[UPDATE: Lafayette PD confirms that the white pickup truck Brandon Scott Lavergne allegedly used in the kidnapping and killing of 21-year-old Mickey Shunick was set on fire. Police Chief Jim Craft would not comment on any evidence that points to her death and says Lavergne is not cooperating.
Craft says Lavergne's Chevrolet Silverado Z71, set on fire in San Jacinto County, Texas, had been reported stolen in Montgomery County. The vehicle was burned within days of the PD circulating a picture of it from Mickey's route the night she disappeared, according to Craft, who confirms that the damage to the rear tire of Mickey's bike, located near Whiskey Bay May 26, is consistent with being struck by a vehicle.
Though he was not specific, Craft says police have evidence that places Lavergne and his truck near Whiskey Bay where the bike was found. Craft said the break in the case came June 14 when police got a call to the tip line from "a concerned citizen" with information that Lavergne's vehicle may have been involved. The vehicle Lavergne, an offshore worker, was driving when stopped July 5 by State Police and taken to the Lafayette PD was also a white Chevy Z71, Craft says.]
The registered sex offender accused of kidnapping and killing UL Lafayette student Mickey Shunick, who went missing May 19, allegedly burned the white pickup truck used in commission of the crime, a source with information about the investigation tells The Independent.
Thursday afternoon Lafayette Police arrested 33-year-old Brandon Scott Lavergne for first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping and searched his Swords home in rural St. Landry Parish. The sex offender website confirms Lavergne's ownership of a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado, believed to be the vehicle he set fire to. On the night Schunick disappeared, a similar model Chevrolet Silverado was photographed at St. Landry Street by a City Hall camera that also captured Shunick riding her bike.
It's unknown whether police were able to gather any evidence from the vehicle; the Advocate published a photograph Friday showing detectives carrying large bags away from Lavergne’s home last night. The paper also retrieved from its archives a story about Lavergne's 2000 conviction for oral sexual battery: He was accused of tying, blindfolding and sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman while he was stationed as a soldier at Fort Polk.
A news conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday. Police are not expected to divulge how they were first put on Lavergne’s trail or what key evidence they have linking him to the case. There is rampant speculation online that this TigerDroppings.com post, by someone calling himself Adam4LSU, may have played a role. 
Adam4LSU also provided a link to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office's sexual offender database.
View the database's full report on Lavergne here.
The Independent will update this story after today's press conference.
MAY 23 Here's a story in the Picayune about some statistics that must come as a blow to folks who believe that any private school can do a better job of educating kids than any public school: Danielle Dreilinger reports that only 30 percent of the voucher kids are passing. That's less than half of the state wide average, she says. It's an interesting statistic because most of the schools (if not all) taking voucher kids have never had their students' standardized test scores released to the public before.
MAY 23 Stephen Sabludowsky blogs on Bayou Buzz about auditor requests here. Recently the state GOP started crowing about a request from the Legislative Auditor, claiming they were being targeted because of their anti-tax stance. (Uh, your what?) Denial and hyperbole aside, the state Democratic party blew holes in that theory with an email announcing they'd received the same request, Sabludowsky writes here.
MAY 23 Jim Brown blogs about the senate race in this post. He says that, given Bobby Jindal's "lack of traction" on the national stage, it might make more sense for the governor to consider running against Mary Landrieu for the senate seat. Since Tim Teeple left the Cassidy team, it makes sense he might land on a Jindal for Senate team, Brown opines.
MAY 23 In this Louisiana Voice post, blogger Tom Aswell writes of rumors that his nemesis, state Superintendent of Education John White, may be soon departing Louisiana for a federal post. It's hard to believe, given his performance, Aswell says, but stranger things have happened. An anti-White BESE member says that, if true, White is quitting before he can be fired.
MAY 23 In this post on American Zombie, blogger Jason Berry writes about the Mother's Day shooting. Mayor Landrieu said that "this is not who we are," but the fact is, this is New Orleans, Berry writes. The violence infused in the city is the result of a culture created by "sins of omission or sins of commission," Berry writes. It's not a problem that can be solved by legislating, policing, praying or publicizing, he says: Someone's got to understand what's happening first.
MAY 23 This post in the Westside Journal tells us what Port Allen Mayor Deedy has been up to lately: vetoing ordinances, apparently. This story is most interesting, however, when it delves into a petition that has been circulating around the city lately. It accuses the former mayor of a lot of nasty things; the former mayor says it is full of lies and "broken syntax" which may be a larger offense in his eyes.
MAY 23 This editorial posted in The Advocate is a bit confusing. The writing is poor - definitely not up to the usual editorial writing standard there - and the point is hard to grasp. Apparently, the writer is saying that privatization of state efforts is OK, as long as there is oversight and transparency, but Jindal's not good at that, and the legislature shouldn't over-react. Okey Dokey. Can't they get one of them Pulitzer-winning people to write an editorial?
MAY 23 This post on The Lens gives you links to a new Google Earth tool that allows you to see any spot on earth transform over the past 30 years. Bob Marshall, who covers the coast for the paper, says that in the case of Louisiana's coastline, it's possibly something you don't want to see, because it's not a pretty picture. There are several clips here, showing critical areas erode away. For Marshall, it was vindication for all those times he was met with eye-rolling when he talked about erosion.
Most Read
in case you missed it
Subscribe to this comment's feed