A timeline of events involving Ben Freeman
January 1, 2014
Top 10 in 2013 – Business
January 1, 2014
No. 10 Fabre named Bishop of Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux (Nov. 6)
The 2013 calendar year was a busy year for the Diocese of Houma- Thibodaux. Bishop Sam Jacobs started the year as the head of the church – a position he held after a decade as the shepherd of the local area’s Catholic churches. But Jacobs announced in early 2013 that he was retiring, which led to a search for a full-time replacement. That process was completed this past fall when Shelton Fabre was appointed to serve as Jacobs’ successor. Fabre is a native of New Roads. He was first ordained as a priest in 1989. Since taking over his position, several parishioners throughout the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux have touted Fabre’s energy and enthusiasm for the church and the people within it. Fabre is one of only 10 black bishops in the United States. His appointment also makes him the eighth youngest bishop in the United States.
No. 9 Houma actress gets Oscar bid (Jan. 16)
Who knew that “Beasts of the Southern Wild” would make Houma actress Quvenzhane Wallis a star? The 9-year-old local became the youngest nominee ever for Best Leading Actress – an award given annually at the prestigious Oscars. Wallis earned the honor after portraying Hushpuppy in her debut film – a low-budget movie that was partially shot in Terrebonne Parish. After the film’s release, Wallis’ stock soared and she instantly became a Hollywood sensation. The young fifth grader at Elysian Fields School has been cast to appear as Annie in the upcoming remake of the classic movie “Annie”. Wallis did not win the award, but the nomination marked both local and Hollywood history. With many years left to make waves on the big stage, many Hollywood pundits think that Wallis will continue to soar and transcend herself into a widely known household name.
No. 8 Lawyers say girl consented to rape (July 31)
A civil trial in Terrebonne Parish turned ugly in late summer when a woman sued Terrebonne Parish after claiming that she was raped while in the parish’s Juvenile Detention Center. According to court documents and testimony, the woman (who will not be identified because of the details of the case) is now grown, but was 14 at the time of the case. At the trial, it was discovered that the young girl was molested while in the Terrebonne Juvenile Detention Center by Angelo Vickers, who is serving seven years in jail after being found guilty of the crime. But in the civil proceedings, attorneys for the parish fought the victim’s claims and said that the victim and other children in the facility are not “little Miss Muffin”. Attorneys further argued that the young woman could not have engaged in sexual relations inside the center “without cooperation from (the victim)”. The debate regarding whether the young girl consented burned local and statewide headlines as many pundits chimed in to express their displeasure with Terrebonne Parish’s
stance regarding the case.
No. 7 Louviere seeks new trial (Oct. 23)
A convicted rapist and killer appealed his sentence this past fall, arguing that he should not be killed for his crimes. Chad Roy Louviere pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in connection to an Oct. 17, 1996 rampage that culminated in a 25-hour hostage standoff inside a Houma bank where Louviere’s estranged wife worked. During the standoff, the suspect raped female employees and shot 27-year-old Pamela Ann Duplantis to death, according to authorities. But since the guilty sentence, some questions have stemmed regarding how the case was handled and whether Louviere was able to understand the severity of the charges levied against him when he made his guilty plea. The case remains unresolved at press-time, and will likely be prominent throughout the headlines again in 2014.
No. 6 Hulbert retires, new president hired (Sept. 17)
An era in Nicholls State University’s history officially ended in 2013. University President Stephen Hulbert announced his retirement well before it actually became official – a move that allowed Hulbert to take a bit of a swan song into his next chapter. As Nicholls’ president, Hulbert was considered very popular amongst many. Through his leadership, the local four-year university continued to stay afloat, despite constant budget cuts from the state during the nationwide recession. To replace Hulbert, Nicholls hired a search committee, which yielded a slew of applicants. After a lengthy search process, Nicholls announced in September that Air University’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Bruce T. Murphy, would take over the position. Murphy was hired over fellow finalist, Mirta Martin. Murphy is slated to assume his new position in mid-January. In the meantime, Larry Howell is serving as Nicholls’ interim president.
