It was a busy day Sunday for volunteers working at the annual Radio Auction for the benefit of Ville Platte Youth Inc. and Ville Platte Girls Inc. The weather was perfect and the crowds of people filled the Ville Platte Civic Center to bid in person or listened to KVPI FM 92.5 and bid over the phone, There were plenty of sweet items, cakes and pies, hunting and fishing trips, merchandise and services, large and small all to benefit our young people. Everything was sold by the time the auction ended at 5:00 so there were no need for an auction..

     Heading up the on air duties again this year were Evangeline Parish Clerk of Court Randy Deshotel and Shane Darbonne, long-time coach and former president for girls softball. They did the announcing duties from 10:00am to 5;00pm. One thing of interest was the fact that they interviewed former players and coaches including Burke Pitre, Eugene Fontenot, Todd Ardoin and others who talked about the highlights during their time in the program.

     Dixie Youth President John Pitre and Girls President David LaHaye would like to thank the dozens of workers, parents and volunteers who worked all day Sunday. They would also like to thank the many businesses who donated merchandise for the auction and to everyone who bid on the items.  The radio auction is the largest fund raising event of the year for the two youth programs.

    In a special meeting Thursday, the Evangeline Parish Police Jury voted to apply for 70 percent funding of the local match for a $1.9 million dollar Hazard Mitigation grant. Parish engineer Ronnie Landreneau informed the jury that the Acadiana Planning Commission informed him that they support the plan to have the state pay a majority of the local match. The deadline for the parish to file the pre application is Monday. The retention pond or a dry reservoir will be used to hold back water during high water events and will be constructed on the Northwest side of Ville Platte. Members of the jury thanked Landreneau for his work in getting this grant funding.

    Also, during the special meeting, the jury adopted a resolution requesting the state to make needed repairs to a number of state highways that are in bad shape. Police Juror Lamar Johnson is asking the state to make improvements to a 2.5 mile stretch of the Crooked Creek road (LA 3371). He said Crooked Creek Park is losing a lot of business because of the poor road condition.  Also, the jury is asking the state to make improvements to  George Soileau Road west of Mamou, LA 1159 and LA 106 between Bayou Chicot and Pine Prairie.

Ville Platte, Evangeline Parish – A felony traffic stop led to an arrest on an outstanding warrant for a 42 year old Marksville woman, according to Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say the stop occurred Thursday night, April 19, 2018. A Sheriff’s Deputy observed a white PT Cruisier believed to be occupied by the wanted suspect. The Deputy stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as Tonya Marie Walker, of the 5000 Block of Highway 107 out of Marksville, LA. 

Walker had an outstanding warrant which was issued by the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Department for Theft of a Firearm. She was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Evangeline Parish Jail. The other two occupants of the vehicle were released and the vehicle was towed. The stolen weapon a Smith and Wesson M&P15 was not found.

The Ville Platte Rotary Club today (Tuesday ) heard from members of the Sacred Heart Interact Club during their noon luncheon at the Family Life Center.

    The youth organization is sponsored by the local rotary club. Club Sponsor and School Development Director Kimberly LeJeune introduced the club officers and a report on the activities the group has been working on.

    LeJeune announced that there are some 72 students that are members of the club.

   She said the club with the assistance of the rotary club was able to raise $1240 recently to help raise funds to pay the medical expenses for Austin Stelly who received a robotic arm. He was able to raise some $24,400 for the medical procedure. After the operation, the student visited Sacred Heart to personally thank everyone who helped.

   The Interact Club sponsors regular scheduled bingo games at the nursing home and is now selling personalized bricks in the Sacred Heart Prayer Garden. The larger bricks are $200 while the smaller size are $100 each.

   Interact club members attended the Interact District Conference and several members received awards including Gabrielle Fontenot who was named Interactor of the Year.

   The group was the special guest of Rotarian Jimmy LeBlanc.

   Susan Saunders reported that the “Choices” program was taught in classes at Ville Platte High last week by rotary club members. It urged students in the 8^th grade to stay in school and not drop out.

Ville Platte PoliceChief Neal Lartigue with the Ville Platte Police Department reports one arrest after an incident of false imprisonment.

