ABBEVILLE — An Abbeville teenager faces murder charges after two brothers were shot and died from their wounds.
Police say the department received a call of “shots fired” just after 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Abbeville Police said witnesses to the shooting pointed investigators to a 17-year-old suspect, who was booked into the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center on two counts of first-degree murder. It was not immediately known if he has an attorney.
The victims’ names were not released.
Police have not released a motive or details about what sparked the shootings.
Vitter: DOT awards $24M grant for roads
NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $24.1 million grant to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to fix highways affected by Hurricane Isaac.
Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter announced the grant Tuesday. He says the money will start the process of rebuilding or repairing infrastructure that suffered significant damaged after Isaac struck Louisiana Aug. 29.
The grant is funded through the Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief program and will be used to fund emergency repair work to help restore roads and highways to their original condition.
Fire chief retires to become city’s COO
MONROE — Monroe Fire Chief Jimmie Bryant will retire March 1 to become the city’s chief operating officer.
Mayor Jamie Mayo made the announcement Tuesday.
Bryant has served as chief for almost 15 years and has 32 years of service in firefighting and related positions.
Bryant began his fire service career with the Shreveport Fire Department in 1981. Over the past three decades, he has served in positions ranging from EMS to administration. Those include firefighter, fire medic driver, fire medic officer, senior training officer, flight paramedic, agency director, interim director of Homeland Security and fire chief.
Man arrested in staged home invasion
NATCHITOCHES — Authorities say a 64-year-old Dallas man is accused of staging a home invasion at his parents’ Natchitoches home to cover his theft of coins and cash from a safe at the house.
Natchitoches Parish sheriff’s deputies say Burton Paul Dupuy III was arrested Monday and booked with felony theft, exploitation of the infirmed and criminal mischief by filing a false police report.
Deputies say the case began on Nov. 13 when they received a report of an armed home invasion.
Dupuy claimed the men forced him to open his parents’ safe, where there were gold and silver coins valued at about $200,000 and $140,000 in cash.
Dupuy remains in jail. His bond is set at $301,000.
Church treasurer arrested for theft
SHREVEPORT — Caddo Parish deputies say the former treasurer at a Rodessa church has been arrested in connection with the theft of $31,746 from the church building fund.
Sheriff Steve Prator said in a news release that Demario Thomas, 31, of Rodessa, turned himself in to the Caddo Sheriff’s Office after Detective Doug Smith obtained a warrant for his arrest on a forgery charge. Thomas was booked into the Caddo Correctional Center on Monday and then released on bond.
Thomas is accused of writing 106 checks to himself between April 2010 and October 2012 while he served as treasurer of the First Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas signed his own name and forged the name of another board member for the two signatures required on the account.
Mayor fires chief financial officer
PORT ALLEN — Port Allen Mayor Demetric Slaughter has fired Chief Financial Officer Audrey McCain in response to recent audit findings that cited weaknesses in the city’s accounting practices.
The mayor sent the council a letter Monday in which she announced McCain’s firing.
Slaughter said in the letter that she also was stripping McCain of her duties as the city’s municipal clerk, another title held by the city’s chief financial officer.
The mayor said in the letter that Section 2-136 in the city’s ordinances as well as state statute R.S. 33:404 gives her the authority to fire McCain.
But Councilman Garry Hubble said Monday that the mayor’s actions are a direct violation of the city’s ordinances, which he said stipulates personnel decisions involving the city’s department heads be ratified by the City Council.
Ruling expected
in disabled
boy’s beheading
THIBODAUX — A Lafourche Parish judge planned to rule today on whether a man accused of beheading his disabled son is able to help his attorneys and therefore fit to stand trial on a charge of first-degree murder.
District Judge John LeBlanc has said he will rule on whether to try Jeremiah Wright for the death of 7-year-old Jori Lirette or send Wright back to a mental hospital for further treatment.
As a six-day hearing ended Feb. 4, LeBlanc said there’s no argument about whether Wright can understand the charges against him and the nature of the proceedings against him, so the only question is whether he can help his attorneys.
Wright’s attorneys have not entered a plea to the charge of first-degree murder.
Lease agreement in works for USS Orleck move
WESTLAKE — The executive director of the museum ship USS Orleck says he and casino representatives are working on a plan to dock the destroyer next to the Isle of Capri Casino in Westlake.
The plan is to sublease land between the casino hotel and the Interstate 10 bridge from the casino, Ron Williams said.
“It’s not just talk,” he said.
Once the lease is signed, Williams said, Orleck officials will begin raising money to pay for dockside facilities. Mark Boudreaux, president and CEO of the Orleck Naval Museum, said in January that those facilities could cost $300,000 to $500,000.
“The ship is 390 feet long,” Williams said. “The dock area will be a little wider and longer than the ship itself, but we don’t need a huge footprint on the shore.”
Public will have say in new park
LAFAYETTE — Residents will soon be able to speak up on the future of the “Horse Farm” after years of groundwork for a plan to transform the property into a public park.
The Lafayette City-Parish Council last year approved the purchase of the vacant 100-acre tract to create a new central park.
The Community Foundation of Acadiana last week announced the creation of a new nonprofit group to raise money for the park and to oversee its development and long-term management.
City-Parish President Joey Durel said the last step before serious planning and design work begins is a planned agreement under which the nonprofit group, Lafayette Central Park Inc., will lease the property from city-parish government.
Central Park board envisions several opportunities for public input in the future.
From The Associated Press.
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