A new fire truck was the main topic of discussion at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Evangeline Parish Fire District Number Two, Ward One.
Unit 416 is currently being constructed and will become available to the fire district in January. Ted Demourelle updated the board on the status of the unit’s financing. “There is a proposal from Government Capital to finance the new truck whenever it becomes available,” he said. “I had Brent Coreil review it, and he sees nothing wrong with the contract and that it would be to our benefit.”
Demourelle stated that since it is a lease purchase, the board does not have to go before the bonding commission. He also stated, “if we default on the payment, they’ll pick up the truck.”
The board approved the motion for the financing of the unit and approved paying the changes to the estimate in the amount of $3,003.59. Demourelle advised the board that the total new price of the unit plus tools is $379,289.00 which is “in the ballpark” of the original estimate.
Assistant Fire Chief Blake Perron gave the chief’s report on behalf of Chris Harrison. “Ladder tests had been completed,” Perron reported. “We’re still trying to get the pump testing done. It rained the last three or four times we tried, but we’re trying again Tuesday to get everything taken care of. We don’t want to make too many holes. Some people complain that we make holes when we turn into the driveway, so we’re trying to let it dry up.”
In other business, the board:
•tabled an update on drug testing costs.
•approved specs to be drawn up for the concrete project at the Faubourg Station.
•and approved the board to help the different stations pay for suppers for the training and the regular meetings.

Three Jagneaux brothers and their wives have devoted their careers to instilling education in young minds. In the process, they have fulfilled their dying father’s wishes.
“It keeps our family close, and that was important from day one when I met Tracey’s parents,” said Tracey’s wife Yvette. “They always wanted us to be close. That was one of the last things that his dad asked me before he passed away. He asked me if I will keep them together. Teaching is one thing that helps do that.”
“When we have Sunday family dinners, it’s really fun at our house because we mainly talk about school,” she continued. “We compare things, and we laugh and pick on each other about our jobs. It’s unique, and it’s fun.”
Nick compared teaching to a family business and echoed Yvette’s description of the family get-togethers. “I think it’s pretty cool that the three brothers and their wives are all in education,” he said. “It’s kind of the family business. When we get together for family holidays and family get-togethers, the family business gets talked about. It’s kind of interesting because we teach at all the different levels. We have high school, middle school, and elementary, so we kind of cover the whole spectrum when we’re together.”
“I think it’s very unique,” Jason said. “I don’t know of too many other families where all of the siblings and their wives are teachers. In fact our mom was a teacher, and also my mother-in-law was a teacher.”
His older brother Tracey agreed. “I don’t think there are too many families that have that dynamic where three brothers and their wives are all teachers. My wife’s sister is also a teacher, so there’s a lot of educational backgrounds in the family.”
For Tracey, his reasoning for getting into teaching is what he described as selfish. “It’s kind of a selfish reason, but I wanted to coach,” he said. “If you wanted to coach back then when I was going to college, there were no Coach Education/Certification Program (CECP) coaches. You had to be a teacher, and so that’s the reason why I did it.”
Tracey graduated from McNeese State University in 1989 with a major in physical education and a minor in general science. His first teaching job was teaching chemistry and general science at his alma mater Ville Platte High School, under Principal Joe Tuminaro. While there he was an assistant football coach and head softball coach for the Bulldogs. He then pursued coaching and teaching opportunities at other schools in the parish before returning to Ville Platte High.
“This school year I’m going to be full-time in the Workbased Learning Experience,” he said. “What we do is take kids that are working their way toward their high school diploma on an alternate pathway. To get their diploma they have to have so many hours in different areas. We teach them job training skills to get them ready for the real world.”
His wife Yvette became a teacher because that was something she always wanted to do. “I knew from the time I was a little girl that I wanted to teach or I wanted to be a nurse,” Yvette said. “When I got ready to go to school, I kind of weighed both options. I decided on teaching because I wanted to teach little kids. When I got in it, I knew that was what I was meant to do.”
Yvette, like her husband, received her degree from McNeese State University in 1989. She spent 13 years teaching third graders at Mamou. She then spent some time teaching at Grand Prairie Elementary but was recruited back to Mamou by then principal Chris Fontenot. She stayed there for four years before coming to Ville Platte High where she will finish out her career.
Yvette will be teaching fifth grade math this year which is her favorite subject. “I love teaching elementary math,” she said. “It’s so much fun. There’s so many things you can do with the kids because it’s so hands on. To watch a kid understand and finally catch on what these numbers mean and how numbers work is a miracle. It’s just a blessing to watch.”
Teaching was not in Nick’s plan as he prepared to enter college. “Coming out of high school, I wanted to be a journalist,” he said. “I started working at The Gazette covering football, and I loved it. When I was 19, I was parish editor at The Gazette for a while. I didn’t have a degree at the time, so I decided to go back and finish my degree in journalism. In that period of time when I went back to school, I met the woman who ended up being my wife,” he added. She came here from Belgium with CODAFIL, and she was teaching French. Her plan was to always go back to Belgium during the summers to meet her family.”
“As a journalist you really don’t get long vacations especially when you’re beginning your career,” he added. “I realized she would have to go to Belgium pretty much by herself, and I didn’t want to be separated from her for that long. I thought I really loved the journalism because I loved the writing. It’s writing about current events, but in 10 years what I’m writing about will become history. I was covering history as it happened, so that kind of fed into my love for history at the same time. That’s what made me decide to get out of journalism and move into education.”
Nick received a degree in social studies education from McNeese State University with a minor in English. He is also certified to teach French and has been doing so for the past three years. His plan for this year is to get better and to bring down his lofty expectations.
“At this point I kind of have an idea of exactly what I’m able to do,” he said. “Even though I wasn’t a new teacher, I was new in the curriculum when I started. I went in there with these expectations of the kids being able to be let loose on the streets of Paris and being able to walk around speaking French. Then I realized afterwards that I kind of set a goal that’s a little bit too high. I had to start readjusting what my goals were and what my expectations were for my students.”
His wife Anne-Christine is also in the education field, but according to Nick, “she’s not in the classroom right now.” He said, “She’s at Sacred Heart where she serves as a religious administrator, and she still works hands-on with the teachers in the classroom making sure they have the materials they need.”
Jason, much like his older brother Tracey, got into education to be a coach. “I started out wanting to coach, and I think that’s how I got into education,” he said. Once I did get into it and started coaching, I realized that teaching can influence the lives of kids, and that’s a big part of it for me. I try to be inspirational and to motivate kids. That’s basically why I continue to teach.”
He deviated from the family plan and received a degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, where he finished in health and physical education. He teaches physical education at Sam Houston High School in Moss Bluff where he is the head coach of girls’ basketball and coaches boys’ and girls’ cross country.
His goals for the upcoming school year are to finish his Master’s degree in July and to make it through the year sane. “I teach PE all day long, so my goals are mainly coaching oriented. We’re coming off of a year where we were 29-5. Losing eight seniors off of that team it’s going to definitely be a rebuilding year for us.”
Jason’s wife Connie is also a teacher in Calcasieu Parish. She teaches fifth grade English-language arts and science at Gillis Elementary north of Moss Bluff.
Nick then shared some inspiration to anyone thinking about becoming a teacher. “I think any person who says that they may like teaching ought to look into it,” he said. “I am not down on the profession. There are some problems in the profession that need to be solved, but I think the future is really good for someone who wants to teach and who likes to teach. It’s a fulfilling profession, and it’s not something to stay away from.”

