RSS Feed

LAFAYETTE – Earlier this morning, the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations was requested by the Lafayette Police Department (LPD) to investigate an officer-involved shooting involving an LPD officer. Louisiana State Police is the lead investigating agency.
The preliminary investigation revealed that shortly after 5:00 a.m., officers with LPD responded to a citizen’s complaint related to a burglary in the area of Winnipeg Avenue. Upon arrival, an officer made contact with a suspect believed to be involved in the burglary. As the LPD officer attempted to place the suspect into custody, a physical altercation took place resulting in the officer discharging his weapon. The suspect was struck by gunfire and transported to a local hospital in stable condition. Two handguns were found in close proximity to the suspect. One of these weapons was consistent with a handgun taken in a burglary, moments before. No officers were injured.

The College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is developing a telehealth network designed to ease workloads of health care professionals in emergency rooms and urgent care clinics.
Faculty members and students will help hospitals and physicians screen people with COVID-19. The system will also enable the college’s nurse practitioners to diagnose and provide treatment plans for patients with less serious conditions, such as viral infections or sinusitis, for example.
The college received a $271,850 grant from the Federal Communications Commission as part of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. A total of $200 million is being distributed to hospitals, medical clinics and universities.
Dr. Ziad Ashkar, who is leading the UL Lafayette project, said faculty members, and students studying to become nurse practitioners, will provide services such as health screenings, create medical charts and offer referrals.
Ashkar directs the University’s Louisiana Center for Health Innovation. A professor in the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions, Ashkar is the Dr. J. Robert Rivet Endowed Chair and the Acadian Ambulance Service/BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Health Informatics.
“Emergency services aren’t possible with telehealth, but you can gauge symptoms, make diagnoses, and offer guidance. In some cases, nurse practitioners will be able to write prescriptions,” Ashkar explained.
“In more serious cases, we can work with medical partners in the community to coordinate care based on the medical information that has been gathered remotely,” he added.
Dr. Deedra Harrington, coordinator of the college’s BSN program and an associate professor, said once the system is in place, students will be able to gain clinical experience in telemedicine.
“Our nurse practitioner students will work with patients, and collaborate with a faculty member on treatment plans. Undergraduates will be able to assist in capacities such as gathering information or scheduling appointments,” Harrington said.
Dr. Christy Lenahan, an associate professor who coordinates the college’s nurse practitioner program, said telehealth has steadily gained in popularity in recent years. The pandemic, however, has made remote visits the primary way patients see physicians.
“We want our students thoroughly prepared in the case of another pandemic. Everyone hopes that won’t happen. But even so, many patients and health care providers will prefer telehealth from now on, especially for chronic conditions that don’t require office visits,” Lenahan said.
The University is in the process of implementing the telehealth system. As part of the grant, the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions will receive devices such as tablet computers that will facilitate telehealth appointments.
It will also enable a private company to provide telecommunications, and develop a system that will house information such as medical records, and administrative, clinical, financial and insurance data.
Faculty members are also working on a system for appointment scheduling to accommodate as many patients as possible. The grant will enable the service to be free, initially.

