WBRZ - Baton Rouge

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• Federal lawsuit claims inmates face extreme heat

  June 10, 2013 5:05 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A New Orleans-based advocacy group has filed a federal lawsuit against the state alleging inhumane conditions for death row inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Filed on behalf of three inmates, the lawsuit says the prisoners are forced to live in poorly-ventilated cells where average... more »

• Angola warden looking into if killer's letter broke the rules Play Video

  May 31, 2013 10:56 PM

  ANGOLA- Prison authorities are investigating if convicted killer Brandon Scott Lavergne broke the State Penitentiary rules by sending a letter addressed to the "Acadiana community." Lavergne's two-page doctrine asks for mercy for killing Mickey Shunick last year and another woman more than ten years ago. Shunick was last seen... more »

• Billy Cannon to remain in ICU overnight

  February 19, 2013 10:44 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Former LSU football star Billy Cannon will spend the night in ICU and doctors will assess his situation Wednesday after the legend had a stroke Tuesday afternoon. Cannon, who won the Heisman in 1959 and played for the American Football League, was rushed to the ER from Angola,... more »

• LSU football star Billy Cannon rushed to hospital Play Video

  February 19, 2013 1:55 PM

  ANGOLA - LSU athletics officials confirmed that former Tiger football star and Heisman Award winner Billy Cannon was rushed to the hospital today after suffering a stroke. Cannon, the 15-year director of Angola State Penitentiary's dental program, was rushed by ambulance from the prison according to Angola officials. ... more »

• Woman held in smuggling attempt at Angola

  February 19, 2013 7:30 AM

  ANGOLA - A 41-year-old New Orleans woman remains in the West Feliciana Parish after her arrest on drug counts at Louisiana State Penitentiary. Maj. Archer Lee says Sharon T. Richards was booked on five felony counts Monday after she attempted to enter the Angola prison with quantities of heroin, marijuana,... more »

• Poor quality fake money found at Angola

  February 1, 2013 5:05 PM

  ANGOLA- Four inmates at the State Penitentiary were busted for printing fake 100, 20, and 10-dollar bills. Sources tell WBRZ News 2 that the group was using a printer in the metal fabrication plant to make the phonies, which were "very poor quality." Federal authorities, including the U.S.... more »

• La. Supreme Court denies bid of death row inmate

  January 28, 2013 9:44 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana Supreme Court has denied a bid to block the scheduled execution of condemned child-killer Christopher Sepulvado. Sepulvado is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Feb. 13. Louisiana's last execution took place in 2010. The 69-year-old man's lawyers argued he should be allowed to challenge... more »

• Inmate's trial scheduled May 20 in prison killing

  January 18, 2013 7:16 AM

  ST. FRANCISVILLE - Trial for the last of the five Angola inmates accused of killing a penitentiary security officer in 1999 has been set for the week of May 20. The new attorneys for inmate Barry Edge last month won a delay of the trial that was scheduled to begin... more »

• Former GOHSEP employee says millions wasted on ice Play Video

  December 6, 2012 5:22 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A former employee at the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says he was fired for pointing out taxpayer waste after Hurricane Isaac. Bruce Ellis says he was given additional duties before the storm hit. He says the state spent tens of millions of... more »

• Angola inmates on Santa's payroll

  December 3, 2012 4:06 PM

  ANGOLA- Inmates at the state's maximum security prison are working overtime to fill all the orders on Santa's list before Christmas. It's a tradition every year that gets inmates working on their down time to make toys and fix bikes for needy children. "They are elves," said Tom... more »

• Lee request for lab exam of evidence rejected

  November 16, 2012 9:30 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The judge presiding over condemned serial killer Derrick Todd Lee's latest appeal has refused to have evidence presented at Lee's 2004 capital murder trial sent to a private lab for examination. State District Judge Richard Anderson denied the defense motion Thursday after prosecutor Dana Cummings objected.... more »

• Lavergne in Angola after pleading guilty to murders Play Video

  August 17, 2012 4:54 PM

  LAFAYETTE - Brandon Scott Lavergne arrived at Angola state prison this afternoon, beginning his life sentence for murdering Mickey Shunick and Lisa Pate. Lavergne pleaded guilty this morning to both murders in exchange for the life sentence. Prosecutors said inmates at the jail he had been booked into were... more »