It is human nature to tear down an endowment, especially one that has been generously handed down by an act of Providence. For we are mere mortals, flawed by our jealousies and our apprehensiveness toward our fellow man. For reasons beyond our comprehension we choose to distrust rather than to embrace our diversity.
So, the question must be asked. Why?
We may never know the answer to that question.
For a majority of us living in this small community we call home, the answer may lie in the nefarious forces imbedded inside of us that were put in place from the day we took our first breath. Forces that we fight every second with the help of a Divine power.
Unfortunately, it seems that no institution is immune from those forces, even those institutions that may seem microscopic in the grand scheme of things.
Such is the case of the Tee Cotton Bowl.
Four years ago, those forces extinguished an event that celebrated our diversity and created fissures in the bridge building that began 13 years earlier.
Now, some might assert that a high school football contest could never be utilized as a tool to bring a city of differing backgrounds in a unified way for any substantial amount of time. But, the Tee Cotton Bowl is no ordinary football game. It transcends.
Don’t believe it. Ask anyone who has participated in the game itself. They will tell you that at no other time in their high school playing career have they felt the camaraderie and respect for an opponent lined up against them.
For that one night, two teams come together to celebrate the best that any sporting event has to offer, the feeling of admiration for your opponent and the desire to see them compete at their highest level; to be at their absolute best. That mentality is then transmitted beyond the field of battle into the community.
Unbelievably, that was lost four years ago and may have never been recaptured if it were not for the patience and prayerfulness of a number of people, especially the founder of the game, Tim Fontenot.
“When the Tee Cotton Bowl was suspended four years ago, my wife told me that God must have a reason for the game to not be played,” stated Fontenot. “And you know, she was right. For whatever reason, there were people that did not want this game. I truly believe that God gave us this game and he took it away because we did not believe in what it stood for anymore. But when He closes one door, a window opens somewhere else.”
And now, that window has been thrown wide open, as the Tee Cotton Bowl will be played once again on September 1. A wrong has been righted. An opportunity to mend the flaws that dwell inside of us has been presented.
So, what does that mean for Fontenot? Oh, just a few months without any sleep trying to think of ways to deliver back the Tee Cotton Bowl magic that brought acknowledgement from the Pope, NFL Films and a slew of other local and national entities.
The first item on Fontenot’s agenda, to make a long desired inspiration come to fruition; throwback jerseys and helmets.
When Fontenot and his son Jacob first conceived the Tee-Cotton Bowl, the concept of having the teams wear throwback jerseys was a dream that never developed. Now that the game has returned, Fontenot has made it his mission to make that dream become reality. And, with the help of several business and individual donors, both Sacred Heart and Ville Platte High will don that equipment on that first Saturday in September.
“After the first Tee Cotton Bowl Jacob and I thought it would be cool to have the two teams wear jerseys that represented the history of the schools,” said Fontenot. “With the game being essentially dead, we had to put that on hold. But, now that it has come back, what a great time to have it happen. For a while, it did not look like it was going to happen. But, I had some people up to the plate. For example, Evangeline Bank and Mr. Jasper Fontenot at Brown’s Furniture really stepped up.”
“We have also had a number of individuals donate money. A lot of former players have given. We are very close to having them being paid for,” continued Fontenot. “But, if anyone wants to make any kind of donation they can call me. It could be in memory of a loved one, or a class can get together and make a donation altogether. We will recognize all those that give on social media, on the radio, and before the game at midfield.”
Those jerseys, along with the retro style helmet decals, are not necessarily recreations of past regalia donned by the royal defenders of the gridiron. Instead they represent the best of the two schools. A nod, if you will, to the gladiators of yore.
“We chose purple and grey for Ville Platte High,” explained Fontenot. “The purple because of the school’s main color and the grey to represent the gray steps of the stadium. That stadium was built out of World War I battleship scrap iron. And, those battleships as we all know are gray. What a fitting tribute to those that served the school and this country. The helmet decals have one lone stripe in the middle and a number on the side. During the 60’s and early 70’s Ville Platte High had some dominating defenses. Those decals remind people of teams in that era, like Alabama, that won on dominating defenses.”
“For Sacred Heart, there are four blue stripes on the jersey, two on each side, that represent the four games won by the six-man football team in seven days during the gas rationing of World War II,” continued Fontenot. “Back then you couldn’t drive back and forth out of town for games because of the gas shortage. So, they had to play a lot of games in short period of time. Sacred Heart’s helmet decals are patterned after the Michigan helmet and has three stripes that stands for the three state championships won.”
It just so happens that both jerseys are designed with dark colors as the main hue. Normally, one team has to wear jerseys with white as the main color to have a contrast for the officials. But, in typical Tee Cotton Bowl fashion, Fontenot has cajoled the assignment secretary for the Lafayette Officials Association to waive that rule so that the two teams can showcase their new garb.
Of course, no event with the stature and meaning of this classic game could go without the media coverage and revelry seen at the best college football games across the country. For starters, KLFY will be on location at Ville Platte High from dawn’s early light into the night.
The morning show Passe Patout will have live cut-ins during their time slot in the morning and Sports Director George Faust will broadcast live during his segment on the evening news. Media day will take place on Tuesday, with Wednesday being the weekly coach’s show, and Friday there will a special Tee Cotton Bowl edition of La Tasse de Cafe.
And, what is football without food and tailgating? Well, those of us fortunate enough to live in this culinary paradise know that you cannot have one without the other. Food has always been a part of the Tee Cotton bowl tradition, and it will continue to do so this year.
“We want to turn Ville Platte into the tailgating capital of the world,” an elated Fontenot stated. “There will be a tailgater’s row inside the stadium. People have bought spots to cook all type of food including venison chili, a hen and sausage sauce piquant, a smoke ponce and jambalaya. They will be cooking during the game and fans can purchase this food. All money made will be donated to the Ville Platte High booster club.”
“We will also have the Commissioner of Tailgating Mr. Joe Khan back this year,” Fontenot continued. “He will be kicking off his tailgating year with this game. Our Mayor, Jennifer Vidrine will declare Ville Platte Tailgating Town, U.S.A. on game day. I am hoping that with Ville Platte High having a half day of school that the people will start their own tailgates early. We want to see as many tailgaters as possible all over town.”
As usual, game day will be filled with all the pomp and circumstance that this special contest deserves. Pep rallies will take place at both schools. A main street parade is planned that afternoon.
Pre-game activities will once again include honoring the police, sheriff’s and fire departments. Former KLFY newscaster Blue Rolfes will conduct the coin toss before the game. That commemorative coin, along with the game ball, will be brought in by helicopter at mid-field. The pre-game plan also includes a live band, a visit by the Contraband pirates of Lake Charles, and fireworks.
One pre-game tradition that has infiltrated the Tee Cotton Bowl’s concept of respect, the Haka, will be brought back in its full ceremonial display. The Haka, a traditional dance of the Maori, is done by both teams to show their respect and to challenge each other to give their absolute best on the field of battle.
Of course, the week would not be complete without the traditional Tee Cotton Bowl junior, played by the two Junior Varsity teams on Monday.
Everyone who knows Tim, Doctor Tim as he is affectionately called, knows there will be more inspirational activities conjured up in the next month and a half, and all of those activities will be for the benefit of the players.
“Homecoming is for the court and the alumni,” said Fontenot. “But, the Tee Cotton Bowl is for the players and the town.”
With that in mind, hopefully those forces that once shut down a one of a kind bridge building event will remain in a deep chasm of shame, never to be engendered again.

