Congressman Garret Graves is proposing federal legislation that seeks to heavily punish those who stage traffic accidents as a way to rip off insurance companies. More from Dave Brannen.
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The United Cajun Navy has deployed teams to assist with recovery efforts from the devastating tornados that left areas of Kentucky, and nearby states leveled from the destruction. Brooke Thorington has more
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If you’re wondering why your insurance rates are so high in Louisiana, Congressman Garret Graves it’s blamed in part on staged accidents, the most egregious example taking place in the Big Easy in recent years.
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One staged accident led to a 4.7-million dollar settlement. Graves has introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at lowering insurance rates that would make it a federal crime to stage a vehicle collision and fraudulently claim financial damages. Violators could face hefty fines into the millions of dollars and double-digit prison time.
Graves says these staged accidents have financial consequences beyond those directly attributed to the staged crashes, one ring said to be responsible for more than 100 of them.
Cut 4 (09) “…all Louisiana drivers.”
The bill Graves introduced targets those involved in staging accidents, collecting from insurance companies and in turn leading to higher insurance rates for the public.
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A 50-year-old Eros woman is jailed at the Ouachita Correctional Center on criminal trespass charges after being told twice to leave from the sheriff’s office parking lot Saturday afternoon. Sheriff’s spokesman, Glenn Springfield, identified the person as Sharon Whatley.
Springfield says the woman says she was wanted on charges, but it was determined she wasn’t. So since she wouldn’t leave, she’s now facing a lone misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass.
At last word, 50-year-old Sharon Whatley of Eros continued to be held at the Ouachita Correctional Center, but she’s no big-time criminal. In fact, despite her protestations to authorities, she wasn’t wanted on any kind of criminal charges, until she refused to leave the parking lot of the sheriff’s office annex.
That’s sheriff’s spokesman, Glenn Springfield, who says Whatley was eventually arrested Saturday afternoon on a misdemeanor criminal trespass charge.
Ouachita Sheriff’s spokesperson Glenn Springfield says the only reason Whatley gave for not leaving the parking lot was that she was wanted by the law.
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Brian Trascher with the United Cajun Navy says their field team arrived in Madisonville, Kentucky on Sunday which is about 90 miles away from Mayfield and near other areas that were devastated by tornados overnight Friday. Trascher says the immediate needs are tarps and water and unlike a hurricane when you can prepare days in advance…
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Trascher says the devastation is hard to describe and he’s posting photos from team members that are onsite to their Facebook page. He says right now those in Mayfield and surrounding towns need your prayers first and foremost.
The United Cajun Navy is setting up distribution sites at churches they are working with between Bowling Green and Mayfield, Kentucky. Trascher says they’ve also deployed a K-9 search and rescue team to assist Illinois State Police and they are looking at sending a drone team also.
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You can visit the United Cajun Navy’s FB for donation sites and photos of the devastation.
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Saturday’s election results were historical with the first female sheriff elected in Orleans parish and the first black female ever elected to the position in Louisiana. UNO Political analyst Ed Chervenak says Susan Hutson’s victory over incumbent Marlin Gusman was quite a feat.
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Hutson won with 53-percent of the vote in the parish and Chervenak says the new sheriff in town was able to better define Gusman and charge him with mismanagement of the jail that resulted in deaths and suicides.
Chervenak says while the sheriff’s office is a component of the criminal justice system which includes the district attorney, the main function of the office is to oversee functions of the jail.
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In 2020 Jason Williams, who also ran on a criminal justice reform platform was elected District Attorney of Orleans Parish.