Avoyelles' top 10 stories of 2017
In most years, the decision over what was the No. 1 news story of the year is a matter of opinion on what an individual considers to be “news” and “important.” The top 10 stories usually fall into a few broad categories: crime/courts, weather/ natural disasters, local government and schools/education.
While the general rule on overall categories once again held true, this year there was a clear winner for the top news event of 2017.
1. STAFFORD/GREENHOUSE: THE MARDIS CASE
Two law enforcement officers charged with the November 2015 shooting death of a 6-year-old child and the shooting of that child’s father came to trial this year.
Derrick Stafford was tried first in March.
It took a week to pick a jury and a week to hear testimony before a 12-member jury rendered a 10-2 verdict to convict him of manslaughter of Jeremy Mardis and attempted manslaughter of Chris Few.
He was sentenced to 40 years for manslaughter and 15 years for attempted manslaughter, but 12th Judicial District Judge Billy Bennett ordered the sentences to be served at the same time, rather than back-to-back, for a total of 40 years.
Stafford will apparently not be eligible for parole for 30 years.
There were hearings on various pre-trial motions for the other defendant, Norris Greenhouse Jr. A summer trial date was postponed to Oct. 2.
A month before his trial date, Greenhouse was reported to have left the state on a Caribbean vacation to the Virgin Islands. Upon his return, he was brought to court on a bond hearing.
Bennett ruled he had violated terms of his bond agreement by not having his electronic monitor, also called an “ankle bracelet,” serviced when it malfunctioned. Greenhouse was ordered to serve a week in jail. He was released under the same $1 million bond that he had been out on since shortly after his arrest in November 2015.
Just prior to the start of jury selection in that case, Greenhouse accepted a plea bargain from the state Attorney General’s Office, pleading guilty to negligent homicide and malfeasance by a police officer. He was sentenced to 7.5 years -- five for negligent homicide and 2.5 for malfeasance. The sentences are to be served back-to-back. However, he could be eligible for parole after two years.
The next nine stories in the Top 10 could be listed in any order. We will list them by overall category.
CRIME/COURTS/LAW ENFORCEMENT
2. CHARLES MAYEUX CONVICTED OF WIFE'S MURDER
Former Evergreen Police Chief Charles Mayeux was convicted of the 2nd degree murder of his wife, Shellie St. Romain Mayeux, and sentenced to life in prison without benefit of parole. The trial was scheduled for May and postponed until August.
In March 2015, Mayeux’s home in Evergreen was destroyed in a fire and Shellie Mayeux’s body was found in the couple’s bedroom. Mayeux was fully clothed and said he had fallen asleep in the living room before being awakened by the smell of smoke.
Although he had also been indicted for aggravated arson, the district attorney chose not to prosecute him on that charge.
He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, which is mandatory for conviction of 2nd degree murder.
3. STANDOFF IN LONGBRIDGE
In a bizarre chain of events that could have ended in tragedy, Brandon Carpenter was arrested and charged with four counts of attempted 1st degree murder of police officers in connection with a May 11 incident in which he struck an occupied police vehicle with his car and then led authorities on a high-speed chase that ended in a standoff at a home in Longbridge.
At one point, Carpenter fired a shotgun through a window, wounding three police officers. Two required treatment at a hospital.
Court action on Carpenter’s case has been postponed pending a report on the suspect’s sanity at the time of the incident.
4. BUNKIE DETENTION CENTER CLOSED
In March, the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office closed its Detention Center #2 between Bunkie and Evergreen, transferring employees to the two remaining parish prisons and the male inmates to Detention Center #1 in Marksville.
OTHER CRIME/COURT
* John Drummer was convicted of 2nd degree murder in the beating death of Marcus Beal, who was just a few days short of his third birthday. Drummer was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
* Vincent Simmons , convicted of two counts of attempted aggravated rape 40 years ago, sat in a courtroom in his home parish on Nov. 8 in a hearing to determine whether District Judge Kerry Spruill should be allowed to hear motions in his appeal for a new trial. Simmons case has been a national and international cause by those who claim Simmons was framed for the attack on two 14-year-old twins in May 1977.
* On Oct. 23, Kalvien Lyons, 27, took hostages at a Spring Bayou home. He shot and killed Ryan Mayes, 27, and then killed himself.
* 77 state inmates were released from Raymond Laborde Correctional Center and Avoyelles Parish Detention Centers on Nov. 1. The early release of non-violent offenders was part of a state effort to reduce costs.