GULF SHORES, AL -- When a team reaches one of their pre-season goals, anything beyond that is considered lagniappe.
For the VPGSA 8U All-Stars, a trip to the USSSA World Series was one of those goals the team had set for themselves before the all-star season began.
So, the time spent at the World Series gave the team the opportunity to gain some valuable experience, not just on the field but also in the time spent soaking in the atmosphere.
“We wanted the chance to come here and compete at the highest level,” stated head coach Tommy Fontenot. “It was great to see the girls compete and have so much fun.”
“These girls may never have the opportunity again to get to play in such a big event against teams from all over,” he continued. “I am just proud I was able to be a part of this with them, and I am so proud of how they represented this town and this league.”
Ville Platte began the tournament against the Bridgeport All-Stars. The Evangeline Parish crew struck early, scoring two runs in the first inning. Bridgeport was able to answer that and the game was tied at 2-2.
Bridgeport collected six runs in the next two innings, while Ville Platte was only able to plate a lone run in the third. The All-Stars added two more runs in the fourth, while Bridgeport collected a single run to cap off a 15-5 win.
Ville Platte stormed back in their second game. After falling behind 1-0 to Scott in the first inning, the All-Stars answered with five runs in the second and held Scott scoreless.
Ville Platte garnered eight more runs in the next two innings, while holding Scott to three runs as they cruised to a solid 13-3 win.
The Ville Platte bats were not quite as hot in game three. The All-Stars collected a solo run in the first inning and a solo run in the second against Heritage Park. However, they found themselves down 3-2.
Ville Platte could only muster three more runs the entire game, as Heritage Park broke through with 12 runs in the final three innings to secure a 14-5 win.
The Ville Platte offense revived itself in game four after their opponent Metairie had taken a one run lead after the first inning of play. Ville Platte busted through in the next two innings, plating seven huge runs while holding Metairie scoreless.
Ville Platte finished the game by collecting five more runs in the fourth inning as they ran past Metairie 12-2 for the win.
The final game for Ville Platte found them facing Bridgeport once again. Unfortunately, this game followed the same pattern as their previous meeting, with Bridgeport earning a 15-3 win.
“Our journey here could not have happened without a lot of help,” said Fontenot. “My assistant coaches Adam Breaux, Mel Delahoussaye and Robbie Perron were amazing in the way they handled the girls and prepared them for the season. It’s good when you have amazing people behind you.”
“Our parents were the best,” he continued. “They truly supported the girls and the coaches. Everyone in Ville Platte contributed in some way to allow these girls to gain this experience. I want to thank the entire community for their help.”

The City of Ville Platte is known for producing goods and services that have put the city on the world’s stage such as smoked meat and Swamp Pop Music. The city is also becoming known for producing its own produce.
The City Garden is located on NW Railroad Avenue next to the Louisiana Swamp Pop Museum alongside the railroad tracks and is across from the old Whistle Stop. It has three separate plots of six 20-foot rows on each plot.
“It gives the Boys and Girls Club an opportunity to see how food comes out of the ground,” said Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine. “The kids are fascinated to see how food comes from the ground and not from places like Wal-Mart.”
The mayor went on to say that the produce goes to the elderly and benefits people who are involved in the Elderly Nutritional Program at the Martin Luther King Community Center.
“I took the garden over about three or four years ago,” said James Bordelon, who is a native of Beggs. “This was supposed to be an educational garden, and the kids didn’t know what a garden was. I was working at City Hall, and the mayor asked me to take it over. She said she would even give me a helper. That’s when I started.”
Bordelon said that the he plants bell peppers and onion tops, but “the biggest demand is for okra.” As he explained, “People want okra, but that’s something you don’t see anymore. Years ago you used to see okra patches, and now you don’t see that at home anymore. It’s the same thing with fig trees because people don’t want to mess with it.”
He described the ground in the garden as hard and said it needed some work before planting could start. “It’s nothing but rocks,” Bordelon said. “It’s hard ground, but it’s got good drainage. I had to build this thing up with rice hull, and I had to rebuild this dirt back up.”
The area of the garden that has the most rocks in the ground produce the darkest okra plants. Bordelon has a theory about why. “This used to be a loading ramp,” he said as he pointed out behind the garden. “They used to load bales of cotton right there. From years past a lot of trains would come here with oil and drippings of gasoline. That’s why you have a lot of chemicals in that dirt.”
Bordelon is also tasked with applying nitrates as fertilizer. “I put lots of nitrate for the okra,” he said. “You have to put nitrate about twice in the growing period. Nitrate makes it grow and keeps it green. Nitrate is a replacement for water. If I wouldn’t put any fertilizer in here, the okra wouldn’t come out of the ground. Okra requires lots of sunshine and dry weather, but we’ve been having too much rain.”
“The rain affected the okra a lot,” Bordelon continued. “If you don’t see any flowers on the plant, then you won’t see any okra. It’s starting to grow again right now, but it’s scald. Too much rain hurts it.”
Aside from the weather problems, Bordelon still cuts an average of three five-gallon buckets of okra a day. “It’s not how big it gets, it’s how hard it gets,” he said. “You cut okra to find out if it’s good, and if it breaks like thin ice then it’s good. If it doesn’t, it’s not good.”
As for the bell peppers, Bordelon said that he made “some of the biggest” he’s ever seen this year. He held up a big red bell pepper and explained, “a bell pepper like this will turn into a pimento after it gets this red.”
When he is not growing okra for the city, Bordelon grows his own okra at his home where he has about four or five rows measuring about 10 feet each. His favorite way to cook okra is in an okra gumbo. “Anybody will tell you that.”
He then gave some advice to any gardener or anybody considering starting a garden. “What you take out of the ground, you’re supposed to replace it,” advised Bordelon. “It’s like a tree. If you cut a tree, you’re supposed to replace it. Well, if it’s not done in gardening, and years from now you’re going to see erosion and all kind of things.”

The Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce grew by four as new members were accepted at the monthly meeting Wednesday. The meeting was also the last Chamber meeting at Main Street Pizza.
Upon request of Executive Director Camille Fontenot, the chamber accepted Miller Sports and Signs, The Hotel Cazan, The Grit House, and Clinical Pathology as members.
“The Grit House is excellent if y’all haven’t tried it yet,” Fontenot exclaimed. “They have breakfast, dinner, and supper. They have a buffet three times a day plus a working menu with sandwiches and fries, and their breakfast is out of this world. If you have two or more at a business, they will deliver. They are going to have an open house tasting event to go and see what they have.”
Fontenot announced that beginning next month the chamber meetings will be held at The Grit House. The first meeting at the new location will be August 16.
Kevin Broussard with new chamber member Clinical Pathology Laboratory said, “We’re excited about being a part of the chamber and being a part of the community.”
He then spoke about the services that are offered at Clinical Pathology which is located in the Ville Platte Medical Group. “CPL is a full service laboratory company, so when you go to the doctor and have lab work to be done, you’re welcome to come to our facility. We have the most up-to-date testing on the market and good turn around time.”
“We also have the best insurance coverage in town,” he continued. “We’re in network with all insurances, and we also have tremendous cash pay pricing for people who don’t have insurance or have really high deductible. If you pay at the time of service, you can get really cheap labs compared to some of our competitors.”
Broussard, also informed the chamber about an event coming to the area next fall. I’m a member of the Cajun Hunting Retriever Club,” he said. “We are going to be hosting an international brand which is a national dog event somewhere in Evangeline Parish. There will be people from all over the country coming with dog trucks, fueling up, eating in restaurants, and buying groceries. We did this in Esterwood in 2003, and it was a tremendous boost to the economy.”
Fontenot then updated the chamber on this year’s Tee-Cotton Bowl which will also bring people from all over the country to the parish. “We will have photographers coming down from everywhere,” she said. “We will have people from the NFL and SEC, and we’re going to have a parade. We got the fireworks people from the other side of Natchitoches. The fireworks are going to be beautiful because they’re going to be professional fireworks.”
“La Tasse de Cafe and Passe Partout are going to have their programs at the field,” she added. “We hope to get a lot of people at the field to pretend we’re all there at 4:30 in the morning.”
Fontenot also announced the chamber will have a new sign at its office on Main Street. “We are delighted that the new Investar Bank has given us their big electronic sign for the chamber,” she said. “They offered it to us with all the equipment that goes with it.”
In other business Fontenot reminded the chamber about 16-year-old Alyssa Carson who is coming to the main branch of the library on July 29 at 10:00 a.m. “She’s been involved with the true program of the astronauts, and she says she will go to Mars in 2033,” said Fontenot.
According to Fontenot, “All that together with the bed and breakfast, with people staying here, and with more businesses joining us, I think that’s all good for us in Ville Platte.”

At the Evangeline Parish School Board meeting on Wednesday, board members heard from Mike Holt with Yeager, Watson & Associates, who shared that it was time to replace damaged floors at two schools in the district.
According to Holt, the two schools that need floors to be replaced are Mamou High School and Bayou Chicot Elementary.
Holt said, “The recent flooding that has occurred has reeked havoc on so many things, including some of your schools. Now, the fire marshal has demanded that a plan be put in place to fix the gym floor at Mamou High and the floor in the hallway at Bayou Chicot Elementary, and then take action on that plan.”
At both schools, they plan to rip out the current floor. Underneath the floor, Holt shared that their is concrete.
The plan that he presented to the board would entail building up the concrete that is under the current floors at MHS and BCE.
MHS’s floor would be raised a total of six inches, which would make the floor higher than any flooding that has occurred at the school.
Holt informed the board that the BCE project would cost approximately $42,000 to $43,000, while the MHS project will cost around $149,000.
Following this discussion, Superintendent of School’s Darwan Lazard announced Charles “Chuck” Johnson as Pine Prairie High School’s new head principal.
Johnson, who graduated and formerly taught and coached at PPHS, has a total of 24 years of experience in education, with 10 years in administration.
The Pine Prairie native spent 10 years as an assistant principal at Evangeline Central and eight years as the principal at the Math Science and Arts Academy in Iberville Parish.
At the meeting, Johnson said, “I am excited to come back to Pine Prairie. My parents are still here and I am happy to once again be a part of the community.
“I look froward to growing the success we have had in the past.”

L’ANSE MEG -- Since the recent deputy-involved shooting occurred in Evangeline Parish, many have asked why the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Deputy was in the L’Anse Meg area during the early morning hours of July 6, 2017.
After further investigation into this matter and confirmation from the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division, The Gazette was able to uncover that the officer was in fact responding to a report of a possible burglary and theft on Reeton School Rd.
The female complainant, who asked to remain anonymous, called directly to the EPSO at 3:50 a.m. on July 6.
According to the complainant, she made the call after she “heard a loud noise” come from the area of a shed in her yard.
When she looked outside to see what the noise was, she said she “saw someone climb out of the top of the shed.”
This was also stated in the EPSO’s record of what the complainant said when she reported the incident.
The on-duty deputy was dispatched to the home of the complainant, and he arrived on scene approximately eight minutes after the initial call.
After checking out the complainant’s shed and discovering that nothing was taken, according to the complainant, the deputy then prepared to leave her home.
The complainant then said, “When he was about to leave we saw a four-wheeler pass on the road, so when the deputy left he went and pulled them over.”
The traffic stop occurred less than a quarter of a mile from the home of the complainant.
According to the complainant, “while the officer had Dejuan (Guillory) pulled over,” her and her boyfriend “heard another four-wheeler crank” behind their house.
At this point, the complainant says she and her boyfriend then got in their truck and proceeded to back out of their driveway to go and report to the deputy that they had just heard a second four-wheeler.
According to the complainant however, they did not make it far before hearing gunshots.
The complainant said, “We barely got to back out of the driveway before we heard gunshots. When that happened, we went back to our house, got our things, and we went sleep at my boyfriend’s mother’s house. We didn’t know what had happened. We just knew that we didn’t want to stay there.”
The complainant did have a surveillance camera at her home, however, she said it was not facing the direction of the deputy-involved shooting that claimed the life of Dejuan Guillory.
According to the complainant, she “gave the recording from the camera to State Police.”
In connection with this incident, Dequince Brown, who was a passenger on the four-wheeler with Guillory that night, was arrested for attempted first degree murder of a police officer.
Brown has been released from jail on a $75,000.00 bond.
The Gazette will continue to follow this story and will keep the public informed of any new information that is released.

