Seafood board bill passes House hurdle; heads to Senate
June 4, 2013CRIME BLOTTER: Reported offenses in the Tri-parishes
June 4, 2013The wife and children of a Montegut man killed in a car wreck are suing the 17-year old who was driving a golf cart he swerved to avoid on a Bourg highway.
The suit also names the people in whose home the party was at, who are the owners of the golf cart, and alleges that underage drinking was permitted there. The suit also alleges that the golf cart had no lights.
Cleveland Towns, 63, was driving past the 4200 block of La. 24 at about 2:30 a.m. when he swerved to avoid the golf cart driven by Katelyn Duplantis of Chauvin, and struck a tree. A week later he died at University Hospital in New Orleans as a result of his injuries. According to State Police Towns was not wearing a seatbelt.
Duplantis was carrying a passenger who was not injured. She was charged with having a blood alcohol count over the legal limit for someone under the age of 21, which at .02 is lower than the .08 for people over 21.
She was booked into the Terrebonne Parish jail on a charge of first-degree negligent injuring and driving a vehicle with improper equipment on a public highway. Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Joe Waitz Jr. and his staff must ultimately decide whether to increase the level of offense now that Towns has died.
The suit was filed by Houma attorney Michael Samanie on behalf of Laura Browning, the victim’s wife and his children, Crystal Towns Allred and Kelly Towns.
The compensation sought includes funeral, burial and medical expenses, loss of affection, loss of earnings and punitive damages.
The pleading, filed in 32nd Judicial District Court, alleges that Duplantis operated a motor vehicle not meant for use on a public highway while intoxicated, and drove without lights in a careless and inattentive manner.
Michael and Glenda Deroche, the owners of the golf cart and the house where the party allegedly was held, are named in the suit because, according to the allegation in the court papers, they hosted a party where they knew “or should have known that underage consumption of alcohol would take place … supplying alcohol to underage persons or allowing alcohol to be served at their residence to underage persons” and that they generally failed to supervise the gathering.
Attempts to reach members of the Deroche family for comment were not successful.
According to police, Michael and Glenda Deroche were not home when the party occurred.
Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief of Detectives Malcolm Wolfe said investigators had looked at the question of whether criminal charges should be brought against anyone in the Deroche household but that at this time the evidence did not appear to warrant that action.