• Wolf hybrid starts "life sentence" guarding Angola Play Video

  May 16, 2012 6:00 PM

  ANGOLA - After being granted a stay of execution in exchange for a "life sentence" at the Angola state penitentiary, a wolf-dog hybrid named 'Chief,' will soon be guarding inmates. The dog was slated to be euthanized for aggressive behavior, but Angola Warden Burl Cain stepped in to take... more »

• Angola inmates perform "The Life of Jesus Christ" Play Video

  May 2, 2012 5:36 PM

  ANGOLA- Convicted murderers and armed robbers will portray the lives of Jesus and his disciples in the first ever American performance of "The Life of Jesus Christ," a play originally written by Peter Huntley. The inmates, alongside offenders from Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, worked more than a year... more »

• Bad dog to get new life as prison guard

  May 2, 2012 8:35 AM

  NEW ROADS - The bad dog of the neighborhood has received a life prison sentence. The wolf dog hybrid named Chief - once ordered destroyed for aggressive behavior - will become a guard dog at Louisiana's maximum security prison. The Advocate reports that District Judge James Best on Tuesday signed... more »

• Prisoners give freedom through wheelchairs Play Video

  January 18, 2012 6:33 PM

  ANGOLA - Each year, 600 wheelchairs are shipped to places like Romania, Africa and Cuba, places where some people are too poor to buy wheelchairs. In those places, the men and women who can't walk must drag themselves around by their hands. They have callouses on their knees. Some... more »

• Wheels for the World

  January 18, 2012 5:46 PM

  To donate to Wheels for the World, click here. more »

• Visitor to Louisiana penitentiary arrested

  January 3, 2012 4:09 PM

  ANGOLA - A St. Tammany Parish woman is free after posting $12,000 bail for allegedly trying to smuggle marijuana into the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. The Advocate reports 23-year-old Shauntae M. Joseph, of Slidell, was booked Sunday into the West Feliciana Parish Jail on a charge of introduction of... more »

• Angola prisoners see themselves as 'Santa's Helpers' Play Video

  December 5, 2011 5:47 PM

  BATON ROUGE-- A handful of prisoners imprisoned at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola call themselves "Santa's Helpers," even though many are convicted murderers serving life sentences. That's because they spend all their free time hand-crafting jewelry, wooden toys, and refurbishing bicycles for children who may not otherwise get... more »

• Jury convicts Angola inmate in guards 1999 death

  October 27, 2011 2:48 PM

  ST. FRANCISVILLE- A jury has convicted Angola inmate David Brown, 38, of first degree murder Thursday in the beating and stabbing death of Louisiana State Penitentiary security Capt. David C. Knapps in 1999. The jury deliberated for a little over an hour in a West Feliciana Parish courtroom before... more »

• Jury hears Angola 5 defendant on tape

  October 26, 2011 2:18 PM

  ST. FRANCISVILLE, La.- A jury heard a recording of Angola 5 defendant David Brown telling investigators that he dragged Louisiana State Penitentiary security Capt. David Knapps into an employee restroom and held the officer while a co-defendant hit him with a mallet. The 49-year-old Knapps died in the restroom... more »

• Man released from prison after wrongly jailed for 30 years

  October 21, 2011 11:58 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- A man was released from Angola State Penitentiary this morning after being cleared of a rape conviction that kept him behind bars for nearly 30 years. Henry James, now 50, was convicted and sentenced to life without parole on May 7, 1982. JenDe O'Keefe Trigg, managing director... more »

• Prison officials target cellphones

  August 13, 2011 10:18 AM

  ZACHARY, La.- State corrections officials are considering a telephone access program to curtail unauthorized cellphone use in state prisons, corrections spokeswoman Pam Laborde said. The Advocate reported authorities have confiscated 32 cellphones this year from inmates at the Angola state penitentiary, and two more were found before they could... more »

• Lil Boosie faces new charges

  July 15, 2011 4:45 AM

  BATON ROUGE- Baton Rouge rapper, Torrence "Lil Boosie" Hatch was indicted Thursday and is accused of trying to smuggle drugs into a second state prison. The 28-year-old rapper is accused of trying to get codeine into the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Hatch, who is serving time on... more »