Throughout history countless citizens from small towns across the country as well immigrants from lands overseas have sought the American dream of achieving prosperity and success. This dream is still alive today and is realized for a native of rural Evangeline Parish Gregory Elliott. He was recently inducted into the LSU College of Engineering Hall of Distinction.
The Hall of Distinction was created in 1979 and recognizes those who have made significant contributions in engineering. According to the LSU College of Engineering Website, “Criteria for election include distinguished professional achievement, dedicated service to engineering, and outstanding humanitarian activities. Nominations may be made by anyone, and are solicited each year from alumni, faculty, and friends of the College. Election to the Hall of Distinction is by a broadly constituted ten-member Board of Election, which reviews and acts on nominations.”
The humble Elliott credited his successes in life to the time he spent growing up in Beaver. “I am a prime example where someone from a rural area of Central Louisiana can achieve an award like this through hard work and lots of positive support,” he said. “I feel blessed to have grown up in such a surrounding where no one put limits on another’s future, where everyone knows everyone, where hard work is highly respected, and where there is a keen sense of self-resilience and an equal sense of responsibility to help those in need. Growing up in a small, working class town, I felt a high degree of accountability for my actions and an ingrained obligation to give back to my community.”
He also credited his latest achievement to “growing up in a loving, supportive family and community where everyone knew everyone and where many of our family members worked in the petroleum industry with some working together in the Easton oilfield starting back in the early 1900s.”
Jesse Elliott, Greg’s father, devoted his life to working in the local oil and gas scene. “My father’s career was primarily in the local upstream oil and gas industry,” Elliott said. “He spent a large portion of his career after World War II working in the Easton oilfield located just south of Pine Prairie.”
Elliott and his brother decided to follow in their father’s footsteps. He said, “My brother spent his career in well construction and retired from Shell Deepwater Gulf of Mexico after 32-years of service.”
His wife, Missy, also comes from an oil and gas family in the Pine Prairie area. “My wife’s family has a long history in the petroleum industry,” Elliott said. “Her father, Kenneth Evans, was a 1950 LSU Petroluem Engineering graduate. He spent his career working in the Gulf Coast, North Sea, and South America.”
Elliott’s parents supported the three children in achieving a college education, and it was another family member who steered Elliott in the direction of Louisiana State University.
“When deciding on a degree program, a big influence in choosing LSU petroleum engineering was my father’s cousin, Dr. Walter Whitehead,” Elliott said. “He was a petroleum engineering professor at LSU. Dr. Whitehead was from Forest Hill, La., another small town near Pine Prairie. He and my father were close, and Dr. Whitehead promoted LSU’s PETE department. He suggested that I consider becoming a petroleum engineer, and I elected to do so. After graduating from Pine Prairie High School in 1976, I attended LSU-Alexandria taking engineering prerequisites. I transferred to the LSU-Baton Rouge campus in 1979.”
“LSU was an easy choice for me due to the Tiger athletic program and the university’s colorful history dating back to the Huey Long days,” he continued. “Also, in the late 1970s, it was one of the top universities in the world in the field of petroleum engineering. Today, LSU continues to be a top petroleum engineering university which makes me proud of my alma mater.”
While spending his time where stately oaks and broad magnolias shade inspiring halls, Elliott attained valuable hands-on experience, working in the LSU PERTT Lab, that he was able to bring with him in the workforce.
Elliott said, “At this site we worked under the direction of Mr. Jim Segura with frequent visits and guidance from the PETE Department’s professors.”
“We did many types of work including carpentry, ditch digging, and oilfield plumbing,” he continued. “We mainly used the ‘on-the-job’ training method. During this period, the new well control subsea well facility was constructed by student employees under Mr. Jim’s direction.”
Upon receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in December 1981, Elliott began working for Chevron as a drilling and well test engineer. “While working for Chevron Overseas, I lived in San Ramon, Calif., and traveled to Europe, Africa, South America, and the former Soviet Union for various petroleum well construction related business.”
Elliott’s time at Chevron came to an end in January 1997 because he wanted to do more with the tools he had, and he started his own company. “I founded Workstrings International, LLC, in 1997 because I saw a need to add more advanced engineering design capabilities to support well construction rental tools,” he said.
Workstrings is headquartered in Lafayette and was the first company of its kind to create and develop, on a large scale, a certain market sector. In doing so the company revolutionized the drill pipe oilfield rental industry.
According to Elliott, “Workstrings has become a global leader in providing highly engineered, special purpose rental tubulars for the worldwide oil and gas industry. It employs petroleum and mechanical engineers to support our rental tubulars associated with global well construction.”
Gregory and Missy Elliott still reside in Beaver and are involved in the community. “We own and manage several thousand acres of land in the Beaver Creek area,” he said. “On this property we sponsor hunting and fishing trips for Wounded War Heros annually.”
The Elliotts have also started, in 2015, the Acadiana Chapter of the Safari Club International. The club “promotes hunter advocacy, wildlife science based conservation, public and youth education, and local humanitarian initiatives.”
Elliott then went on to reflect on his days as a student at LSU and on his time working in the industry that he loves. “I am proud to be part of the storied legacy of LSU engineering alumni and to play a small role in reinventing the U. S. petroleum industry and returning it to a leadership position in technology and productive capacity,” he said.
“I am also proud to continue the legacy of my father and countless others whose contributions toward the advancement of the petroleum industry has helped to lift millions of people out of poverty and improve the quality of life for the world’s population.”

As we prepare for a great school year, I would like you all to remember that we gather together Monday through Friday for the purpose of educating the children of our community. However, there is far more occurring within the school walls and gates than academics. Our students are growing and shaping into adults with every grade level of achievement. Although we are required to learn the periodic table of elements and to conjugate a verb in French, we are also destined to make life long connections and friendships with peers and teachers. An education is so much more than what is inside of a book. It is an experience rather than simply a course of study. Through things like advanced placement courses and welding instruction, we are preparing our kids for the next phase of their lives, but at the same time we are cheering them on, as they excel in athletics. While we are studying for end of course tests, we are also waiting to see what Mrs. Jahn’s culinary class will prepare in the kitchen. As Mr. Prasad is discussing proofs and theorems in geometry, we are really hoping to see Lance The Demon in the quad at lunch recess more often.
Experience and education are partners in preparing us for adulthood, and Mamou High School is the facilitator of both. As we all enter the gates of our campus for the 17/18 school year, we have the wonderful opportunity to leave a legacy to the people who will come after us. As with any place that we visit, may it be better because we were there.
Go Demons!!!