*Tunica-Biloxi Tribal Chairman Joey Barbry was indicted by a federal grand jury in May on charges of embezzlement from a tribal organization and pleaded not guilty the next month. Barbry was removed from his position as tribal administrator but retained his elected office of tribal chairman. Tribal Council Vice Chairman Marshall Ray Sampson Sr. and Secretary-Treasurer Beverly Chapman-Rachal were named interim co-administrators.
* The Acadiana Center for Youth juvenile detention facility -- which was completed in 2016 but left unfunded due to state budget cuts -- received $7.2 million from the Legislature to start the process of hiring and training staff for the center in Bunkie.
* Armand Frank, 42, of Marksville died in the Walmart parking lot after being “tased” by Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s deputies attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Oct. 8.
* One of Avoyelles’ remaining mysteries -- the disappearance of Jessica Guillot -- was back in the headlines even though all suspects in the case have been convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes in connection with the case. The Louisiana Supreme Court reinstated the conviction and sentence of Chadwick McGhee for simple kidnapping in the case, overturning 3rd Circuit Court ruling that had vacated the verdict and sentence. Guillot is presumed dead but her body has never been found.
SCHOOLS/EDUCATION
5. RRCA CONTINUES EFFORT TO OPEN CHARTER SCHOOL
Red River Charter Academy began the year negotiating with the Avoyelles School Board to reach an agreement that would allow it to open a grade 7-8 charter school in 2017-18. At the end of the negotiation -- encouraged by state Education Superintendent John White -- the board did not even make a motion to reconsider its previous denial.
RRCA went to the BESE meeting where it won approval in a committee but fell one vote short of approval on a 5-5 tie at the full board meeting. RRCA officials vowed to continue the fight.
This school year, the School Board once again denied the proposed school’s application to open a charter school. RRCA again prepared to take its case to BESE. It received a recommendation for approval from the state’s independent evaluator and had arranged to have a bus load of supporters attend the meeting to support the proposed school’s application.
Just prior to the BESE meeting in October, RRCA officials withdrew their application, saying they want to try one more time to work within the Avoyelles School District rather than operate as an independent public school.
They say if the School Board rebuffs them in 2018, they will once again take their case to BESE -- this time without the spectre of the school’s perceived or feared impact on a federal court-ordered desegregation plan. The district is expected to have been declared “unitary” before BESE would meet to consider the 2018 application.
Other Education
* In July the Avoyelles School Board was projecting a $1 million deficit in its budget -- less than the more than $3 million shortfall originally expected. In October the board received more bad news when the state reported a loss of 139 students in overall enrollment would cost the district almost $800,000 in state funds. The budget problems resulted in several cost-cutting measures, including Superintendent Blaine Dauzat saying the district may have to eliminate granting sabbatical leaves for teachers.
* In November, RRCA was awarded a $25,000 grant to conduct tutoring and other educational and recreation programs at the City of Marksville’s Bethune Youth Center, located in the gym of the former Mary Bethune High School, which served as the school for Marksville area black students during the days of segregation.
* In December, the School Board was told the district is on course to be released from a 50-year-old desegregation suit prior to the 2018-19 school year. The board will file a motion to dismiss the suit on June 1.
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
6. CITY HALL VS. COURTHOUSE OVER WARD/CITY COURT
A suit concerning funding of the Ward 2/Marksville City Court was resolved, but neither the Police Jury nor City of Marksville were pleased with the outcome. The two local governments tried to open up communications to resolve their still sore feelings on the matter, but there remains a “big chill” between City Hall and the Courthouse.
Ward/City Judge Angelo Piazza won the case, forcing full funding of the court’s operating costs. City officials “won” in that they forced the Police Jury to pay half of the court’s operating expenses.
However, the Police Jury received almost 90 percent of fines collected by the court in 2017 because it has instructed the District Attorney’s Office to prosecute all cases possible under state statutes and not city ordinances, thus ensuring that fines are sent to the Police Jury. The Police Jury still spent more money than it received in fines.
Mayor John Lemoine frequently complained that it was not fair to pay half and get very little of the fines. Police jurors complained that they are paying for a city court.
7. ROAD TRANSFER PROGRAM: M-P CUTOFF AND COCOVILLE ROAD FINISHED
A few years ago the Police Jury signed an agreement with the state Department of Transportation & Development in which the parish would take Cocoville Road into the parish road system. DOTD agreed to reconstruct Cocoville Road, converting it from an aging concrete highway to a new asphalt one. In addition, the state provided about $750,000 for parish road maintenance to sweeten the deal.
