident occurred during the early morning hours of Monday morning. Ortis said when officers arrived at the scene of Lucy Arvie’s residence, they discovered that Soileau was bleeding profusely around the head area. He complained to the officers that his girl friend, Lucy Arvie, struck him over the head with an aluminum baseball bat. Soileau was transported to Savoy Medical Center where he was treated for his injuries. Lucy Arvie was arrested and charged with aggravated battery. Her bond was set at $20,000. After being treated for his injuries, Donald Soileau was arrested and charged with domestic abuse battery with bond set at $7500. Ortis said Arvie was apparently struck by Soileau and they noticed bruises and contusions around her face and neck EVANGELINE PARISH SHERIFF OFFICE MAY 14, 2008 Evangeline Parish Authorities are investigating possible hate crimes in the Bayou Chicot area. Captain Keith Dupre told KVPI News that three nooses were found hanging in the Chicot area over the weekend. One noose was hanging over a highway sign along US 167, another hanging over a cross at the Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church on the St. Landry Highway and a third noose found at the door of the St. James Baptist Church in Bayou Chicot. Dupre is asking for the help of the general public in finding out who is responsible. Anyone with information is asked to please contact the sheriff’s office at 363-2161. All information will remain anonymous. Dupre said Sheriff Eddie Soileau is determined to do everything in his power to find the person or persons responsible. In another case, a Eunice woman was arrested Monday in connection with a vehicle breakin and a house burglary in the Basile area. Dupre identified the suspect as Sharon Francois age 42 of Highway 29, Eunice. She was charged with two counts of burglary and theft and one count of criminal damage to property. Her bond was set at $10,000. The arrest by St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s deputies was in connection with the May 7 breakin of a vehicle in the Basile area where a purse was stolen with money and a ATM card. Also the same day, a residence on the old Basile Road was broken into and a jewelry box, a TV Set, and a VCR. The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Department and Eunice Police Department assisted in the investigation. She is currently in the Eunice City Jail on other charges. Still, in another case, Sonya Renee Thompson age 18 of 217 Stephanie Street, Ville Platte was arrested May 9 and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle. Dupre said the suspect allegedly stole her grandfather’s vehicle on May 8. Her bond was set at $7500. VILLE PLATTE ROTARY CLUB MAY 13, 2008 The Ville Platte Rotary Club held its weekly meeting today (Tuesday) with guest speaker Senator Eric Lafleur. Senator Lafleur gave an update report on what is going on in the regular session of the state legislature in Baton Rouge. A bill to make it a lot harder for small rural municipalities and parishes to fund major projects with help from the state appears to beheading for passage. The bill would force parishes and municipalities put up 25% of the local match for state funded capitol outlay projects. Lafleur still feels confident that the state will help fund the local recreational district project while the future plans will have to be funded through borrowed funds. The senator said there is a lot of publicity and news stories about a proposal to scrap the state income tax. However Lafleur commented that the state would have to find an alternate source of revenues for the loss of four billion dollars. He said in neighboring Texas , where lawmakers did just that saw property taxes quadruple to make up for the lost revenues. Lafleur agreed with a proposal by some lawmakers that the homeowner deductible rates should be determined by where you live. Currently the rates are the same whether you live along the coast or in Shreveport. It still looks like our local economy may improve if plans for a major expansion at Cameron Corporation proceed. Negotiations are continuing between the company and the state. However if the expansion takes place, Senator Lafleur feels it will be a boon to the local economy. The local plant has 480 employees with an average salary of $52,000. Discussion took place over the need for a juvenile detention center. Lafleur said no one wants a prison in their back yard. There were plans to construct such a facility in the Port Barre area however local residents were against it. Lafleur was the guest of Rotarian Vic Slaven. Rotary President Eric Gil reminded rotary members that the planned Family Fun Day scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled until a future date. He reminded Rotarians about the installation of officers scheduled for June 10 at the Ville Platte Civic Center. EVANGELINE PARISH POLICE JURY MEETING MAY 12, 2008 Good news from Crooked Creek Park were reported Monday to members of the Evangeline Parish Police Jury. Police Jury Superintendent of Roads Chester Granger said the park is finally in the black financially. Granger reported that Crooked Creek Park ended the month with $2700 left over after expenses. After reports of alleged mis-management and reports of missing fuel, the police jury launched a probe which led to the appointment of a new park manager and new park policies overseen by Granger. Also, Evangeline Parish District Attorney Brent Coreil has called in the state police to investigate if any crimes have been committed . Granger reported that after cutting costs, the park is operating smoothly. Foe example he stated that the park only used 197 gallons of fuel for the month of April while in the past the park had been purchasing on an average of 400 gallons of fuel a month. For the two month period of January and February of this year, the park was $19,000 in deficit spending. One major problem was that during the slow winter months, Granger observed that up to 13 employees were working full time in the park . The Parish Tourism Commission recently awarded the park a $10,000 grant which will be used to upgrade all of the electrical camper hookup boxes in the park. Most of the boxes are over 30 years old. The parish is hoping to use any surplus money it has at the park to begin renovating the cabins. In other