In America today, millions of churchgoers are not allowed to practice their faith in their place of worship and certain business owners are not allowed to welcome customers, but hardened criminals are being released from prison. This insanity is producing predictably deadly results.
Under the guise of protecting prisoners from the spread of Covid-19, large numbers of dangerous criminals are being freed from custody. This is creating a horrific situation that is endangering the public and has now led to the death of a witness in a rape case.
In Alexandria, Virginia, rape suspect Ibrahim E. Bouaichi was released from prison in April because of concerns that he would contract Covid-19. Even though Bouaichi was indicted on serious charges such as rape, sodomy, abduction, strangulation and burglary, former presiding Circuit Court Judge Nolan Dawkins ordered his release on a $25,000 bond.
Despite the warnings from prosecutors that Bouaichi was a danger to the community, Dawkins released him to home confinement. This was an incredibly unwise decision because he was a danger to not only the community at large, but also to an especially vulnerable individual, Karla Elizabeth Dominguez Gonzalez, who accused him of rape last December and testified against him.
Sadly, on July 29, Ms. Dominguez was found shot to death. Local law enforcement authorities identified Bouaichi as her murderer. This week, he was spotted by police, a chase ensued leading to a car crash. Bouaichi shot himself before he could be apprehended by police. He is currently in critical condition in the hospital.
None of this tragedy needed to happen. If Bouaichi would have been kept in prison, where he belonged, his accuser would still be alive, and taxpayers would not be paying for the medical care of a murder suspect in critical condition.
This disturbing trend of releasing prisoners and endangering the public has been going on all over the country since the beginning of this pandemic. Liberals are using the fear of Covid-19 to accomplish their goal of emptying the prisons.
There has been an undue concern for the health of prisoners during this pandemic. In fact, the priority should not be the health of prisoners, but the safety of the public.
It is extraordinarily reckless to release hardened criminals from prison, regardless of the spread of Covid-19. Our nation’s public health officials are constantly recommending masks as a way for the American people to stay safe. Thus, prison officials should distribute masks to all inmates, keep them socially distant whenever possible and liberally provide hand sanitizers. If this strategy works for the law-abiding public, it should work for prisoners as well.
Instead, menacing criminals like Bouaichi are being released and innocent people like Ms. Dominguez are being killed. The authorities involved in this tragedy, such as Judge Dawkins, have blood on their hands.
In the past few months, thousands of criminals have been discharged from prison, needlessly endangering the public at large. It is one of the reasons that crime has been increasing in America recently.
For example, in mid-March, Joseph Williams was one of 150 inmates released from prison in Hillsborough County, Florida because there was worry that inmates would become infected with Covid-19. Several days later, local sheriff deputies arrested Williams for his involvement in a homicide that took place one day after his release from prison. He was charged with second degree murder. According to Chad Chronister, the Sheriff of Hillsborough County, “There is no question Joseph Williams took advantage of this health emergency to commit crimes while he was out of jail.”
In April, a convicted child molester, Rudy William Grajeda Magdaleno, was released from prison in Orange County California. The reason for the release was concerns relating to the Covid-19 pandemic. Not surprisingly, just two weeks later, Magdaleno was arrested again after exposing himself to others at a parole resource center.
By the end of August, California will release 8,000 inmates from incarceration to lessen the spread of Covid-19 within their prison facilities. Supposedly, prison officials are releasing only those offenders who are non-violent or near the end of their sentence. Unfortunately, it seems these criteria are being expanded at the expense of public safety.
In July, California prison officials released Tereba Williams, who still had 64 years left on her sentence. She was convicted of murdering Kevin Ruska in 2001. In this gruesome case, Williams held Ruska at gunpoint, forced him into a car trunk, shot him, drove him 750 miles away, tied him up and left him to die in a motel room in the state of Washington. He was dead before he was eventually found.
Her release was not well received by Mr. Ruska’s family. His cousin, Karri Phillips, said that “It’s appalling to me everything that’s been allowed to happen. I don’t think for one second she’s going to walk out there a changed person, she’s not.” Unfortunately, all of Mr. Ruska’s family now must worry about this irresponsible release. Since she was convicted of murder, Williams should not have been released under any circumstances.
Along with the push toward mail-in ballots, shutting down the schools and the economy and the non-stop health warnings, another consequence of the over-reaction to Covid-19 has been the incredibly reckless release of violent criminals from prison. It has put the public at unnecessary risk while besmirching the memory of innocent victims and injuring their family members once again. To say the least, our country’s priorities are completely out of order.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on www.JeffCrouere.com. For more information, email him at jeff@jeffcrouere.com

A Kaplan man faces multiple charges, including rape and battery, while his brother is being accused of attempting to bribe a witness.
On July 26, 2020 at approximately 9:20 a.m., patrol officers of the Abbeville Police Department responded to a possible Domestic Battery call on Alleman Street.
According to Abbeville Police Lt. Jonathan Touchet, officers conducted an initial investigation. Officers learned that Dannon Sellers allegedly committed several violent acts against the victim. The victim went to an area hospital to receive treatment for the injuries sustained in the incident. Officers located Sellers at an area department store and arrested him for the following crimes:
• Second Degree Battery
• Aggravated Assault
• False Imprisonment
Dannon Sellers was booked and transported to the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center.
​While being treated for injuries, the victim reportedly notified officers of possible further incidents occurring, but had not been reported due to the victim fearing retaliation. Detectives were called in to take over the investigation. Through cooperation, officers were able to secure additional arrest warrants against Dannon Sellers for the following crimes:
• 1st Degree Rape (2 counts)
• Battery of a Dating Partner (2 counts)
• Simple Criminal Damage to Property.
Dannon Sellers, who was still incarcerated on the previous charges, was served with the additional warrants.
​Officers received information that Dannon Sellers was attempting to cooperate with his brother, Keith Sellers Jr., to bribe a witness in the case that Dannon Sellers was charged with. Based on the subsequent investigation, detectives were able to secure arrest warrants for Dannon Sellers and Keith Sellers, Jr. for Criminal Conspiracy to Commit Public Bribery. Keith Sellers, Jr. was also charged with Attempted Public Bribery. Dannon Sellers was served with this additional warrant at the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center. Keith Sellers, Jr. was arrested on the warrant obtained. Keith Sellers, Jr. was transported to the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center.
​Chief Spearman would also like to remind all of the citizens that we are there, 24 hours a day, to serve you. We encourage all of our citizens to stay vigilant and contact us if you need. In addition to dialing 911, you can contact us at 893-2511. You may contact our “Tips” line at 892-6777. All callers may remain anonymous. Citizens may also send anonymous tips through the Tip411 system at the department’s Facebook page @ www.facebook.com/AbbevillePolice Department/, the official web page @ www.abbevillepd.com by clicking on the “Submit a Tip” link provided or through the official Abbeville Police Department app, which can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.