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NEW IBERIA – At approximately 9:15 p.m. on June 13, 2019, troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop I began investigating a fatality crash involving a pedestrian on the US 90 eastbound frontage road near Darnall Road in Iberia Parish.
The crash took the life of 47-year-old Ken Delahoussaye of New Iberia.
The preliminary investigation revealed the crash occurred as Delahoussaye was walking across the US 90 frontage road to render aid to the driver of a vehicle in a ditch as the result of a previous crash. At the same time, 26-year-old Jerry Reaux of New Iberia was driving westbound on the service road in a 2015 Kia Optima. As Delahoussaye walked into the westbound lane of travel, he was struck by the Kia.
Delahoussaye was pronounced deceased on scene by the Iberia Parish Coroner’s Office. Impairment is not suspected, but standard toxicology samples were obtained and submitted for analysis. Reaux was properly restrained and was uninjured. Impairment on his part is not suspected, and Reaux submitted a breath sample which indicated no alcohol in his system. This crash remains under investigation.
Troopers urge pedestrians to maintain a heightened level of awareness while walking near or on roadways. Pedestrians must assume that approaching motorists cannot see them, especially at night. Furthermore, Troopers want to remind motorists that making good choices such as never driving while impaired and avoiding all distractions can often help prevent many pedestrian related crashes.

North Vermilion High FFA member Cordelia Broussard was recognized at the 2019 State FFA Convention for placing 1st overall in Agriscience II at State Literary Rally. She was also recipient of the Margaret Mayeux Blue Jacket Award.

Security has now tripled at Vermilion Parish School Board meetings over the last five years.
Five years ago there was no need for security. Two years ago one security officer was added. At the next board meeting, there is expected to be three security officers on location.
One officer outside and two inside.
Abbeville Police Chief Bill Spearman has decided to beef up security at school board meetings because of what happened at the last school board meeting.
For the last 18 months, an Abbeville Police Officer has been present at all school board meetings. The school board pays for the security officer.
An officer stands inside the meeting room and controls the crowd entering or leaving the meeting room. The officer does not control who speaks or does not speak during the meeting.
When the meeting is over and everyone walks out into the parking lot, the Abbeville Police Officer also walks out with the crowd and remains on the school board grounds until the last person leaves.
At last month’s meeting, two incidents occurred where a different security officer was needed.
In the parking lot, a school board member exchanged words with a citizen. During the exchange of words, a Sheriff Deputy, who was sitting in his Sheriff Unit in the parking lot, got out of his unit. No arrests were made.
Sheriff Mike Couvillon provided security in the parking lot for that meeting. Also, Abbeville Police Detective Lt. Jason Hebert arrived when the meeting ended and was in the parking lot.
Normally, that one security officer is in the parking lot once the meeting is over; however, Abbeville officer John Castille remained inside the meeting room because he had to defuse an argument between newly hired school board lawyer Bob Hammonds and Superintendent Jerome Puyau’s personal attorney Lane Roy.
The argument (see the video on the Vermiliontoday.com website) was stopped when Officer Castille got between the two attorneys.
After watching the video of what transpired inside the meeting room and hearing about what happened on the outside, Chief Spearman said he is adding another police officer at school board meetings.
Spearman said on Tuesday afternoon that, as long as his department is asked to work the school board meetings, he will make sure his officers are put in the best possible situation.
“I am going to have no less than two officers working each meeting,” Spearman said. “When I can, I will have three at the meeting.”
Spearman said it is about not spreading his officers too thin.
“One officer cannot cover everything,” Spearman said. “We had something going on in the hallway and something going on in the meeting room. If I didn’t have two officers there, we might have had something happen.
“If we are going to cover these meetings, we are going to do it properly with the utmost safety of everyone in mind.”
At last week’s Abbeville Council meeting, Councilman Brady Broussard Jr. commended Chief of Police Bill Spearman and his department for the way officers working the school board meeting handled a situation at the end.
“There were altercations that were prevented by your staff,” Broussard said. “That is a credit to them.”

Baton Rouge, LA –The recent Louisiana high water events along with the opening of the Bonne Carre’ Spillway are having a noticeable effect on the state’s supply of oysters, shrimp, crab and finfish, according to preliminary assessments from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).
Preliminary results from monitoring of commercial harvest using data available as of June 6 show that for oysters on public water-bottoms, landings have declined by 80 percent from the average for the year-to-date and are 89 percent below the average for March-April.
Statewide shrimp landings (brown and white shrimp combined) declined by 36 percent for the month of March, and 63 percent for the month of April, when compared to the five-year average.
Statewide blue crab landings have decreased by 33 percent for the month of March, and 45 percent for the month of April when compared to the five-year average.
Concerning finfish, preliminary findings show that landings are down for black drum, 53 percent in the Vermilion-Tech basin and down 43 percent year-to-date in the Calcasieu basin, commercial black drum landings are down 31 percent year to date. Recreational harvest of red drum and spotted seatrout are also reduced compared to other recent years, as monitored by LA Creel.
LDWF personnel are also monitoring salinities as well as abundance of fish and shellfish in all the major estuaries of the coast.
LDWF biologists also continue to monitor the flooding impacts on fishery and wildlife resources resulting from the first and the recent second Bonne Carré Spillway openings order by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Since January, there has been an increase in sea turtle and marine mammal strandings along the coast of the state. LDWF continues to work with the federal government and other agencies in assessing the situation.
The true impact of the spillway opening and other high water events on fish and animals won’t be known for months as data continues to be collected and analyzed by both state and federal agencies.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.la.gov. To receive LDWF email alerts, signup at http://www.wlf.la.gov/signup.