business, the police jury could not agree on a motion to give the parish building inspector the additional responsibility of being in charge of the building code program. A motion was made to shift the responsibilities from Secretary Treasurer Doug DeVille over to Building Inspector Barney Deshotel. However, the jury agreed to postpone action until they meet in committee to discuss what Deshotel expects to receive in compensation for his additional duties. The jury will meet in committee to discuss the motion on May 26 at 5:00pm. The police jury also approved a motion by District Four Police Lamar Johnson to use the majority of the growing surplus in the 2 cent sales tax road fund and divide it among the road districts to make needed road improvements. The road fund has a 2.5 million dollar surplus. Jury President Bob Manuel reminded the jurors to be careful how they spend the money. “Remember, we told the people of this parish that the money would be spent on roads and bridges and not on salaries and hiring additional people.” Jimmie Fontenot, a member of the Boggy Bayou Hunting Club, said his hunting club is having a problem with roaming cattle. His hunting club is located in Ward Four which is an open range ward with no stock law. It is one of only a few areas in the state that allows free roaming of livestock. Fontenot asked the jury to consider enacting a stock law. Jury Legal Advisor Tony Walker told the jury that they have the power to enact a stock law but they cannot call a stock law election. It would take a petition containing the signatures of 25% of the registered voters in the ward to force an election on the issue. Juror Lamar Johnson who represents the area told Fontenot “I don’t think its proper for me to decide what the people want. Let the people present us with the petition and we’ll call an election.” In other action the police jury: --Appointed Danette Cloud as a new member of the Evangeline Tourism Commission; --Appointed Tillman Ben to replace the late Matthews Thomas on the Ward One Industrial Development Board. ACCIDENT CLAIMS TWO VILLE PLATTE RESIDENTS MAY 12, 2008 On May 10, 2008, Louisiana State Police responded to a single vehicle crash at 2:45pm on US 190 west of Basile in Acadia Parish. Sixty six year old Jimmie Lecoq of Ville Platte was traveling east on US 190 when she traveled off the right side of the roadway and lost control of the vehicle, according to Trooper First Class David Anderson The vehicle struck a tree ejecting the front seat passenger, sixty nine year old Winfield Lecoq of Ville Platte. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. A second passenger in the vehicle, seventy eight year old Bonnie Ritter of Ville Platte was fatally injured in the crash. The driver was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. EVANGELINE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD MAY 7, 2008 A Federal Judge has given approval to the Evangeline Parish School Board to spend up to $28,500 to pay for the cost of moving bleachers from Kinder to Pine Prairie High School. Superintendent of Schools Toni Hamlin reported on Wednesday that after a special meeting she and Board President Wayne Dardeau had with U.S. District Court Judge Tucker Melancon last week, the judge OK’d the request to lift a spending freeze. The bleachers are being donated by the Allen Parish School Board to Pine Prairie. It was learned that the cost to construct new bleachers would be in the neighborhood of $400,000. The school board is under a spending freeze on any construction project outside of Ville Platte High until funds are found to construct a new Ville Platte High School. The board will attempt for a second time in less than a year to pass a bond issue to construct a new Ville Platte High School in July. Last October, the election failed by 299 votes. In other business, Superintendent of Schools
Hamlin reported on two recent school break-ins. One burglary occurred at
Chataignier Elementary where two desk top computers were taken. Teachers were honored this week by the school district for Teacher Appreciation Week. Cakes were delivered to each school in the parish by central office staff. Each teacher received a desk clock. In other action the school board: --approved spending up to $24,000 in tuition fees for teachers who want to go back to school and get their master’s degree to teach dual enrollment courses at Ville Platte High’s Magnet School. Junior and Seniors at the school can earn up to 24 college credit courses through LSU at Eunice. GRAND JURY RETURNS TWO TRUE BILLS MAY 7, 2008 The Evangeline Parish Grand Jury returns two true bills on Tuesday May 6. Charged were Aaron Wayne Mitchell and Eric Pleasant according to Evangeline Parish District Attorney Brent Coreil. Aaron Wayne Mitchell age 44 of 2829 Old Highway 13, Mamou was charged with the aggravated rape, oral sexual battery and indecent behavior with a juvenile. The offenses occurred between March 1, 2007 and November 30, 2007 with a victim under the age of 13 years. Bond for Mitchell was set at $500,000 by Judge Tom Fuselier. His arraignment has been scheduled for June 5. He is currently in the Evangeline Parish jail. If the District Attorney seeks a capitol verdict, Mitchell is facing punishment by death or life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence on the charge of aggravated rape. The charge of oral sexual battery carries a sentence of punishment at hard labor for not less than 25 years or more than life imprisonment. The charge of indecent behavior with a juvenile when the victim is under the age of 13 and the offender is 17 years of age or older shall be punished by imprisonment at hard labor for not less than 2 or more than 25 years. The United States Supreme Court is presently considering whether the death penalty for aggravated rape under these circumstances is constitutional. In a separate matter the Grand Jury charged Eric Pleasant age 24 of 1390 Dossman Lake Road, Ville Platte with second degree battery for an offense that occurred on December 8, 2007. Judge Tom Fuselier set Pleasant’s bond at $10,000 and the arraignment is set for June 10 at 9:00am. If convicted, Pleasant is facing a fine of not more than $2,000 for imprisonment with or without hard labor for not more than 5 years or both.
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