C’EST BON Even before the ceremony began, there was a distinct buzz in the hall of the fourth floor of the Lafayette Parish Courthouse, a sense of pride and accomplishment on the faces of those packing the outside of District Judge Jules Edwards’ courtroom. On April 29, Edwards ushered in the crowd, beginning the commencement ceremony that honored 15 graduates of 15th JDC’s adult drug court program. It was a moving and uplifting ceremony that revealed how judicial intervention programs for non-violent drug offenders, especially those tailored to an individual’s specific drug and mental problems, can turn lives around. The intensive outpatient program, implemented in 1998 and funded by the Louisiana Supreme Court, LCG and 15th JDC judges, takes a minimum of two years to complete and requires participants to get a GED. The last stop before prison, drug court proves treatment and justice can effectively work together. Our kudos to the grads.
Photo by Lanie Cook
PAS BON We’re having a hard time buying Deputy Marshal Nathan Broussard’s version of events that led to the arrest of one of our own, Lanie Cook, a 22-year-old UL Lafayette student who has just signed on as an intern at the paper. An aspiring journalist/photojournalist, Cook was exercising her First Amendment rights by taking pictures of Broussard in the line of duty at Parc International the Thursday night of Festival International. Broussard, according to an “eyewitness” from KLFY-TV10, came toward Cook and a drunken young man after the young man yelled at the officer to let alone a suspect who had passed out a few yards away. “I’m just holding down the shutter as he’s coming,” recalls Cook, who was covering the festival for a class and the student newspaper. “I just never stopped taking pictures, and this cop just starts freaking out.” Cook repeatedly told Broussard she had a right to take pictures, to which a female deputy replied (in Cook’s words), “You cannot take pictures of what we do.” That officer couldn’t be more wrong. The media’s function is to act as a guardian of the public interest and as a watchdog on the activities of government. Broussard was out of line in arresting Cook and charging her with disturbing the peace by intoxication (though he did not conduct a breath test), resisting arrest (who wouldn’t under these circumstances?) and interfering with the duties of an officer (Hmmm). We won’t even go into what Broussard wrote in the arrest affidavit, because, frankly, it doesn’t jibe with the evidence — that being the images on Cook’s camera. COUILLON The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries claims a 40-year-old Rayne man used a toxic pesticide, Temik, on hot dogs and piles of peanut butter to kill raccoons that had been eating crawfish in two ponds he leases at the border of Acadia and Lafayette parishes. The problem is that Richard Doucet allegedly killed neighbors’ dogs in the process. DWF officials found the dead animals within 5 yards of where they had consumed the poison. Save the crawfish but kill the animals? Now that’s a couillon mentality. Worse yet, the poison was found within 100 yards of homes with small children. “We would be talking about a whole different story if it would have gone that route,” DWF Sgt. Chris Carpenter told The Advocate. Thankfully, the situation is now under control, with Doucet facing serious charges, including two counts of criminal negligence and five felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.
... written by Exestentialist Man , May 05, 2010 - 02:55 am
Indy, you seem to have flipped-Flopped the second and third articles in the Pooyie Column, or am i correct in thinking you were swamped with couillion activity when you wrote the column ? Yessir,the Couillion with the poison has a knack of running afoul of the law.............A very colorful, "Enfamous Individual.
... written by Good Time Charlie , May 05, 2010 - 09:50 pm
Yeah and the other Couillion, Barney with the badge broke his maidenhead and busted his first criminal, charged her with being in the line of fire tween a 14 carat puredee Couillion, and his lunch...... Really, what crime did Cook commit, she did'nt take that Chubbylinks Broussard Hotdog. EH ? Now Broussard would'nt be a close kin of Marshall Picard'S ? I'snt there a weight limit for lawmen, I don't think chubby could pick em up and put em down very far............
... written by Check and Balance , May 06, 2010 - 06:51 am
On Pas Bon, please, print Officer Broussard's version of events in the affidavit and Mrs. Cook's photos that are the evidence as you describe. Are we expected to believe TheInd's version of what happened? Let the reader be the judge.