On April 22, 2018 at approximately 4:00 a.m.  The Ville Platte Police Department dispatch received information from Evangeline 911 that they received a report of a fugitive with a weapon inside of a residence in the 300 block of Huey P. Long Street in Ville Platte.  Officers arrived on scene and assessed the situation.  Detectives, Chief Lartigue and the Louisiana State Police Swat Team, Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office and Ville Platte City Marshal’s Office arrived on scene to assist.  Officers and Detectives learned that the fugitive had escaped from the custody of the Mamou Police Department in September 2017 and had been on the run ever since.  He was being held for Acadia Parish who has an active warrant for aggravated second degree battery. The suspect gained entry into the home on Huey P. Long Street armed with a shotgun and held a black male and a black female inside.  According to the report the suspect dated the female at one time but there was no current relationship. 

Witnesses reported that the suspect was pacing back and forth in the residence and was refusing to allow anyone to leave or to surrender to law enforcement.  Louisiana State Police arrived on scene and began negotiating with the suspect.

After approximately five hours, the suspect surrendered to law enforcement and was taken into custody without incident.  No injuries were reported.

Abselon Hebert 23, (unknown address)   was booked into the Ville Platte City Jail on charges of two counts of false imprisonment, two counts of simple battery and a hold for a warrant issued by the Mamou Police department for criminal damage to property and simple escape, along with the warrant from Acadia Parish for aggravated second degree battery.   Hebert was transferred to the Evangeline Parish Jail and is being held without bond. 

Chief Neal Lartigue would like to acknowledge the quick response and assistance of the Evangeline Parish 911 Dispatch center and the Louisiana State Police Swat Team, Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Ville Platte City Marshal’s Office. 

In another case, Chief Neal lartigue reports one arrest for exploitation of the infirmed.

On  April 21, 2018 an arrest was made in reference to report of exploitation of an elderly woman in the 200 block of High School Drive.   Officers responded to the residence and notified Detectives who began an investigation in regards to a black male who repeatedly demanded money from an elderly woman for lawn services that were never performed or were already paid for.  The elderly woman had trouble remembering if she owed any money to the suspect so she would give him more money each time he returned to her residence and demanded payment.  The family became aware of the problem and notified authorities.  Detectives completed their investigation and arrested Howard Belton, 58 of 907 Edward   “Knotoe” Thomas Street apartment A, on charges of exploitation of the infirmed and criminal trespassing. Belton was booked into the Ville Platte City Jail and then transferred to the Evangeline parish Jail on a $26,500.00 bond. 

Chief Lartigue reminds residents to report any suspicious or illegal activity to the Ville Platte Police Department by calling 363-1313.  Your call will remain anonymous.

     The Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce released the nominees for this year’s Ville Platte man and Woman of the Year honors.

    The Women of the Year nominees included: Maggie Thevenot Eades who operates Cottage Couture store and cafe and expanded it to a Bed and Breakfast. She taught school as a Home Economics teacher, involved with Relay for Life as a volunteer and sponsor, Boys and Girls Club, Sacred Heart School and Foundation and involved in the Chamber of Commerce.

Anita M. Fontenot who is President of Southwest Fidelity Corporation, President of Percy J. Fontenot Inc., on the board with Investar Bank, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center and the Community Foundation of Acadiana. She is involved with the Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce, Ville Platte Rotary Club, Cabot Corporation community advisory panel, Acadian Baptist Center Board of Directors, St. Landry/Evangeline United Way and Louisiana Finance Association. She received the 2015 Business Person of the Year by the Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce; 2016 Philanthropy Award for Evangeline Parish by Community Foundation of Acadiana and the 2016 Distinguished Citizen of the Year award by the Evangeline Area Council of the Boy Scouts.

Angela Mayeau Rozas is the Service Leader for the Ville Platte, Eunice and Opelousas Cleco offices. She has been involved with the Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce, Eucharistic minister for Our Lady Queen of All Saints for weekend end masses and homebound for the past 15 years and has served for two terms on the Parish Council for Our Lady Queen of All Saints;

Virginia L. Morein, principal at Sacred Heart Elementary after retiring from the parish public schools after 36 years. She is a member of Our Lady Queen of All Saints serving as Eucharistic Minister, past member of Come Lord Jesus group, many years spent in Adoration Chapel in the hospital and member of the Les Amis Sorority donating annually to the less fortunate at Christmas.

Melanie Fontenot, owner of Mel’s Total Fitness after working at Walmart Pharmacy for 13 years. She has been a volunteer at Ville Platte Girls and Boys Place; volunteer and supporter of the Relay for Life in Evangeline Parish, volunteer and supporter of Operation Christmas Child and supporter and organizer for the Breast Cancer Walk for Savoy Cancer Center in Mamou.

