Santa’s sleigh wasn’t the only thing weaving around Louisiana over Christmas weekend as State Police made dozens of DWI arrests. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”
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State Police arrest a Texas man after a motorist on the I-10 Atchafalaya Basin Bridge allegedly saw the suspect performing lewd acts on himself, with kids in the car. Matt Doyle has more.
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Southeast Louisiana remains under a tornado watch until 6 PM tonight as a strong line of thunderstorms associated with a cold front continues to push through the state. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the squall line is also producing heavy rainfall
Keim says the front has produced strong winds, which resulted resulted in scattered power outages…
Southeast Louisiana is under a flash flood watch until 6 AM tomorrow. Keim says there’s potential for two to four inches of rain today…
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One of the two men being sought for a December 16th double murder near Lacassine has turned himself in. 21-year-old Jordan Legros is suspected to have participated in the robbery that left Walter and Darlene Gotreaux dead in their home. Jefferson Davis Chief Deputy Chris Ivey says Legros presented himself unannounced to authorities.
Walter was the former president of the Lake Charles Cajun French Music Association.
Authorities say 23-year-old Javari Guidry, who allegedly also played a part in the murder/robbery is still in hiding, and Ivey says they’ve got photos up and are asking for anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward.
The search currently involves agencies in both Louisiana and Texas.
Ivey says the Gotreauxs were well known in the small community, and were likely targeted because of their property rental business. He says everyone’s hoping for a quick end to the troubling incident.
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The effort of law enforcement to focus on highway safety by curbing fatalities caused by impaired drivers has seen many arrests in central and northern Louisiana. State Police spokesperson Trooper Glenn Younger says in the three troop areas for Bossier City, Monroe, and Alexandria have netted 97 DWI arrests over the Christmas weekend.
Younger says the goal is to have zero DWI fatalities, so anything that can be done to get closer to that goal is a good thing.
Cut 10 (09) “…on our roadways.”
Louisiana saw a total of 759 traffic fatalities from January 1 until December 27 in 2017. Younger says that number is at 655 for the same stretch of time in 2018.
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A Texas motorist traveling on the I-10 Atchafalaya Basin Bridge was arrested yesterday for allegedly performing lewd acts on himself with his two young girls in the car. State Police Sergeant Jared Sandifer says the suspect was stopped by the L-S-P after a dispatcher was informed by another driver with a sharp eye.
47-year-old James Toomey of Spring, Texas, has been charged with two counts of Indecent Behavior and Contributing to the Delinquency of Juveniles.
It’s not currently known whether or not Toomey is a registered sex offender, but Sandifer says once the stop was made, the kids were separated from their father, and child welfare specialists were called to take over custody.
Cut 13 (11) “…had four victims.”
Sandifer says if you’re on the highway and see something like this, don’t intervene yourself, but do take notice of as many details as you can, and call star-L-S-P.