On Couillon, what if dogs went around and ate TheInd papers in newsstands across town, and dogs went around eating up criminals and spitting out law abiding citizens. Your way and LDWF Sgt. Chris Carpenter's way of earning a living, i.e., feeding your kids, paying a mortgage, using your cell phone (i could go on), would be in jeopardy. It's all perspective. I bet crawfisherman Richard Doucet, and his lawyer, will argue he was protecting his way of earning a living ... protecting his family. It's sad that some child's pet was killed. Yet, the dogs wouldn't have been poisoned if the owners had properly cared for their pets, and the neighbors might be enjoying the low price of select boiled crawfish this weekend, maybe even with Mr. Doucet.
... written by HARDHAT , May 06, 2010 - 11:56 am
CHECK AND BALANCE, read my lips....look up the term, " Ad hominem........ Also, The wildlife and pet killa is not a commercial fisher-man, who is deriving his livelihood from his crawfish ponds, although it is his lawful right to protect his crop of crawfish,from predators,this case brings to mind the lafayette parish landowner who killed a teenager who was in his crawfish pond, there's a sign of madness to each of these cases, the first couillion who killed the teen being a prominent man "SKIPPED, this couillion being a local businessman, ( By no means a crawfisherman ) could possibility, "SKIP.........I guess, Mr. Check and Balance, If a child had ingested the poison, "you in your infinite wisdom, being deep in your Xanax stash, would say that the child was not being properly cared for by his parents....... Like i suggested, before you comment on an Indy article, Check your Balance, You Sir, are "Tottering!
... written by Blane Thibodeaux , May 06, 2010 - 06:11 pm
PAS BON...I know how you media types get when a part of your team crosses paths with the law. You guys have the first word and I could understand wanting to help a member of the team, but Im gonna "wait" till boths sides of the story get equal coverage. COULLION...It sucks that peaples pets got killed.I dont know his side of the story but.. I dont know. Its doesnt sound good.
... written by D.Cobb , May 06, 2010 - 07:51 pm
The police department needs to educate their officers about freedom of the press!
... written by Gene Broussard , May 07, 2010 - 03:52 am
Nickie Picard and his deputies have, on more than one occasion, acted in what could be described as over-zealous enforcement. I think there was an occasion a few years ago when they were involved in a high speed chase on our city streets in pursuit of some viscous criminal. Or was it just a bit of wild men with a badge and siren? Sometime the term gestapo may come into play. And then, there is the rumor that the marshal is grooming his son to take his place. Does the term nepotism come into play? But, then, we all know Nickie is just a good old boy. At least that is the image he portrays.
... written by Robert Walter , May 07, 2010 - 08:01 am
I think law enforcement needs a little lesson in the law. This is the second time this year that police have tried to prevent people from taking pictures of police activity in a public place: one at Mardi Gras where they tried to confiscate a cell phone camera as "evidence" and then telling Ms. Cook she could not take pictures of police. In both cases, the police were wrong. They can not confiscate items without a warrant unless it was used in a crime and cannot ban taking pictures in of police activity in a public place. I believe the officers are trying to misuse their authority as a police officer hoping people don't know the law. Please educate the law enforcers on the law.
... written by Shtine , May 07, 2010 - 11:24 am
You know, what these guys are doing when they arrest people for taking pictures is TYRANNY! Why aren't these lard asses being brought before a judge for illegal detention? There were thousands of people at that festival who watched this happen. It's about time that people start to look after fellow citizens instead of the donut patrol that we have in this town. There is strength in numbers. It's time to put these cows back in the pin!
... written by ragin_cajun , May 07, 2010 - 12:06 pm
For such a "progressive community" like Lafayette, with its high "quality of life", to have such a poorly trained and unprofessional police force is a real shame. There have been WAY TOO MANY incidents like this with Lafayette Police Department, and they almost always happen downtown, too.