For Man of the Year, the nominees are:

Horace Edward Jr, retired after spending 25 and a half years at Centurylink as a phone tech and was also worked at Deshotel Supermarket. His community service work includes Usher and Treasurer at St. John Baptist Church, Second Harvest, Food for Family, Booster Club and assisting the elderly with home projects.

Luke Deville is helping manage his family business, Teet’s Food Store along with his father, Chris Deville. Luke has been involved with the Disabled American Veterans, Ville Platte Knights of Columbus, Ville Platte Rotary Club, Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce, Le Grand Hoorah Festival, Smoked Meat Festival and Relay for Life.

Kenneth Ardoin employed as bus driver for the school board and owner of Ken’s Car Care, He was director of Evangeline Parish Youth Basketball, Antioch Baptist Church Usher Board and Male Delegate and a member of the Eastern Seventh Assocation, Ville Platte Lower Elementary Field Trip Driver and assisting the elderly. He also assists the Lions club, Ville Platte High and Sacred Heart, Boys and Girls Club, softball and baseball teams.

Mike Perron employed by T&J Ford for 18 years, currently retired and is in his third term as Ville Platte City Councilman. He is President of the Woodman of the World for 22 years, on the board for Parks and Recreation, Swamp Pop Museum Board member, Village De Memoire board, Evangeline Community Action Board, volunteer fireman for 33 years, involved with the Food Pantry and is currently mayor Pro Tem.

     It was the first time in several years the Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Camp has been at Chicot Park. This year, the camp was back teaming up with Le Grand Hoorah Festival opening weekend. From all indications, the entire weekend was a huge success. The event began Friday night with a large crowd of people enjoying music from Preston Frank and Balfa Toujours.

      The weather was perfect both Friday night and Saturday. The cooking teams were in force Saturday along with an old fashioned boucherie.

       The music began with a jam session followed by three members of a family who are students with the Brazos School of Music. Nonstop music continued on the bandstand and the wooden dance floor under the big tent was filled with dancers.

     There were a number of students from the nearby Dewey Balfa camp who came by from all over the country and several countries including Canada and Germany.

     The cooking teams included the Ville Platte Rotary Club and the Evangeline Parish Police Jury as well as delicious food prepared from the boucherie.

   The Classic Hits road crew was there broadcasting live Saturday morning.

    The camp continues every day through Thursday with nightly public dances. There will be a bus later this week taking some of the campers to visit some popular places in Evangeline Parish.

Renee Brown, the new Executive Director for the Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce, announced that their 2018 banquet is set for Wednesday May 2^nd at the Ville Platte Civic Center and guest speakers will be brothers, Jack Walker and Joe Willy Walker with Slap Ya Mama Cajun Products.

Voting for Business of the Year, and Business Person of the Year is currently underway. Business of the Year nominees are: Champagne Quality Food, Dry Max Systems, Industrial Supply & Sports, Kary's Roux, Pine Prairie Energy, and Teet's Food Store. Nominees for Business Person of the Year are: Dr. Kirk Soileau, Donald Fontenot with Pine Prairie Energy, Luke Deville with Teet's Food Store, Ross Lafleur with Kary's Roux, and Fr. Tom Voohries with the Sacred Heart Church and School.   Nominees for the Man and Woman of the Year award will be announced later on, and all winners will be announced the night of the banquet. Brown also stated that instead of a large silent auction, this year they will be auctioning off a few items in a small auction.

Executive Director, Renee Brown also shared her excitement for the move from Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce to Evangeline Parish Chamber of Commerce. She is ready to promote Evangeline Parish as a whole saying, “Together we can do more”. Some transitions currently taking place are new chamber and tourism webpages, the planning of parish-wide job fairs, and the planning of Business Before Hours/ Business After Hours networking opportunities. Brown also announced that the Chamber’s new office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00am -5:00pm.

Also discussed, was a personal safety and active shooter workshop set to place in our area on or around June 7^th with Cody Perron. He is currently looking for sponsors for this event.

Lastly, the Chamber heard from Jerrie LeDoux, Community Liaison for Congressman Mike Johnson (District 4). LeDoux told the Chamber that she has been collecting seasonings from District 4, and with a collection of over 30, LeDoux states that most of her seasonings come from Evangeline Parish. April 29^th-May 5^th is National Small Businesses Week, and Congressman Mike Johnson will present a certificate at this year’s Chamber banquet, claiming that small businesses are the “spice” of Evangeline Parish.