• Torrence "Lil Boosie" Hatch arrested again

  May 25, 2011 11:39 AM

  Baton Rouge - Torrence Hatch, a.k.a "Lil Boosie" may be locked up, but State Police say it didn't stop him from trying to smuggle drugs, into jail. Detectives were tipped off that Arthur Stewart, and Titus Franklin were planning to sneak codeine syrup into Angola, for Hatch. Stewart... more »

• Inmate formally sentenced in guard's death

  May 24, 2011 6:31 AM

  ST. FRANCISVILLE- A state district judge has formally sentenced Jeffrey Cameron Clark to die for murdering a prison security officer. A jury chosen in St. Tammany Parish last week convicted Clark of first-degree murder and sentenced him to death in the Dec. 28, 1999, beating and stabbing death of Louisiana... more »

• Angola inmates fighting floods

  May 22, 2011 6:36 PM

  ANGOLA- Inmates at the state penitentiary are working day and night to ensure the prison stays dry as waters there reach their highest levels ever, according to Warden Burl Cain. That hasn't stopped the prisoners from continuing with their everyday life. "We still have to manage this farm and... more »

• Trial in prison guard's beating death begins

  May 7, 2011 11:21 AM

  COVINGTON, La.- The trial of a state prison inmate charged with killing a guard 11 years ago probably will take at least two weeks. The Advocate reports that's what attorneys told potential jurors for the trial of 50-year-old Jeffrey Cameron Clark - one of five Louisiana State Penitentiary inmates... more »

• Angola officers arrested for contraband

  May 7, 2011 9:48 AM

  ANGOLA, La.- Two Louisiana State Penitentiary sergeants are accused of bringing contraband into the prison. Warden Burl Cain says it's frustrating to deal with corrupt officials while preparing for a record-setting crest on the adjacent Mississippi River. A statement from the prison said Sergeants Carlton Bailey and Autry... more »

• Inmates filling sandbags at Angola

  May 5, 2011 6:20 PM

  ANGOLA- Inmates are filling 60 thousands sandbags in the battle against the rising Mississippi River. Warden Burl Cain says improvements were made to the main levee system at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola after a major flood in 1997. The lowest spot on the main system is 68 feet.... more »

• West Feliciana Parish prepares for flooding

  May 4, 2011 5:16 PM

  WEST FELICIANA PARISH- Preparations are being made in West Feliciana Parish for the swollen Mississippi River to flood homes and businesses. Parish leaders are also getting ready to launch a major evacuation at the State Penitentiary at Angola. "In my term as Sheriff, I don't ever remember them... more »

• LSP guard accused of contraband

  March 4, 2011 11:15 AM

  ANGOLA - A security officer at the Louisiana State Penitentiary has been accused of trying to bring marijuana and alcohol into the prison. West Felciana Parish sheriff's Maj. Archer Lee says 21-year-old Darius Montgomery, of Woodville, Miss., was arrested after contraband was found late Wednesday. Lee described the... more »

• Jury questionnaire to be used in "Angola 5" trial

  January 5, 2011 9:13 AM

  ST. FRANCISVILLE, La. - The retired judge scheduled to preside over the March first-degree murder trial of Angola inmate Robert G. Carley says he will devise a questionnaire for potential jurors. Carley and four other inmates are accused in the stabbing and beating death of Louisiana State Penitentiary security... more »

• Penitentiary to auction prison-bred horses

  October 6, 2010 6:43 AM

  The Louisiana State Penitentiary will auction horses that have been bred and raised at the Angola prison for the first time in the prison's history. The sale is set for Oct. 16 following a preview on Oct. 15. The sale is part of the third weekend of the annual Angola... more »

• New judge assigned in Angola Five case

  September 30, 2010 7:23 AM

  A new judge has been assigned to preside over the trials of five Angola inmates accused of killing a security officer during an escape attempt in December 1999. An order signed by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Catherine D. Kimball names retired Orleans Parish Judge Jerome M. Winsberg to hear... more »