The Police Jury spent that grant on the Moreauville-Plaucheville Cutoff Road.
The state finished both projects in 2017.
When there wasn’t quite enough state funds to finish reconstructing all of M-P Cutoff, the new Road District 2 -- created by voter-approval in 2016 -- came to the rescue with funds from a $1 million bond issue it secured earlier in the year. The bond issue is backed by future collections of the 30-mill property tax for road improvements and maintenance in four east Avoyelles wards.
OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENT
* District Attorney Charles Riddle began the year saying his office was headed for an $80,000 deficit if action was not taken to cut spending. He implemented a “furlough” program, requiring all employees to take four unpaid hours of leave per week for three months. Riddle ended the year asking for, and narrowly receiving, a $35,000 advance from his 2018 budget allocation from the Police Jury to avoid ending 2017 in deficit. He said he will not replace two assistant district attorneys and two office personnel to ensure the department remains within budget in 2018.
* A delegation from Avoyelles Parish attended “twinning ceremonies” in Bellechasse, Quebec to formally make the Canadian county and the Louisiana parish “twins.” It is believed to be the first county-level twinning agreement in the state -- and maybe the nation.
* Mansura began work on Phase I of the renovation of the historic Mansura Depot. The depot will become a Railroad Museum, focusing on Mansura and this area’s history with the railroad, including as an important stop for the Orphan Train program that brought many children from Northern cities to be adopted in Louisiana.
* A series of unfortunate events befell the City of Marksville in June when a street repair turned into a sinkhole and the sinkhole repair led to the need to replace a section of the sewer system. The “Waddil Street Crater” was eventually repaired, and some needed drainage improvements completed to take advantage of the gaping hole. The work cost the city $194,845.59.
WEATHER
8. JAN. 2 TORNADO
2017 was scarcely born when a tornado tore a path from Bunkie to Marksville. Trees were knocked down and a few roofs were damaged. There was one reported injury. The tornado and high winds associated with the storm system left 16,000 people in Avoyelles without electricity for at least some period of time.
9. SPRING FLOOD SPARKS DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT DISCUSSION
There was a late April flood that affected over 100 homes and businesses and caused damages that local governments are still dealing with. That, combined with the August 2016 major flood, made drainage improvements a major topic of discussion at municipal council meetings, Police Jury meetings and even a parishwide Town Hall meeting at the AgCenter to hear the state provide information on the causes and possible solutions to drainage problems in the parish.
10. A DECEMBER SNOW
On the morning of Dec. 8, Avoyelles Parish residents woke to a rare scene -- snow falling on a solid white blanket of snow.
This was no “flurry,” no “dusting,” no “scattered snow shower.” It was “let’s build a snowman,” it was “let’s make snow angels,” it was “let’s have a snowball fight.”
Unfortunately, snow-laden limbs falling into power lines knocked out electricity to over 6,000 homes and businesses in Avoyelles Parish -- some for most of the day, others for only a brief period.
OTHER NEWSWORTHY EVENTS OF 2017
Other important events that just missed the Top 10 list and don’t fit in the broad categories include:
* A memorial monument to 15 Avoyelles Parish men killed in the Vietnam War. The monument on La. Hwy 1 near the Cocoville Road intersection was dedicated on Veterans Day. A second monument to the 15 men will be erected at the north entrance to Marksville on La. Hwy 1. That section of the highway is also dedicated in the fallen soldiers’ honor and memory.
* Native American stars of the critically acclaimed film Wind River attended a “red carpet” event at the Paragon Cinema in August. Actors Julia Jones, Gil Birmingham and Martin Sensmeier said the movie, produced by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe’s Acacia Filmed Entertainment, addresses the important issue of sexual abuse of Native American women on reservations in the U.S. Later in the year, the tribe announced it was scrubbing all reference to the Weinstein Company -- the movie’s distributor -- from the film in light of the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal in Hollywood. The tribe said it would divert Weinstein’s share of profits to a non-profit agency that serves Native American women who are victims of domestic abuse.
* There was hope for the future of oil exploration in Avoyelles Parish when a well in Goudeau -- drilled into the once-rich Austin Chalk formation -- struck oil and natural gas in September. There was a lot of research activity and some leases signed during the year. Oil industry observers were optimistic that there would be more such wells drilled, sparking more leases and strengthening the local economy.