State Representative Bernard LeBas addressed the Ville Platte Rotary Club at its weekly meeting Tuesday and updated the club on issues the legislature faced in the latest sessions.
LeBas opened his talk on a light note playing on his short stature. “In reference to people of normal stature versus those who are taller than me, I’ll have you know that I am chairman of the Short Caucus in Baton Rouge,” he began. “It is probably the second largest caucus in the state. We do carry a lot of stature over there. We formed it about nine years ago, and our first order of business was to lower the urinals. We got it done in one week, so we’re in good shape.”
“I was elected chairman because I promised short meetings, short speeches, and that we wouldn’t overlook anybody,” he added. “So it works.”
He then got down to business and discussed what led the legislature going into a special session. “At the ending of the regular session, we didn’t finish business, so we had to go into another session,” LeBas explained. “That began right after the regular session ended. The sad part of it, I feel, is we weren’t doing right by the people in the state because what we did pass in the special session was what we had before us at the end of the regular session.”
The main item that came out of the special session was the budget. LeBas went on to discuss an item that did not make it out of either session was the gas tax. “One of the issues we had was the gasoline tax because our infrastructure is in terrible shape,” he said. “We are driving on dangerous roads, and they’re not going to get better unless we do something about it. We are very limited in the funds available.”
“At the previous session, we formed a Blue Ribbon Committee of people from different universities that deal with finance and balancing budgets to come up with methods that are the best way for the state to stabilize its budget and to stabilize funds coming in,” he continued. “A lot of bills were presented following their methods, but none of them were passed. A lot of them did not even make it out of committee.”
He forecast that the state will again this year have to borrow money until funds come available. “The joint budget committee has already started proceeding for the state to borrow up to $500 million to continue operations,” he projected. “We did that last year also, but we only borrowed around $380 million. This year we will probably borrow something around that again. That’s because we have to wait for the funds to come in because we still have to operate. They did pay back the money they borrowed last year, and their should be no problem for them this year in paying it back.”
LeBas informed the Rotary Club about some strides that were taken to correct some of the highway issues. He said that highway funds were being used during the previous administration to pay state troopers. “We now have a law in place where you can’t do that,” he stated. “It kind of gave us that $80 million back into the budget for the highways.”
He then informed the Rotary Club about a proposed constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot for the next election. “The amendment is going to limit any new tax that is passed as to what the money is to be spent on,” LeBas said. “Whether it is a gasoline tax, it would just be spent on road infrastructure because people don’t realize the committee in charge of highways is also in charge of ports and airports.”
The representative then outlined some of the most costly areas in the state. “The most expensive is healthcare,” he explained. “The state entered into a private-public partnership after they did away with the old Charity Hospital system, and the state is paying hospitals a lot of money for them to take care of people in the state.”
According to LeBas, education is the next costly area in the state because it “goes from Kindergarten through college.” He went on to say, “We did fully fund TOPS this year. It is funded through a lot of different programs. One of the things is the tobacco tax settlement that was done years ago. We had taken a majority of the money that’s coming in and used that as the basis for the TOPS program. We can’t cut it because we already earmarked the money for it.”
Rotary president Wayne Vidrine asked Lebas to touch upon how the state’s budget cut impacted Chicot Park. “Chicot is the biggest park and is the most visited,” replied LeBas. “We’re fighting to keep it open. It’s deteriorating because there’s not enough funding going into it. The parks used to get a percentage of all the money that they drew in, and they would use that for maintenance to improve the park. The last administration took all the money from the parks and left the cubbard with nothing but spider webs.”
“Our Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungessor is 100 percent behind Chicot State Park,” continued LeBas. He’s working with us, and we’re trying to get more people to come. The more people who come, then the better off we are in the area because the park is our main draw for tourism.”
Vidrine also introduced Barbara Buroker as the newest member of the Rotary Club and proposed Deborah Enicke as another new member. According to Vidrine, “she is a legal nurse consultant working here in Evangeline Parish.”
Larry Lachney then reminded his fellow Rotarians about Alyssa Carson who is coming to main branch of the Evangeline Parish Library on Saturday, July 29, ay 10:00 a.m. According to Lachney, “She is a 16-year-old girl from Baton Rouge, and her desire is to be an astronaut. Since she has been 13-years-old, she’s been studying to become an astronaut, and she is expected to be the first woman who will go to Mars in 2033.”

Several 4-H students from Evangeline Parish recently competed in the 2017 Southwest District Horse Show held at the Burton Coliseum Complex on the campus of McNeese State University in Lake Charles on June 29, 2017.
Competitors who placed on the district level were the following:
John E. Jackson Horse Showman Award, Junior Champion: Aubrie Vidrine.
John E. Jackson Horse Showman Award, Senior Champion: Averie Vidrine.
Halter Class:
Quarter Horse: Grand Champion Gelding- Class 59- Madison C. Bellard of Sacred Heart; Grand Champion Mare- Class 62- Averie L. Vidrine of Sacred Heart; Reserve Grand Champion Mare- Class 65- Madison C. Bellard of Sacred Heart.
Paint Horse: Grand Champion Gelding- Class 84- Aubrie K. Vidrine of Sacred Heart.
Miniature Horse: Grand Champion Miniature Horse Mare- Class 103- Hailey B. Bellard of Sacred Heart.
Performance Classes:
Western Showmanship, 13 and Under- Class 21- First Place- Aubrie K. Vidrine of Sacred Heart.
Western Showmanship, 14 and Over- Class 21- First Place- Aubrie K. Vidrine of Sacred Heart.
Western Pleasure, 14 and Over- Class 12- First Place- Aubire K. Vidrine of Sacred Heart.
Western Horsemanship, 14 and Over- Class 21- First Place- Aubrie K. Vidrine of Sacred Heart.
Four students from Evangeline Parish 4-H then went on to compete in the 48th Annual Louisiana 4-H and FFA State Horse Show which was held at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center July 8-12 in Gonzales. The results are as follows:
Western Showmanship, 13 and Under- First Place- Aubrie K. Vidrine of Sacred Heart.
Western Showmanship, 14 and Over- First Place- Averie L. Vidrine of Sacred Heart.
Quarter Horse Gelding- Grand Champion- Madison Bellard of Sacred Heart.
Quarter Horse Mare- Reserve Champion- Averie Vidrine of Sacred Heart.
Miniature Horse Mare- Grand Champion- Hailey B. Bellard of Sacred Heart

There have been several changes made this year that will affect duck hunters across Louisiana.
One of those changes made has been a modification to teal season, which was previously during the last three weekends of September.
According to the Louisiana 2017-2018 Hunting Regulations from the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, teal season will be the last 16 days of September.
The upcoming season will begin on Friday, Sept. 15, and will last until Saturday, Sept. 30.
A change has also been made to the daily bag limit for pintail.
In the past, a hunter’s daily bag limit for pintail was two, however the limit has now been changed to one.
Another major change that was made for the 2017-2018 hunting season is the age of requirements for youth waterfowl season.
The youth age to partake in youth waterfowl seasons is now 17 years of age and younger instead of 15 years of age and under like in the past.
For these hunting days, youth must be accompanied by one adult that is 18 years or older and must possess a hunter safety certification or proof of successful completion of a hunter safety course.
However, if the accompanying adult is in possession of a hunter safety certification and a valid hunting license or proof of successful completion of a hunter safety course, this requirement is waived for youths younger than 16 years of age.
Adults are not allowed to possess a firearm during the youth hunt, and youth may only possess one legal firearm.
During youth waterfowl hunting days, youth may hunt ducks, geese, mergansers, coots and gallinules.
Youth hunt days for ducks, coots and mergansers on November 4th and 5th in the Coastal Zone, Nov. 4th and January 27, 2018 in the West Zone, and Nov. 11th and February 3, 2018 in the East Zone.