• Escapee gets 2 years added to life term

  September 10, 2010 6:31 AM

  A Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate who escaped and stayed on the run for four days last year had two years added to his life sentence. Henry Smith pleaded guilty in state district court in St. Francisville to simple escape and drew a two-year sentence that is to run consecutively to... more »

• Speedier trials sought for 5 Angola inmates

  July 30, 2010 7:06 AM

  Prosecutors have filed a motion to set a faster pace for trials of the five Angola inmates accused of killing a security officer more than 10 years ago. The motion seeks a Nov. 1 trial for Robert G. Carley in the Dec. 28, 1999, stabbing and beating death of Capt.... more »

• La. Supreme Court issues stay in Clark trial

  July 16, 2010 5:59 PM

  The Louisiana Supreme Court has issued a stay in the first-degree murder trial of a Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate accused in the 1999 stabbing and beating death of a prison guard. The high court's decision Friday came in the case involving Jeffrey Cameron Clark, one of five Angola prisoners... more »

• Clark mistrial overturned by 1st Circuit Court of Appeals

  July 16, 2010 10:25 AM

  The mistrial declared by the presiding judge in the Jeffrey Clark case yesterday has been overturned by the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Baton Rouge. Clark’s defense attorneys told the judge prosecutor Tommy Block prejudiced the jury when he told jurors in his opening statement that the defense... more »

• Judge declares mistrial in inmate's trial

  July 15, 2010 11:29 AM

  A judge has declared a mistrial in the trial of a Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate, accused of killing a security officer in 1999. Jeffery Cameron Clark is one of five prisoners, known as the "Angola Five," charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing and beating death of David Knapps... more »

• More jurors questioned in Angola Five case

  July 13, 2010 6:55 AM

  Attorneys continue to question potential jurors in the first-degree murder trial of Angola inmate Jeffrey Cameron Clark. The trial will be held in West Feliciana Parish, but the jurors are being chosen in St. Tammany Parish. Attorneys realized Saturday that not enough people remained in the jury pool to complete... more »

• Jury selection begins in first "Angola Five" trial

  July 6, 2010 6:42 AM

  Lawyers begin questioning potential jurors today in the first-degree murder trial of Jeffrey Cameron Clark, one of five Angola inmates accused in the slaying of a security officer more than 10 years ago. The jurors will come from a pool of St. Tammany Parish residents, but the trial will be... more »

• La. inmate confesses to Fla. killing

  May 13, 2010 7:28 AM

  An inmate at Angola serving life for killing two women has confessed to a 17-year-old killing in Florida. The Volusia County sheriff says Romalis Gordon confessed to the April 1993 slaying of Christine Lazzaro, of Rochester, N.Y., during her spring break trip to Daytona Beach. No charges have yet... more »

• Ex-corrections official sentenced in prison probe

  May 12, 2010 4:47 PM

  The 58-year-old former director of the state's Prison Enterprises has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a federal charge of witness tampering. U.S. District Judge Frank J. Polozola sentenced James H. Leslie, of Marthaville, on Wednesday to five months in prison and five months of home incarceration. Leslie also... more »

• Inmates refurbish wheelchairs for Cuba

  March 4, 2010 3:20 PM

  At least 400 wheelchairs and walkers are en route to Cuba thanks to a handful of inmates at Angola Prison. The program Wheels for the World lets inmates refurbish old wheelchairs no longer useable in the U.S. "Inmates love this," said Warden Burl Cain. "They're really making a difference,... more »

• Inmate jumps fence, but caught by guards

  January 25, 2010 4:39 PM

  An inmate was captured after briefly escaping his cell Sunday at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Roy McLaughlin was serving a life sentence for killing his wife in East Baton Rouge Parish. He was recaptured by guards within 15 minutes of scaling a razor wire covered fence.... more »

• Angola Captain arrested

  January 15, 2010 11:01 PM

  A captain at the State Penitentiary in Angola was arrested Friday, accused of passing a cell phone to a prisoner. Cathy Stroud is charged with malfeasance in office and introduction of contraband. She posted the $40,000 bond and left the West Feliciana Parish Prison. West Feliciana Parish Sheriff... more »

