One-twelfth of the year is already gone, and numerous newsworthy events have already occurred in 2019. Here is a rundown of those events from runaway juveniles being located in Point Blue to a former Lone Pine resident being beaten to death as they occurred chronologically.
January 3, 2019
• The search for a missing nine-year-old that encompassed the entire Point Blue and surrounding areas came to an end Sunday morning with news the child was found safe under a bed inside a neighbor’s home. The parents of the child were later arrested on charges of cruelty to juveniles.
The finding of Bryson Thibodeaux was the culmination of a weekend long series of events that began with his reported disappearance on Friday, December 28.
According to a press release from the Evangeline Parish Sheriff Office, the child’s mother Minette Thibodeaux reported her son “left his residence from the 3400 block of Chataignier Road without his father’s permission or knowledge.”
• On Saturday, December 29, 2018, during the intensive search for nine-year-old Bryson Thibodeaux, Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office Detectives received information that a local volunteer team search member had located human remains (a skull) underneath an unenclosed shed located on the Prairie Rhonde Road.
Upon discovery, Louisiana State Police was notified as well as the Evangeline Parish Coroner’s Office. The scene was secured until the arrival of LSU FACES on Sunday morning December 30, 2018.
January 6, 2019
• Evangeline Parish District Attorney Trent Brignac on Friday shared an update on human remains that were recently discovered in an unenclosed shed located on Prairie Rhonde Road.
The district attorney said he reached out to Theresa Wilson, with the Louisiana State University Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services (FACES) Lab, who stated they are in the process of X-raying the bones discovered Saturday, December 29, 2018.
• A Florida crash that occurred Thursday, January 3, at around 3:40 p.m. has claimed the life of seven individuals, including five from Louisiana.
Avoyellestoday.com reported the five children from Louisiana who died in the crash were from Avoyelles Parish, which is just north of Evangeline Parish. The children were on their way to Disney World and were set to return home Tuesday, January 8, 2019.
According to KALB the ages of the five children, two of which were boys and three girls, ranged from eight-years-old to teenagers. The television news station also reported the children were traveling in a church van from the Avoyelles House of Mercy Church in Marksville.
A benefit pork cook-off will be held for the families at Chicot State Park on Saturday, February 9.
January 10, 2019
• In the first meeting of the new administration in Turkey Creek, Mayor Phillip Cavins and the council proposed an ordinance to hire an appointed police chief. The proposed ordinance says the mayor will make a recommendation for a chief of police along with a salary to the council. The new chief will be on probation for two months and can be terminated if the chief has not represented and run the department to the satisfaction of the council. The appointed chief must have at least four years of law enforcement experience, must be Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) certified and must maintain the certification. Failure to do so may result in termination.
January 13, 2019
• Prepare for a transformation as the Evangeline Chamber of Commerce has begun its effort to revitalize downtown Ville Platte.
This task is set to consist of an array of programs that will range from partnering with business owners to clean up the front of businesses as well as painting buildings that line the Main Street drag.
On Wednesday, Evangeline Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Renee Brown addressed a room full of chamber members during a meeting at Café Evangeline - a restaurant housed in a historic building along Main Street. The topic of discussion centered around bringing the parish seat’s downtown area back to life.
January 17, 2019
• A week after an ordinance was proposed dealing with the appointment of a police chief, the Turkey Creek Village Council at its regular meeting Tuesday voted to adopt the ordinance and enacted the policy and procedures for the chief.
After the ordinance was adopted, Mayor Phillip Cavins recommended hiring Benjamin Bordelon as chief with a set wage of $15.00 per hour. Upon the mayor’s recommendation, the council voted to introduce an ordinance to hire Bordelon pending his psychiatric examination and to set his salary.
January 20, 2019
• Approximately a year and nine months after a stray bullet claimed the life of Kathy Weston, the man found guilty of committing the crime received his sentencing.
An Evangeline Parish jury of 12 found Robert Marquez Wilson guilty of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years, in October of 2018.
When determining how long the 22-year-old would spend behind bars, 13th Judicial District Court Judge Chuck West sited several Third Circuit Court of Appeals decisions including the State of Louisiana vs. Morein. In this case, the Court of Appeals stated “maximum sentences are reserved for the most serious of violations and the worse offenders.”
January 24, 2019
• The Village of Turkey Creek has a new police chief, and history was made in the selection as the village council voted Tuesday to adopt an ordinance naming Ben Bordelon as the village’s first appointed chief.
•The Evangeline Parish School Board received a clean audit during its meeting on January 16.
Vic Slaven, with Kolder, Slaven and Company, LLC., presented the audit report for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2018. He said, “This is an unmodified clean opinion. That is what we always want to issue and you got one.”
January 27, 2019
• A program designed to get more people engaged in the workforce that was originally tossed around three years ago is again gaining traction after a meeting held Friday at Ville Platte City Hall.
According to Mayor Jennifer Vidrine, the plan for the meeting was to “gather information about job apprenticeship programs to implement in Ville Platte and Evangeline Parish.”
January 31, 2019
• To continue the trend of working to revitalize Ville Platte, local officials and business men and women from across Evangeline Parish gathered at The Hatchery to hear from University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Moody Endowed Chair of Regional Business Development Dr. Geoffrey Stewart.
The event was hosted to kick off a collaboration between the Evangeline Parish Foundation, the Evangeline Chamber of Commerce, the tourism board, parish, local and state government officials, business owners, the UL-L and other resources such as the Acadiana Planning Commission.
• A man from Avoyelles Parish has been arrested for beating a former Lone Pine resident to death recently.
According to KALB, the victim in this matter is 65-year-old Farrel Graser. At the time of the incident, Graser was living in Marksville.
The television news station reported that around 4:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon, the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Officce received a call about two men fighting in an area called the Brouillette Cabins, on Highway 452.