On Tuesday, the Turkey Creek council once again discussed the village’s police department finances.
At last months meeting, the council approved moving $35,000 from its utility fund to the police department fund to balance the budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017.
During the council’s July meeting however, Turkey Creek Mayor Heather Cloud shared that the police department has $80,000 in a savings account.
She then requested that the council move $35,000 from the savings account to the utility account to replenish what was borrowed by the police department.
According to the mayor though, at this time the police departments “expenses are more then its revenues.”
Mayor Cloud said, “Every month since October the police department’s expenses have outweighed its revenues, and the expenses haven’t changed.”
According to the mayor, if the operating cost for the police department remain the same for the next fiscal year, “it would take $60,000 to balance its budget.”
With only $45,000 remaining in the savings account after replenishing the utility fund, the police department is on track to fall $15,000 short of what is needed for operating expenses.
Last month’s deficit, according to the mayor, was $5,800.
That deficit could potentially rise since the council approved retirement pay for one of the village’s officers at last month’s meeting.
With the finances in front of them, the council decided to readdress this situation at next month’s meeting when the full council is present.
Mayor Cloud, has also asked the village clerk to begin preparing a financial statement each month that shows the financial progress of the department, so that this situation can be monitored closely.
Other items approved at the meeting were:
• Financial statement.
• Reimbursement for secretary’s mileage.

The Ville Platte Chief of Police Neal Lartigue recently reported that an individual received nine violations after dogs attacked a 12-year-old female.
In a release from the chief, it stated that “on July 17, 2017 at approximately 3:00 p.m. officers with the Ville Platte Police Department responded to an animal complaint at Mercy Regional Hospital.”
According to the release, “upon arrival, officer’s learned that a 12-year-old female was attacked by two dogs while riding her hover board in the area of East Desoto Street on North Chataignier.”
Later, “officers and detectives made contact with the owner of the dogs at a residence on N. Chataignier Street.”
It was there that officers “learned that the homeowner had multiple pit bulls, some of which had gotten away from the residence.”
According to the release, “The homeowner willingly surrendered the animals and received nine violations in reference to the incident.”
The juvenile who was attacked “was treated at Mercy Regional for injuries to her lower back and buttocks area.”
According to the chief, this incident remains under investigation at this time

On Monday, the Ville Platte Civil Service Board addressed possible job classification issues within the Ville Platte Police Department.
During the meeting, board member Chris Soileau said, “Apparently some of the jobs and job descriptions in the police department are under scrutiny right now. The state is aware of this because we have some positions that were made as full time positions possibly, and they are not falling in any class of civil service.”
There are five classifications for police under Civil Service. Those positions are police officer, police sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and assistant police chief. The four support classes under Civil Service are juvenile officer, jailer, police dispatcher, and secretary to the police chief.
If anyone is performing a job full time at the police department that does not match one of these classes, then Civil Service requirements are not being met.
However, there is a way to remedy this situation.
Soileau explained, “If it is a full time job in the department then they have to fall under one of these classes, or the department needs to create a full time class for the responsibilities being done.”
Employees who work 34-hours or more are considered full time. According to Soileau, there are three positions that the state knows of that may not be following Civil Service requirements.
Soileau said, “The state is aware of three positions in question. Those positions are assistant warden, which there is no classification for, TAC officer, and also possibly a situation where a dispatcher was doing a different type of duty while still employed as a dispatcher.”
To determine whether Civil Service guidelines are being adhered to, the board’s chairman David Ortego suggested that the board request to review the VPPD’s payroll.
Ortego said, “To confirm the employment at the police department on a full time and part time basis, we will need to see the payroll. We want to make sure all employees that are working full time are tested and are under the classified system.”
The board agreed that receiving a copy of the VPPD’s payroll for the last year is the best way to determine if there are employees working full time in unclassified positions.
Before closing out the meeting, Soileau made it clear that if some of the full time positions in question are needed, all the police department has to do is create a classified position.
Soileau said, “If the police department has a position that they need to have, they need to first determine if it’s full time or part time. If they are full time then they need to go through the process to create a classified position. If it is a part time position then they can go about doing what they are doing as long as they are capped at their weekly hours.”
Other items approved at the meeting:
• Seniority list for the fire department.

Ville Platte Chief of Police Neal Lartigue is requesting assistance in identifying suspects in a recent burglary.
In a release from the chief it states, “On July 22, 2017, officers with the Ville Platte Police Department responded to a report of a burglary in the 400 block of East Wilson.”
According to the release, “upon arrival, officers learned that four black males had entered the residence during the night of July 21, 2017, and ransacked the residence.”
The “suspects stole multiple items including a laptop, iPhone 6, 32-inch Samsung television, a Kicker amp, a Jenson amp, Xbox, Apple iPad Pro, and prescription medicine.”
According to the release, this “burglary remains under investigation.”
Chief Lartigue said, “If you recognize anyone in the photo, call the VPPD at (337) 363-1313. Your call will remain anonymous.”

The Third Circuit Court of Appeal for the State of Louisiana released a decision last week on a case on appeal from Evangeline Parish.
In the case of Randel Brown versus East Side Water System, Inc., the appellate court reversed the change of the quorum needed for a valid election. The change was initially made in the ruling of 13th Judicial District Court Judge Gary J. Ortego.
“We must reverse that portion of the trial court’s judgment fixing the quorum at ten percent,” said the court comprised of Cheif Judge Ulysses Gene Thibodeaux and Judges Sylvia R. Cooks and Elizabeth A. Pickett. “We further declare the board members action on March 11, 2015, changing the quorum from 10 percent to 50 percent was contrary to and exceeded the authority granted the Board by the articles of incorporation. The articles of incorporation grant only the members of the corporation the authority to elect the board of directors and to change the vote requirement for accomplishing the end.”
The Court of Appeal in its decision noted that the original Articles of Incorporation called for a 50 percent quorum to have a valid election. The Court further noted that in 2004 the board of directors for East Side Water voted to amend the bylaws changing the quorum from 50 percent to 10 percent which created a conflict between the bylaws and the Articles of Incorporation. The board voted in 2015 to change the quorum back to the original 50 percent quorum.
This action by the board led to Randel Brown filing suit against the board in the 13th Judicial District Court on March 11, 2015. Brown, in his Petition for Declaratory Judgment, sought to overturn the board’s decision.
Trial on the matter was heard by Judge Ortego on June 17, 2016. After taking the matter under advisement, Judge Ortego cancelled and invalidated the change of the election quorum from 10 percent to 50 percent and ordered reinstituted immediately the 10 percent quorum.
The appellate court then set dates for new staggered elections. According to the decision, “We amend the trial court’s judgment to provide the current board of directors shall give proper notice to the members of the corporation that the staggered election which was originally scheduled for the first Monday of April 2016, namely for the board of directors members, Todd Deville, Steve Vidrine, and John Vidrine, will be held on the first Tuesday of September 2017, being September 5, 2017.”
The decision continued, “We further order that the staggered election of the next two directors, those positions from the 2014 election, shall be held on the regular annual election date of the first Monday of April 2018 and continuing each year in staggered terms.”
The appellate court went on to order “these staggered elections shall be held in accordance with the articles of incorporation or in accordance with Louisiana statute in the event a quorum is not present at the first meeting.”
“I am certainly happy that the Third Circuit Court of Appeals cleared us of all accusations,” said former East Side Water Board President Todd DeVille. “I look forward to getting back to the business of properly running the East Side Water System.”
“We have no choice but to abide by what the Court of Appeal said,” current President Randel Brown said. “According to our attorney, they have outlined a way to have the quorum changed. We’re planning on having the elections, and we’re going to do exactly what the Court of Appeal says.”
According to Brown, the Court of Appeal outlined the steps needed to have a valid election in accordance with state law. He said that if there is not a 50 percent quorum in an election, then there will have to be another election within 30 days. Brown added if there is not a 50 percent quorum at the second election, then the election will nevertheless be considered valid based on the statute. As the Court of Appeal stated in its decision, “This statute provides a reasonable, legally permissible remedy for the membership to avoid a potentially onerous quorum rules for the election of directors.”
Brown went on to add that when members head to the polls for the September election, the members will also vote on “a change to the Articles of Incorporation to reflect a 10 percent quorum rather than at 50 percent.”