• Angola leaders plan for state's first execution in eight years

  January 6, 2010 5:21 PM

  Prison leaders at Angola are preparing to execute a condemned prisoner from Livingston Parish in less than 24 hours. Gerald Bordelon killed his 12-year-old stepdaughter, Courtney Leblanc, back in 2002. He kidnapped, raped and strangled her to death near Florida Boulevard and the Amite River. Warden Burl Cain... more »

• Bordelon execution set for Thursday

  January 6, 2010 10:44 AM

  Louisiana will conduct its first execution since 2002 when convicted killer Gerald Bordelon is put to death Thursday by injection for murdering his 12-year-old stepdaughter. State prison officials say they don't expect any last-minute disruption to the execution plans at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Bordelon waived his right... more »

• Retired judge gets Angola trials

  January 5, 2010 6:56 AM

  State Supreme Court Chief Justice Catherine D. Kimball has chosen a retired New Orleans criminal court Judge Dennis Waldron to preside over the trials of five Angola inmates accused of killing a security officer. Inmates David Mathis, David Brown, Robert G. Carley, Jeffrey Cameron Clark and Barry Edge are accused... more »

• Angola inmate escape cost about $500,000

  November 24, 2009 3:49 PM

  Louisiana State Penitentiary Warden Burl Cain says a September manhunt for an escapee cost the state about $500,000. Henry Smith walked off the Angola grounds while working as a trusty. He was captured five days later while hiding under a bridge a few miles from the prison. Warden Cain... more »

• Angola escapee caught

  September 14, 2009 6:25 PM

  Update: At a press conference announcing the capture of convicted murderer Henry Smith, Corrections Secretary James LeBlanc said the state may purchase ankle bracelets for trustees. LeBlanc said, "That's still in it's early stages but again a use of technology we need and will look at." Authorities... more »

• Angola inmate captured

  September 14, 2009 11:43 AM

  Update: News 2 was in St. Francisville this morning when word came out that inmate Henry Smith was captured. It happened around 8 a.m. on Pickneyville Road north of Highway 66. Tunica Hills Elementary students will go back to their regular campus on Tuesday after being sent to Bains... more »

• Elementary school closed due to escaped Angola inmate

  September 14, 2009 5:23 AM

  Update: 05:16:00 Tunica Hills Elementary School will be closed today as West Feliciana Deputies continue their search for an escaped Angola Prison inmate Henry Smith. Students will be bussed to other area schools. Deputies are now offering a cash reward for information leading to Smith's arrest. Smith is a... more »

• Manhunt continues for Angola escapee

  September 13, 2009 11:39 AM

  A massive search continues for the Angola prison inmate, Henry Smith. He escaped from the Louisiana State Penitentiary while working on a road cleanup detail, Thursday. More than 200 law enforcement officials around the state have joined the manhunt. Warden Burl Cain says signs indicate Smith is still in the... more »

• Angola escapee still on the run

  September 11, 2009 5:12 PM

  The search continues for escaped killer Henry Smith. Smith escaped from the Louisiana State Penitentiary while working on a road cleanup detail. Warden Burl Cain says signs indicate Smith is still in the rugged terrain near the prison. Roadblocks are being used at major intersections on the highway... more »

• Angola Prison escapee probably in woods

  September 11, 2009 2:21 PM

  Update: Angola Prison warden Burl Cain is telling a News 2 crew he believes an escaped inmate is still in the woods. There have been reports that 44-year-old Henry Smith may have been spotted in a green car. Warden Cain, though, now says he doesn't believe those reports. Searchers are... more »

• Angola escapee possibly spotted

  September 10, 2009 10:24 PM

  Breaking: Sources close to the manhunt for an escaped Angola prisoner tell News 2 Henry Smith may have been spotted. Alerts have been issued that he may be in a green Ford Taurus. Search teams are still looking in woods near the prison. 44-year-old Smith walked off prison grounds... more »

• Angola visits suspended until further notice

  September 10, 2009 10:07 PM

  Corrections Department spokeswoman Cathy Fontenot said public visitation at Angola will be suspended until escapee Henry Smith is apprehended or until further notice. News 2 continues to follow the story and will update with new information when it becomes available. more »