The following arrests were made by local law enforcement officers.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Three fun-filled days and nights make Natchitoches the festive focal point in our state Thursday evening, Friday and Saturday with the 2025 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration and you and yours are invited.
The LSHOF’s Class of 2025 will be enshrined Saturday night at the Natchitoches Events Center to culminate the 66th Induction Celebration. A seating reconfiguration last week created additional seating up to 900 and a few dozen tickets remain available at LaSportsHall.com.
The Induction Celebration will kick off Thursday with the free admission Welcome Reception from 5-7pm at the Hall of Fame museum at 800 Front Street.
The Friday schedule begins with the Mardi Gras Bowling Bash presented by BOM at Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria. There’s still room for individual and team entries with participants enjoying lunch catered by Walk-On’s while warm up for the competition takes place at the 40-alley facility.
Two of south Louisiana’s hottest musical acts from the Baton Rouge area will take the stage for the coolest concert for miles around, the absolutely free Rockin’ River Fest party Friday evening.
The Lauren Lee Band will get the party started and The Chase Tyler Band is the featured act on the Rue Beauport stage bordering Cane River Lake smack dab in the middle of the City of Lights’ historic and beautiful downtown district.
In conjunction with the Rockin’ River Fest is the VIP Taste of Tailgating party, a ticketed indoor-outdoor event that is approaching capacity on the Front Street bricks and inside Mama’s Oyster House, Papa’s and the Blues Room.
The slate on Saturday kicks off with the free LSHOF Junior Training Camp led by community relations personnel from the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, along with Northwestern State coaches and this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, on the NSU campus at the Webb Wellness and Recreation Center and Turpin Stadium. This event is presented by Natchitoches Regional Medical Center and is nearing capacity. Free registration for kids ages 7-16 is required and can be easily accomplished at LaSportsHall.com.
At noon Saturday, the Round Table Luncheon presented by the Tiger Athletic Foundation is set for Riverside Reserve on Mill Street. Fox Sports broadcaster Tim Brando emcees an entertaining program.
Festivities culminate Saturday evening with the Induction Reception at the LSHOF museum beginning at 5pm, followed at 7pm by the Induction Ceremony at the Natchitoches Events Center. Northwestern State University and State Farm Agents of Louisiana are presenting sponsors Saturday evening.
Louisiana Public Broadcasting will televise the ceremony live from 7-9:30pm.
The VIP Taste of Tailgating, the Bowling Bash, the Round Table Luncheon and the Induction Reception and Ceremony are ticketed events requiring purchase in advance through LaSportsHall.com or by calling 318-238-4255.
The Thursday reception, the Friday evening River Fest and the Junior Training Camp are free.
The Class of 2025 is headlined by two men pivotal in LSU’s 2003 football national championship – coach Nick Saban and Andrew Whitworth, a champion at West Monroe High School, LSU and in the NFL during a 16-year pro career. More sparkle is provided by pro basketball All-Stars Vickie Johnson and Danny Granger, the state’s winningest all-time college baseball coach Joe Scheuermann and Danny Broussard, one of the nation’s most successful high school basketball coaches, in this year’s induction class.
It also includes LSU gymnastics great and NCAA individual champion April Burkholder, transformational Catholic-Baton Rouge high school football coach Dale Weiner and George “Bobby” Soileau, a four-time high school and 1956 NCAA boxing champion at LSU who also won a state crown as a football coach at his alma mater, Sacred Heart High School in Ville Platte.
LSU graduate Herb Vincent, now a longstanding associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, is receiving the Hall’s Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award with his enshrinement.
Also being honored: Ed Daniels, a generational television sports broadcaster in New Orleans, and Glenn Guilbeau, one of the nation’s more decorated sportswriters in a career that has seen him cover LSU, state college, high school and pro sports along with stories across the South and around the SEC. They are being inducted as recipients of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism.
A Deputy with the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on an ATV being operated on South Cottonwood Street in Bunkie on Monday evening, June 23, at approximately 6:20pm. The operator was identified as Travis Glenn Hagger, 43, of Bunkie, who was also operating the ATV with a suspended Louisiana driver’s license, the third such offense witnessed by APSO within a five-month span.
During the stop, Mr. Hagger failed to immediately comply with verbal commands, briefly resisting before being detained without further incident. Upon gaining consent to search, deputies located in his possession a used glass pipe commonly associated with smoking illegal narcotics, which Mr. Hagger confirmed.
Further on-scene investigation revealed the discovery of a small brown pouch containing suspected Marijuana and Crystal Methamphetamine.
Mr. Hagger was issued citations for the traffic violations and possession of drug paraphernalia on scene by the assisting Bunkie Ward Marshal. Hagger was then transported and booked into the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office Detention Center on the following drug charges:
Sheriff David L. Dauzat reminds the public that operating an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on public roadways or anywhere not designated for ATV use is both illegal and extremely dangerous. ATVs are not designed for street or highway use and lack the necessary safety equipment for operation on public roadways.
The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office and their law enforcement partners remain committed to protecting the roadways and communities through proactive enforcement efforts.
Anyone with information on criminal activity in Avoyelles Parish is urged to contact APSO at 318-253-4000 or by email at info@AvoyellesSO.org.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Update:
The train derailment detour will continue until July 4.
Highway one has been detoured since the accident several weeks ago. Traffic is detoured to the old route of Highway one which runs through the center of old Moreauville.
Original:
A train has derailed in Avoyelles Parish, causing a major highway to be shut down.
As a result, La. 1 is closed to vehicular traffic. The detour route is La. 114 to La. 451. Motorists are advised to expect delays when traveling in that area.
As fireworks stands open across Louisiana for the 2025 Fourth of July season, the State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFM) is reminding residents to stay safe and informed when celebrating with fireworks.
More than 600 retail fireworks stands are permitted statewide, with sales allowed through 11:59pm on July 5. Louisiana law requires all wholesale and retail fireworks sellers to be properly licensed by the SFM and to operate only in areas where fireworks are legally allowed.
While public fireworks shows remain the safest option, if anyone chooses to purchase fireworks, make sure to buy from a licensed and permitted vendor. Don’t hesitate to ask to see their permit. Suspicious or illegal sales can be reported to the SFM at 1-800-256-5452 or online at www.lasfm.org.
Remember these fireworks safety tips.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 200 people per day are treated in emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries around Independence Day. Don’t become a statistic—celebrate safely.
For more information or to report concerns, visit www.lasfm.org.
The Louisiana Center for Health Innovation at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs are conducting a survey study to identify opportunities for growth in serving Louisiana’s veterans and their families.
Veterans, family members of veterans, and those who work for or volunteer in a veterans service organization are invited to take a one-time survey to answer questions about background and needs for support. If anyone would like to participate, visit https://louisiana.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4JhZaLTX0bMfKtg to give consent and get started. Interested individuals may also scan the QR code in the image above to access the survey. The survey closes on July 31.