Many teenagers feel inspired to become a famous celebrity, while still others feel inspired to become a doctor or a lawyer. Few of them like Ronald Doucet, who currently holds the office of city marshal for the City of Ville Platte, feel inspired to become a public servant.
Doucet credited then police juror Bob Manuel on inspiring him to get into public service. “I didn’t look at it as politics when I first got into it,” he explained. “Bob Manuel inspired me a lot to get involved in it. I was 15-years-old, and I was working at Western Auto when I was a sophomore in school. Bob Manuel would come pretty often, and I knew he liked helping people, and it inspired me. I told him one day I’ll become a police juror.”
“When I was 23-years-old,” he continued, “I ran for public office, and I was elected. From there I served 14 years as a police juror.”
As juror he represented roughly 1,500 people in District 8 which encompasses a majority of the city limits as well as subdivisions to the south of the corporate limits. During this time, his biggest way of helping out the district was getting the roads overlaid.
“I was the one that got these roads overlaid at the Kennedy Subdivision,” he said. “The jurors kept applying for grants, and the sales tax helped us. Some of the roads like in the Wyble Subdivision were gravel forever. We had a grant and some taxes that we passed that we were able to get them overlaid. We also built a new sewer while I was there at the Wyble Subdivision, but the biggest part was the roads. That’s what people are pleased with.”
Doucet complimented the current police jury on carrying on some of the same measures that he started. “They are still doing a good job,” he stated. “The jury just renewed a tax, and they’re doing some roads that were never paved.”
Also while on the jury, he was able to serve the parish as chairman of Crooked Creek for a four year period. “During my administration as chairman, we brought in some cabins that we started renting to the public to enhance Crooked Creek,” Doucet said. “We also developed some more camper slots, and we made the park a lot bigger for the parish.”
In 2006 Doucet saw a greater opportunity to serve the people of Ville Platte. “I decided I liked helping people and the marshal position came up,” he stated. “It’s like I got more involved in the community because it was a bigger area. Before I was representing a district, now I represent a ward.”
“I enjoyed my time (on the police jury), and if this opportunity wouldn’t have been here for the marshal, I would have still been there,” he said. “I enjoy helping people with their problems. People come to me, and I try to help as many people as I can.”
Doucet ran for city marshal when Eddie Soileau vacated the position to become Evangeline Parish sheriff. “The police jury appointed Mike Lee as interim marshal until they had an election, and I decided to run for it,” he said. “The people of Ward 1 elected me to the position, and right now I’m on my second term.”
The area that he currently represents is the area inside the city limits as well as Ward 1 because of a quirk in the statute. According to Doucet, the city had a population of less than 10,000 people, and, in order to create a city court, the lawmakers included “the surrounding area like Chataignier, Faubourg, Belaire Cove, and Tate Cove to create 10,000 or more people.”
His main job responsibility as marshal is to serve as administrator of the city court. As he explained, “It’s the same responsibility of the sheriff. We serve subpoenas, we execute warrants and evictions, and we do repossessions and garnishments.”
“Everyday we’re serving something from the marshal office,” Doucet explained. “We have subpoenas, and we serve evictions. Everyday is kind of normal.”
While most of the days at the marshal’s office are normal, one day out of the year stands out for its excitement. “We do a round up once a year,” he said. “That’s when we get other marshals from surrounding parishes to come and assist me with executing my warrants when we have an overflow of warrants.”
Subpoenas and evictions are not the only things that Doucet does as marshal. He has the opportunity to also serve the people of the ward, which goes back to his original mission as police juror.
“A lot of times people may have problems with the court, and we make some payment plans for them,” he said. “We call it probation, and the court system is not putting people in jail. It’s about always helping people.”
He continued, “My job is to collect the fines or make sure that the people pay the fines, and we have a payment plan where we let them pay some installments on fines. A lot of people don’t have money, and they are pleased with their probation where they can pay it on terms. A lot of people also come in here who need help with legal problems, and we go to the judge to help them.”
Like his time on the police jury, Doucet also has an opportunity to serve the parish while assisting the district court in executing warrants and serving subpoenas. “We help each other,” he said. “We’re supposed to be what you call a family to make the system work for everybody. Sometimes we also send some of my guys for security when they are short handed with the court system.”
The most rewarding part of Doucet’s job as marshal is getting to know the people. “It’s rewarding in my book just knowing the people and dealing with the public, the business people, the common people, and everybody really.”
“I love this position that I have just by being with the public,” he added. “I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s exciting working with the people and knowing the people on a first name basis. I always did work in a public place before I became a public official, so I got to know a big portion of people in the parish dealing with them as an employee or an elected official.”
Doucet does not know what the future holds in store for him. As he said, “I have to just play it by ear and see what happens. I’m just living day by day.”

On Thursday, a hearing was held for Arturo Velazquez, who was arrested in September of 2016 for vehicular homicide.
During the hearing, the State moved to reset Velazquez’s matter in Evangeline Parish’s district court so that the illegal alien can first answer to his crime of re-entry following removal or deportation in the United States District Court in the Western District of Louisiana.
According to federal court documents, after being arrested in Evangeline Parish, “a Deportation and Removal Officer (DRO) working for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) found the defendant in pretrial detention at the Evangeline Parish Detention Center.”
Once the DRO learned that the defendant had an existing United States Alien file (A-File), the officer discovered that Velazquez “was a native citizen and national of Mexico,” and that “on or about December 8, 2012, a United States Immigration Court ordered his (Velazquez) removal” from the U.S.
In the stipulated factual basis document, it also stated that “on or about March 7, 2013, ICE officers physically removed him to Mexico.”
The document went on to say that “at no time has the defendant received the express consent of the Attorney General of the United States, or the Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security, to apply for admission to the United States, nor has he at any time been paroled into the United States.”
In May of 2017, Velazquez entered a plea of guilty in federal court for the charge of re-entry by an alien following removal.
His sentencing has been set for August 25, 2017.
Velazquez’s probing for his vehicular homicide charge in Evangeline Parish has been re-set for February 15, 2018 with his trial date set for February 26, 2018.