Crime Blotter

Thibodaux man gets 70 years

Lafourche Parish District Attorney Cam Morvant II announced that Raymond Price, 28, of 108 Aragon St., Thibodaux, has been sentenced to 70 years in prison as a habitual offender.

The district attorney’s office said that on July 26, 2011, a jury convicted Price of manslaughter in connection with the Aug. 2010 homicide of Patrick Batiste – a crime that landed him a 40-year sentence.

Price had four prior felony convictions at the time of his arrest, which led Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Richard to file a habitual offender bill against the suspect.

At a hearing last Wednesday before Judge F. Hugh Larose, Richard presented evidence relating to Price’s prior felony convictions, which included unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Following the hearing, Larose found Price to be a third felony offender. The judge lifted the suspect’s 40-year sentence and handed down a new 70-year penalty as a habitual offender.

“Mr. Price is only 28 years old, but has managed to accumulate five felony convictions, the last of which resulted in the death of another person,” Richard said. “He will now spend much – if not all – of his life in jail. That is the only appropriate punishment for someone with his criminal history.”

Suspect arrested for cocaine distribution

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that it has nabbed a 37-year-old Houma man for various drug-related offenses.

Authorities say agents with the Terrebonne Narcotics Task Force conducted a covert operation during which they say they purchased 84 grams of cocaine from Corey Butler, 37, of 106 D. Dupre Lane, Houma.

Following the exchange, authorities say they were able to conduct a traffic stop on the suspect, during which Butler was arrested without incident.

TPSO spokesman Maj. Malcolm Wolfe said Butler is presently on Federal probation for a prior Federal illegal narcotics violation.

That arrest occurred on April 22, 2004. In total, authorities say Butler has been arrested 12 times – four have come as a result of narcotics violations.

Butler was booked into the Terrebonne Parish Jail for two counts of violation of probation and two counts of distribution of CDS Schedule II Drug over 28 grams (cocaine).

Suspect arrested for failure to appear

A 57-year-old Schriever man is in custody of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office after authorities say he had inappropriate contact with a juvenile.

TPSO officials say Wayne Eric Hollins, 57, of 410 Livas Lane, Schriever, was arrested Thursday and charged with failure to appear in court and indecent behavior with a juvenile.

Those charges stem from an investigation that began in Feb. 2012 that yielded that Hollins had made “inappropriate comments and sexual advances to a teenage female juvenile.”

Authorities made attempts to contact Hollins in order to question him regarding the accusations, during which he allegedly fled his residence and moved to Baton Rouge.

On April 4, Hollins was apprehended by the Baton Rouge Police Department on the TPSO warrants.

He was transferred to TPSO custody this week, where he is formally charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and also failure to appear in court in regards to a 2007 court date for driving with no driver’s license or license plate.

Authorities allege starvation in infant’s death

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Thibodaux woman it believes is responsible for the death of an infant.

Latisha Thomas, 34, of 1323 Lasseigne Road, Thibodaux, was arrested Thursday and charged with second degree murder after an investigation discovered she did not provide adequate care to her 2-month-old daughter, who eventually died of malnourishment.

LPSO spokesman Brennan Matherne said on Feb. 9, Thomas called 911 and said her daughter was not breathing.

Acadian Ambulance and LPSO deputies arrived on the scene and found the infant to be deceased.

The 2-month old’s body was then sent to the Jefferson Parish Forensic Center for an autopsy.

Matherne said authorities were informed last week that the child died from severe malnutrition, during which they brought Thomas in for additional questioning.

During the interview, Matherne said it was learned that the woman had not provided adequate care to the child prior to her death and did not seek any help in dealing with the infant’s malnourishment.

Thomas was arrested Thursday without incident. She is charged with second degree murder and is being held in the Lafourche Parish Detention Center in lieu of a $500,000 bond.

Her two other children have been taken into custody by the State of Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.

HPD Officer saves child’s life

A Houma Police Officer is one family’s hero this week after he saved the life of a 12-month-old that was not breathing.

HPD reports this week that Officer Neil Abbott was dispatched to the 1400 block of Acadian Drive in reference to a child not breathing.

Once on the scene, authorities say Abbott was met by the child’s parent, who claimed that the infant was lifeless and without a pulse at the time of Abbott’s arrival.

A certified EMT, Abbott immediately began rescue breathing and chest compressions on the infant, which revived the child prior to Acadian Ambulance’s arrival.

Three days later, HPD was informed that the child was suffering from a high fever during the day of the incident and was now doing fine.

HPD Chief Todd Duplantis said he wanted to thank Abbott for being “an outstanding police officer and a great asset to the Houma Police Department.”

Webre seeks suspect in attempted burglary

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said his office is trying to nab whoever was responsible for an attempted break-in at the Thibodaux Sewer Plant facility last Monday.

LPSO spokesman Brennan Matherne said detectives learned the suspect removed or attempted to remove several window screens from one of the buildings of the facility, while also breaking the window of another to try and gain entry.

Matherne said detectives also learned that the fence around the facility had been cut to try and allow a suspect entry.

Authorities do not believe the suspect gained entry into any of the buildings.

Webre asks that anyone with information about this crime call Bayou Region Crime Stoppers at 1-800-743-7433.

Those with information leading to an arrest can be eligible for a $1,000 reward.