Rotary Club meeting

April 17, 2018

    The Ville Platte Rotary Club met today (Tuesday) at noon at the Family Life Center for their regular meeting of the month. Club President Wayne Vidrine conducted the meeting.

   Rotarian Maggie Ortego informed the club members that their “Choices” program will be presented to 8^th grade students at Ville Platte High School next Tuesday. Four teams of instructors will be visiting with students urging them to stay in school.

   Dr. Joey Soileau reported that the Rotary Club will have a cooking booth at Le Grand Hoorah festival at Chicot State Park Saturday. Members of the group are planning to sell BBQ pork sandwiches at the festival Saturday from 9-1.

   Club President Wayne Vidrine said log time Rotarian Leonard Glenn Fontenot and his wife Mary are being honored as Philanthropist of the Year by the Community Foundation of Acadiana for their civic work in the community.

Ville Platte Police Chief Neal Lartigue reports that On April 13, 2018 Officers made an arrest in a case stemming back to 2016.  Detectives through their investigation followed leads and obtained evidence to issue a warrant of arrest where the suspect provided illegal narcotics that led to the death of a Ville Platte resident in July of 2016.  Jeffery Fontenot 32 of 169 Valerie Lane, Ville Platte was arrested without incident and booked into the Ville Platte City Jail charged with 1 count distribution and possession of a schedule II narcotic and second degree murder.  Fontenot was transferred to the Evangeline Parish Jail on a $90,000.00 bond. 

Ville Platte Police Chief Neal Lartigue with the Ville Platte Police Department reports one arrest burglary of a business.

On April 11, 2018 at approximately 8:30 a.m. Officers with the Ville Platte Police Department responded to a report of a burglary at a business located in the 200 block of East Magnolia.  Upon arrival Officers learned that suspects cut a lock and entered the business at some point during the night of April 10, 2018.  The suspects stole two dirt bikes from inside the business and left heading in different directions.  Detectives through their investigation made one arrest and are seeking two others. 

Arrested was Corey Arvie, 23 of 205 David Street, Ville Platte.  Arvie was charged with simple burglary (felony), criminal damage to property and criminal trespassing.  Arvie was booked into the Ville Platte City Jail on a $60,000.00 bond and was transferred to the Evangeline Parish Jail where he remains incarcerated. 

Detectives are would like to speak with Dakollian Deville and Abselon Herbert in reference to this incident.   

Chief Lartigue reminds residents to report illegal or suspicious activity by calling the Ville Platte Police Department at 363-1313.  Your call will remain anonymous.

Stolen ATV’s Recovered

                On 4-2-2018, at approximately 10:31 p.m., the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office received a complaint in reference to a theft that occurred at 5391 Pine Point Rd. The complainant advised that four (4) ATV’s had been stolen. Deputies responded and conducted an investigation. After leaving the scene, deputies located a pickup truck pulling a trailer, which was carrying two (2) ATV’s which matched description of two (2) stolen. Deputies were able to stop the vehicle and detain the driver. Deputies were then able to confirm that the ATV’s were stolen from 5391 Pine Point Rd. The driver was then taken into custody and the ATV’s returned to the owner.

                The case was then transferred to the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation’s Division. Investigators followed up on the case and were able to locate two (2) ATV’s in the Elton, La. area, which were stolen out of the Ville Platte area. Investigators were able to obtain probable cause linking two (2) other subjects to the thefts and arrest warrants were obtained. Those subjects were later taken into custody and in turn revealed the location of another stolen ATV, which was subsequently recovered and returned to the owner.

                At this time, three (3) of the four (4) ATV’s taken from 5391 Pine Point Rd. have been recovered. Two (2) other ATV’s have been recovered during the investigation which were not connected. One is still at large and is pictured below. The ATV is believed to be located in the Lawtell, La. area. If you have any information please contact the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office.

                Suspect information has been withheld due to an ongoing investigation

Arthur Sampson Jr., a local resident, proposed to the City Council Tuesday that April 23^rd be declared as "Stop the Violence Day"; A day to honor the life of Kathy Weston.

Sunday, April 23, 2017, 46-year-old Kathy Weston was killed in the crossfire of a shoot-out, while leaving a store in Ville Platte. This case is still unsolved. The city of Ville Platte will have a presentation ready for the Weston family on April 23^rd, following the Stop the Violence March, set to take place at 6:00 pm, with march beginning at Martin Luther King Park.