No. 5 Jeremiah Wright declared unfit, then fit for trial (Dec. 4)
Sometime in the 2014 calendar year, a Thibodaux man may face a jury of his peers after being accused of beheading his special-needs son. Jeremiah Wright pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity this winter after District Judge John LeBlanc ruled that the convicted killer was competent to stand trial for the crime. The ruling marked a significant turn in the case, as LeBlanc had ruled earlier in 2013 that the suspect was incompetent, a ruling that sent Wright back to a mental health facility for several months before the new ruling was levied. Lafourche Parish District Attorney Cam Morvant II said the 17th Judicial District would pursue the death penalty against Wright, if he’s convicted. Wright was transported to the Lafourche Parish Detention Center, where he awaits his trial. The main issue at the trail will likely be Wright’s mental state at the time of the murder. According to doctors at the Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System in Jackson, La., Wright was exaggerating his systems in order to remain under the care of doctors and avoid facing the murder charge.
No. 4 Lafourche councilman makes strong remarks about jail vote (Nov. 13)
A major talking point in Lafourche Parish in 2013 was whether or not Lafourche Parish voters would rededicate property-tax revenue away from Lafourche libraries and toward the construction of a new detention center. The Lafourche Parish Council made the vote by a 5-3-1 margin in late August to allow voters to make the call. During an intense back and forth between supporters of a new jail and friends of the library system, voters opted in November against rededicating the money, which keeps the libraries mills in tact. During the debate, Lafourche Parish Councilman Lindel made resounding remarks against the library system, saying that they don’t need the funding they have in place. “They’re teaching Mexicans how to speak English,” the council chairman said in reference to Biblioteca Hispana, a Hispanic-language segment of the Golden Meadow library branch. “Let that son of a b–ch go back to Mexico. There’s just so many things they’re doing that I don’t agree with. … Them junkies and hippies and food stamps (recipients) and all, they use the library to look at drugs and food stamps (on the Internet). I see them do it.” Toups’ comments garnered national attention. After the election results, Lafourche is left scrambling to find a new way to fund its jail.
No. 3 Audit yields Bourgeois mishandled money (July 31)
When re-elected as Terrebonne Parish sheriff , Jerry Larpenter was very open in his suspicions that former Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois had mismanaged taxpayer money during his time in office. Those suspicions proved to have merit this summer when an audit showed that Bourgeois had committed violations in fuel expenses, improper donations and failures to collect delinquent property taxes, among other noted offenses. Since the audit’s release, Bourgeois paid back $19,000 to cover money that he was found to have wrongfully spent during his administration. But even while paying, Bourgeois said that he was paying under protest, denying that he had done anything legally wrong as Terrebonne’s sheriff . In the audit, it is stated that Bourgeois attended six out-of-state football games, two out-of-state races and two out-of-state conferences where he and some deputies took unauthorized sightseeing excursions that had nothing to do with TPSO business. The audit also discovered that Bourgeois had improperly charged fuel expenses during his time as sheriff and had improperly donated labor estimated at $350,000 for work on a work release building that was occupied by a private company.
No. 2 Hospital takeover completed (June 26)
After years in limbo, Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center received the gift of stability in 2013. After fighting budget cuts that were crippling the hospital’s employee base and offerings, the local medical facility struck a deal this year that saw it merge the Ochsner System – a move that allowed the facility to stay afloat now and into the future. In the new pact, Terrebonne General will lend a hand in keeping Chabert running smoothly. Senator Norby Chabert is widely credited as taking a leadership role in smoothing out negotiations for the hospital’s rescue, which also got financial boosts from Terrebonne and Lafourche parish presidents Michel Claudet and Charlotte Randolph, respectively. Terrebonne General CEO Phyllis Peoples said that TGMC supported the deal because a Chabert closure would have placed a lot of pressure on TGMC and other local hospitals that would have then had to service Chabert’s patients. “Chabert serves a population whose volume we could not sustain,” Peoples said.
No. 1 Shooter kills three, wounds Lafourche councilman (Late December)
The Christmas holiday was tragic for a couple prominent Lafourche Parish families. On Dec. 26, Ben Edward Freeman, of 202 Louis Drive, Houma, allegedly committed three, separate acts of murder, taking the life of his wife, former mother-in-law and Ochsner St. Anne Hospital Administrator Milton Bourgeois. Authorities said Freeman killed his wife in Houma before driving to Lockport and opening fi re in the home of Lafourche Councilman Phillip Gouaux, a shooting that killed Gouaux’s wife Susan “Pixie” Gouaux and wounded the councilman and his daughter Andrea. The shooter then allegedly headed up Bayou Lafourche to Raceland where he killed Bourgeois in a shooting that also left his wife Ann Bourgeois wounded. After hours of intense searching, authorities located Freeman’s dead body inside a vehicle off U.S. Highway 90 in Raceland after an apparent self-inflicted shotgun shot to the head.
