In a letter to the Ville Platte Gazette, Ville Platte bail bondsman James Bertrand responded to a story that ran in Sunday’s paper regarding allegations in a warrant that he identified himself as a police officer during an incident that occurred last Thursday in Turkey Creek.
The incident last Thursday centered around Bertrand going to the home of two Turkey Creek residents to ask the individuals questions regarding an investigation he is handling.
According to the arrest warrant issued in connection with this matter, Bertrand requested that Ricky Gatte, a relative of the family who was supposedly not allowed at the residence, accompany him to the home located on Cedar Lane.
In the police report portion of the warrant it stated when Gatte told Bertrand that he was not allowed at the residence, Bertrand responded, “Just come over here. They can’t arrest you if I’m here. I’m the police.”
Following the incident on Thursday, Gatte was arrested for trespassing at the Cedar Lane residence.
In Bertrand’s letter he refutes these allegations and calls statements made by Turkey Creek Mayor Heather Cloud in regard to this incident “sufficient skepticism at every level.”
Bertrand states, “What is not being told is that I have more than one business that I operate daily. I am not just a bondsman, as Ms. Cloud is making my business out to be. I am a bondsman, bounty hunter, and a private investigator. As a hired investigator, I was simply doing my job .....”
Bertrand wrote he feels as a mayor, “Ms. Cloud should never address this issue until she got facts as to why I was in Turkey Creek.”
As it relates to the individuals Bertrand was questioning, the local bail bondsman alleged that “Ms. Cloud is exploiting a family and patronizing them.” He then continued, “But, it’s the same family she is claiming she is helping because she is a Christian woman. As a Christian woman why didn’t she help this family before she started to run for mayor if it was such a dire need that they needed the help?” He added Mayor Cloud is a representative of the state for the family. Bertrand continued “Ms. Cloud is claiming that no one can be at the home she is ‘NOT RENTING’ but allowing them to live there other than whom she sees fit.”
According to Bertrand’s letter, the person Mayor Cloud is referring to was arrested for trespassing but at the same time is allowed to go and help fix things on her house as needed, per arrestee’s statement. Gatte, according to Bertrand, is family to the individuals residing at the Cedar Lane residence.
Bertrand’s letter added he “conducted affidavits as well as interviews and what Ms. Cloud is claiming is not even close to what I was told by this family.”
Bertrand stated the interview he conducted “was not just about Ms. Cloud at all, but more issues that I have due to an open investigation.”
Bertrand explained, “Ms. Cloud is telling residents that I intimidated this family; I bullied this family, and scared them for their lives. I want the record to be known that was very far from the truth and a lie on Ms. Cloud’s part of her story. I have talked to these people, visited and was trying to help in a correct way.”
Although the arrest warrant for Gatte stated that Bertrand told Gatte he was a police officer, Bertrand claims that is not true. In his letter he states, “I never have said I was a cop, sheriff deputy, or law enforcement. I always conduct myself as James Bertrand, private investigator, or bail recovery agent/bounty hunter, or bail bondsman. I do not on the other hand have to pretend on who I am because I am James Bertrand every day, and the residents all around the local towns within Evangeline Parish know me well.”
Mayor Cloud is the OCDD (Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities) representative for the two individuals residing at the Cedar Lane residence. Bertrand alleges in his letter the mayor “is overseeing the family’s bank accounts, social security accounts, as well as managing their money they are making from Sue’s Cafe, which Ms. Cloud owns, Evangeline ARC in Ville Platte, and Ms. Cloud is making them work to make them deemed mentally incapable to take care of themselves.” Bertrand then states, “That’s all for Ms. Cloud’s benefit so she can get the state involved so it doesn’t look like she took over their lives.”
According to Bertrand’s letter, he asked Mayor Cloud “where the accounts were, if they (could) see their accounts, and if she would do an audit to show them their money, and Ms. Cloud became very unreasonable and loud.” He continued, “Ms. Cloud kept pointing the finger in my face and became nervous, and saying the same things over and over, hoping to get the one statement she wants everyone to believe,” which Bertrand said is, “‘I am helping them.’”
However, in the warrant for Gatte, Turkey Creek Officer Shane Lofton reported during the incident, he “could hear, several times, Bertrand get verbally loud toward Mayor Cloud and closing the distance between them”
Bertrand also made allegations in his letter that “Ms. Cloud stressed on how successful she was and how she doesn’t need their money, but at the same time, it does cost a lot of money for a new campaign, being she is running for secretary of state.”
During the incident in Turkey Creek, one of Bertrand’s employees, Ashley LeBleu, began recording the incident until Officer Lofton confiscated the camera. According to the officer’s warrant, Officer Lofton wrote that he did return the camera to “keep down any further arguments.”
However Bertrand disputes Lofton’s reason as to why he returned the camera. In his letter, Bertrand stated, “Officer Lofton also did not in fact give the camera back due to keeping the peace, because what he did by taking the camera was against the law.” According to Bertrand, “In public, we all have the right to video/record whatever we want to. Its public!”
Bertrand then went back to discussing Mayor Cloud, and stated, “As for Ms. Cloud, that is claiming how she swept this poor family off the floor, and gave them all what they have without any personal monetary gain is just nonsense!”
Bertrand alleges the two individuals Mayor Cloud cares for are “living in fear because of Ms. Cloud due to what I (Bertrand) was told from each of them.”
Bertrand stated, “They are in fear of Ms. Cloud due to her threats and her promises. My question is this, what is she hiding, or covering up....?”
“I guess when you are in fear of being exposed, people say irrational things and do irrational things, so I can only come up with the fact that Ms. Cloud you are scared for the town and this state to know the ‘real’ Heather Cloud.”
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ELIZABETH WEST Managing Editor