Chief Craft, although a fine office with serious investigative skills, is obviously not the man for the job. He must condone, maybe even encourage, this kind of behavior in the officers under his command. Why else does this kind of stuff continue to happen?
... written by True Blue , May 07, 2010 - 06:58 pm
Did the Independent bother to look in to this innocent photographer's past, I bet if someone did they would learn she has prior arrests for alcohol related offenses, and on incident she was sent to the slammer for putting a beat down on her own momma, probably was drunk that night too. The only thing wrong with this whole thing is that this 22 year old still does understand that in the real world people will be held responsible for his/her own actions and the police will always be there to make sure they are.
... written by D.Cobb , May 07, 2010 - 10:10 pm
"True Blue" doesn't know what he is talking about. He needs to get the correct information before he posts false information. I know for a fact that she DID NOT put the "beat down" on her own Mama! Also, she was NOT DRUNK on the night of the incident at the festival. Where is the breathalizer test huh??????????????
... written by Northsidian Shotgun , May 07, 2010 - 11:04 pm
I recall a week in Lafayette when i actually witnessed, on five different occassions, at five different Bars/Clubs, five different city policeman, get their hinny royally kicked, and each time it was retribution for a beating a bar/club patron had received at the hands of three or four policemen, the odd fact is that not one policeman came out on top, all of these beatings were inflicted on off-duty policemen, and were truly deserved, for beating on drunks at prior times....... On one ocassion an offduty policeman was hitting and old high-school adversary with a baton while the poor guy was puking, all of a sudden after ten or so blows the puker straightened up erect,and proceeded to beat the mean out of the off-duty policimen.....This is not to demean anyone , just facts !
... written by True Blue , May 08, 2010 - 09:49 am
D. Cobb why dont you check the public records at the parish jail, you will be surprised to find out she was arrested for Aggravated Battery, crime committed with dangerous weapon, and in her case her teeth were the weapon and her dear mother was the victim, she was also arrested for underage drinking at least 1 or 2 other alcohol related crimes, and its all public record not false information. So once again blame the police because D. Cobb and his young photographer friend have to respect for authority.
... written by D.Cobb , May 08, 2010 - 10:35 pm
Once again, "True Blue", I'm assuming you are an officer of the law according to your user name. Check your facts because, guess what? I am Dear Mother to whom you are referring, and she DID NOT put the "beat down" on me and I was NOT a victim. I don't know what you read, but that was not the case. The incidents that you wrote about happened a LONG time ago and are in no way related to what happened at the festival. I am proud of my daughter because she stands up for what she believes in and yes, she does have respect for the law. She was simply trying to get a story and ran into an overzealous officer with a BIG EGO!
... written by ragin_cajun , May 09, 2010 - 05:27 am
Blue-
Since you seem to know so much about the incident, tell us. Did the officers say that she cannot photograph the police? If they did say that, is it true?
... written by True Blue , May 10, 2010 - 04:36 pm
I do not know if thats what the officer's said, but I do know if someone is taking pictures theres no crime and an officer does not have the authority to stop someone from taking pictures and surely cant take the camera away, property can only be seized if the property was involved in a crime or evidence of a crime, and in this case there is no crime if she was simply taking pictures, but if she was told to leave for the officer's safety and she refused to do so, then thats probably why she was arrested, if the media is told to leave from any crime scene they most always will cooperate.
... written by Northsidian Shotgun , May 11, 2010 - 07:36 pm
True Blue, exactly which type of training have you undergone to receive your badge, " are you now a school crossing guard in true blue uniform ?
... written by True Blue , May 12, 2010 - 02:40 pm
Northsidian Capgun, you sound like a prime candidate for the school crossing guard position, and with your 3rd grade education you would probably make a good one too.
... written by Northsidian Shotgun , May 12, 2010 - 10:27 pm
""" TRUE BLUE ! You are a Tootsie Pop ! Thats a Sucker ! As, i always say, "it takes two fools to engage in an argument, CIAO....... Oh, you definitely display an absence of Anger Management Skills. You must be a "True Blue Cop.........
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