Council member, Bryant Riggs (District F) stated his concern about Kathy’s killer still walking the streets today. “They killed once, they can kill again. It could be one of us in this room.” Said Riggs. Mayor Jennifer Vidrine reminded the public that any information about this case can be reported to the Ville Platte Police Department at (337) 363-1313. A $1,000 reward for information is being offered.

The Council also heard from abandoned property owner, Monica Ardoin. Ardoin’s property at 325 South Soileau street has been condemned by the city. Like the rest of the abandoned property owners who’ve received a letter, Ardoin has 30 days to demolish the home and clean the property.

Ardoin expressed frustration over the situation, stating that she has always paid her taxes, and has kept her property as clean as possible, but due to her property being a popular place for illegal activities, and little police surveillance, she is forced to pay for the demolition of the home she inherited from her grandmother.

Mayor Vidrine stated that they are “more aggressive now than ever” on the issue of abandoned properties. Mayor Vidrine reported that 50 homes have been demolished so far, and on April 16^th, five more homes will be added to that list.

The Council also received an update from City Engineer, Ronnie Landreneau, on the city’s water line project. Landreneau states that Phase 3 of the project is coming to a close, and that what’s left of Phase 3 is an estimated 2 months of cutting and fixing streets.

The final phase of the project, Phase 4, is anticipated to begin mid-summer.  Phase 4 will include Main Street and Lasalle. Landreneau stated that they expect to be “inconveniencing the public for some time on Mainstreet and Lasalle”.

In other business:

-Mayor Vidrine reported that the City of Ville Platte spent $62,343.92 less in March than in February.

-Fire Chief, Chris Harrison, reported for the month of March a total of 19 calls. Of these calls, 6 were structural fires. One vehicular fatality.

-Chief of Police, Neil Lartigue, reported for the month of March a total of 654 complaint calls, 575 of which required a written report. There were 77 arrests, 22 of which were felony arrests. 42 vehicular accidents. No fatalities.

-Council adopted a resolution to make April Fair Housing Month.

-Council approved the appointment of Desmond Thomas, and the reappointment of Tommy Jones and Shonda Jack to the Recreational Board.

      On  Monday the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Louisiana State Police Troop E and advised that they were in pursuit of a stolen vehicle driven by Samuel Damien Lee of Ville Platte. LSP advised they were entering Evangeline Parish on U.S. 167 N. Deputies responded and joined the pursuit, which led them throughout the northern portion of Evangeline Parish. During the pursuit, Mr. Lee struck two (2) Louisiana State Police marked units. Mr. Lee came to a stop on La. Hwy 106 (Beaver Rd.) near Henry Cole Rd. Deputies and Troopers then took Mr. Lee into custody. Authorities are searching for a female who was with the suspect in the stolen vehicle: Ashley Denise Lamb. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to please call the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office at 337-363-2161.
   No law enforcement officers were harmed during the pursuit.
   Mr. Lee was transported to Mercy Regional Medical Center where he was cleared by Emergency Room personnel.
   Mr. Lee is currently held in the Evangeline Parish Jail for several charges including Aggravated Flight from a Peace Officer, Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer Involving a Motor Vehicle, and several arrest and bench warrants. Mr. Lee is currently held with No Bond.
Special thanks to Louisiana State Police Troops E and I, Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, Pine Prairie Police Department, and the Ville Platte City Marshal’s Office.

On April 5, 2018 at approximately 7:00 p.m. Officers with the Ville Platte Police Department responded to an armed robbery at a store located on the 700 block of Main Street in Ville Platte.  Upon arrival Officers learned that a black male wearing a black hoodie approached the register, pulled a gun and demanded that the cashier give him all of the money from the register.  The suspect then repeated his demands for the money from the second register.  After the suspect took the money from both registers, he fled the scene on foot. 

Through their investigation and surveillance footage Detectives identified the suspect as Johnathan Hakeem Williams 28 of 931 Rosa Ann Street, Opelousas is wanted for the charge of armed robbery. 

Williams should be considered armed and dangerous. 

Chief Lartigue is asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of Williams to contact the Ville Platte Police Department at 363-1313.  Your call will remain anonymous.

Eunice Rotary names Charles Feucht Citizen of the Year

April 4, 2018

    Long time pharmacy consultant Dr. Charles Feucht was chosen as 2017 Citizen of the Year by the Eunice Rotary Club at their noon luncheon today (Wednesday).

    Rotary Club member John Pucheu made the presentation to his long time friend and classmate.

    Feucht is married, has three children and seven grandchildren. He has a doctorate degree in pharmacy. He owns Acadiana Clinical Pharmacists Services providing consulting services to long term care and nursing homes. He is the President of the Louisiana Chapter of American Society of consulting pharmacists.

    He is an active member of St. Anthony Catholic Church as a Eucharistic Minister and past council president.

    He is very active at St. Ed’s school. He is the announcing voice of St. Ed’s football games.

   Feucht has served as past president of the Eunice Rotary Club. Pucheu mentioned that Feucht’s building skills aquired from his carpenter father helped a lot of organizations including remodeling the Liberty Theater and constructing sets at the Eunice Player’s Theater.

  In closing, Pucheu said “ Our honoree is the kind of Citizen of the Year who spent decades doing a lot of things that add up to being part of what makes our community great. Charles got things done.”

  The Eunice Rotary Club was founded in 1924 and began honoring Citizens of the Year in 1942.

Clerk of Court Randy Deshotel Guest Speaker at Rotary Club

April 3, 2018

    The Ville Platte Rotary Club today (Tuesday) heard from Evangeline Parish Clerk of Court Randy Deshotel discuss the duties and services his office offers to the general public.

     The clerk of court is the chief election officer in the parish. He announced that qualifying for the fall elections will take place July 18-20. All of the municipal offices except for Pine Prairie will have an election as well as all 13 school board members in Evangeline Parish. Next year, voters will vote on offices from Governor all the way to the parish wide races such as sheriff and police jury races.

    Among the services his office now offers are birth certificates and death certificates.

    His office has civil and criminal departments. Civil matters include law suits, adoptions and divorces. His criminal department has two minute clerks that attend all criminal trials and hearings.

    The clerk of court’s office has made many improvements through the years. When he took office, Deshotel said the office only had two computers for the public, now they have six.

    The offices has digitized many records: for example all marriage records have been scanned into the hard drive going back to 1911 while mortgage records go back to the 1970’s.

    Attorneys and those in genealogy are encouraged to subscribe to the Clerk of Court’s website to access many of their records online for $20 a day or $75 a month.

    Randy Deshotel was the guest of Rotarian Maggie Ortego.

   In other business, Leonard Fontenot urged Rotarians to become Paul Harris Fellows. A club member receives that designation when he or she contributes $1000 to Rotary International, the giving arm of Rotary to help people in need all around the world. Currently the club has 30 Paul Harris Fellows.

Brian Ardoin, a lifelong resident of Evangeline Parish, announced to the Police Jury Monday, his decision to run for the office of Evangeline Parish Sheriff. Ardoin, a retired State Trooper for Louisiana State Police, and a 22-year Marine Veteran, feels he possesses “practical experience at every level of our Criminal Justice system, to lead, inspire, and develop the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office” said Ardoin.

The Jury also heard from Monique Boulet and Melanie Bordelon, with Acadiana Planning Commission. According to Bordelon, this is the 12^th council they’ve visited in the last month to help keep the public informed on what’s happening in their jurisdiction. Their main concern, the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and flood prevention. According to their website planacadiana.org, “The Acadiana Planning Commission (APC) serves the public sector through planning and implementation of Community, Economic, and Transportation Development throughout the Acadiana region.”

One issue that was deliberated during Executive Committee meeting at 5pm, but wasn’t brought up during the regular meeting at 6pm, was abandoned properties owned by the Police Jury. During last month’s City Council meeting, Mayor Jennifer Vidrine stated she felt “embarrassed” by how little the police jury has done to maintain these properties. District 7 Police Juror, Brian Vidrine, blames a lack of resources to clear properties. Secretary-treasurer Donald Bergeron added that these properties were inherited, and were already in poor condition. Brian Vidrine proposed that the Jury offer these abandoned properties to the city, so that they can use their resources to clean these properties. The Jury approved this action.

In other business, the Jury:

• Was greeted by the new Tourism Director, Renee Brown, who shared her excitement to “help serve the people of Evangeline Parish”.
• Approved resolution declaring April as Fair Housing Month.
• Approved reappointment of Brenda Saucier to the Evangeline Parish Tourism Commission for one year.
• Approved appointment of Gene Welch to the Ward Four Water District Board.
• Approved appointment of Kyle Dupre to District One Cemetery Worker.