WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Tagged News

• APSO: Former Voodoo player caught with marijuana

  April 25, 2013 2:52 PM

  GONZALES - Authorities arrested a former arena league football player on suspicion of drug and weapons charges after they said he was caught with marijuana in Ascension Parish. Around 3:30 p.m., Ascension Parish Sheriffs narcotics detectives, DEA agents and Baton Rouge City narcotics detectives arrested Brian Coulter, 27, in the... more »

• Man accused by LSP, FBI of child porn

  April 23, 2013 6:45 PM

  COVINGTON - State and federal agents arrested a Covington man after they said they found child porn at his home. Detectives with the Louisiana State Police accused Paul Beebe III, 32, of 21 counts of pornography involving juveniles. An LSP spokesperson said with help from the FBI, investigators... more »

• Ex-La. lawmaker booked on theft charge

  March 27, 2013 12:59 PM

  GRETNA - A former Louisiana lawmaker has been booked on a theft charge that is reportedly tied to a probe of a rebuilding project following Hurricane Katrina. A spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office says former state Rep. Sherman Copelin Jr. surrendered to investigators Wednesday. He also was booked... more »

• Arraignment delayed for ex-New Orleans mayor Nagin

  January 23, 2013 3:56 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A judge has postponed the arraignment of former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who is charged with taking contractors' bribes in exchange for helping them secure lucrative work for the city. Nagin, who gained national prominence leading battered New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, was scheduled... more »

• LSP: Driver who hit restaurant had suspended license

  January 22, 2013 3:05 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Authorities filed charges today against the man who ran into an East Baton Rouge restaurant and broke a gas line this week. State Police said Anthony Guidry, 25, of Port Allen was cited for reckless operation, having no insurance, and driving a vehicle while his license... more »

• 2 Alabama men named in terror charges

  December 11, 2012 12:45 PM

  MOBILE, Ala. - Federal prosecutors say two Alabama men who they say wanted to wage violent jihad overseas have been arrested on terrorism charges. Authorities say Mohammad Abdul Rahman Abukhdair and Randy Wilson are both named in terrorism charges filed Monday in Mobile. Both are 25 and from Mobile. Prosecutors... more »

• Covington firefighter pleads guilty to rape charge

  December 11, 2012 10:06 AM

  COVINGTON - A 29-year-old Covington firefighter accused of sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to forcible rape. The St. Tammany Parish District Attorney's Office says Theodore George Williams could face up to 40 years in prison when he returns to court on Jan. 22 for sentencing. ... more »

• Ethics Board cites mayor-loan conflict

  December 5, 2012 7:46 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Board of Ethics has levied conflict of interest charges against Independence Mayor Michael Ragusa. The allegations stem from Ragusa's involvement in a loan application to the Town of Independence Historic District Fund that financially benefitted his sons and his daughter-in-law. Under state law,... more »

• BP executive charged with lying to authorities

  November 15, 2012 1:16 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Two men who worked for BP during the 2010 Gulf oil spill disaster have been charged with manslaughter and a third with lying to federal investigators, according to indictments made public Thursday, hours after BP announced it was paying $4.5 billion in a settlement with the U.S.... more »

• BRPD: Teen shot in May dies from injuries

  November 9, 2012 10:16 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Police said a teen girl shot and paralyzed back in May died from her injuries this week. Cpl. L'Jean McKneely with Baton Rouge Police said Mary Johnson, 16, of Baker died on Nov. 7. She'd been shot in the back of the neck while walking down... more »

• Judge won't dismiss charge faced by ex-BP engineer

  November 8, 2012 2:21 PM

  NEW ORLEANS- A federal judge has refused to throw out one of the two obstruction of justice charges faced by a former BP engineer in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Kurt Mix is accused of deleting text messages about BP's response to the disaster. Defense lawyers... more »

• Man accused in child porn investigation

  October 29, 2012 3:24 PM

  ANGIE - Authorities charged a Washington Parish man with possessing child porn after a joint investigation with local, state and federal agencies. Attorney General Buddy Caldwell's office said Joseph Lloyd Gerald, 23, of Angie was arrested Friday following the investigation. Investigators charged Gerald with 20 counts of possessing... more »

• Report: Husband used kitchen knife to stab wife, fetus Play Video

  October 24, 2012 3:26 PM

  WALKER - An arrest report revealed more details today about what investigators found when they arrived at the scene of a stabbing in Walker. According to the report by the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, 31-year-old Jeffrey Reynolds used a kitchen knife to slash his pregnant wife's throat before cutting... more »

• Ex-Jefferson Parish attorney faces reduced charge

  September 19, 2012 4:28 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Federal prosecutors have filed a reduced charge against former Jefferson Parish attorney Thomas Wilkinson in a corruption case that also has resulted in charges against former parish president Aaron Broussard. Wilkinson faced more serious charges, including conspiracy to commit bribery, before a court filing Wednesday replaced them... more »

• Shaw Group posts 3rd-quarter loss of $16 million

  July 10, 2012 10:38 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Shaw Group Inc. said today that losses narrowed in its fiscal third quarter, though most of that was because the company took a special impairment charge in the same period last year. The Baton Rouge technology and engineering firm reported a net loss of $16 million,... more »

• Airline will charge $100 for carry on bags

  May 2, 2012 4:15 PM

  NEW YORK - Putting a bag in the overhead bin will soon cost some Spirit Airlines passengers $100 more than they paid for their tickets. The Miramar, Fla., airline currently charges $45 for a carry-on bag. As of November 6th, customers who pay the fee at the boarding gate... more »

• MLB player arrested on hate crime charge

  April 27, 2012 6:02 PM

  NEW YORK - Detroit Tigers left fielder Delmon Young has apologized following his arrest on a hate crime harassment charge. Police say Young got into a fight with a group of men early Friday outside the team's midtown Manhattan hotel and yelled anti-Semitic epithets. Young says in a statement "I... more »

• Prosecutors announce Zimmerman's charges

  April 11, 2012 4:21 PM

  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A law enforcement official says that the shooter in the Trayvon Martin case will be charged with second-degree murder and is in custody. The official with knowledge of the case says that the charge against 28-year-old George Zimmerman will be announced at a news conference at 6... more »

• Peeping Tom pleads guilty to obscenity charge

  January 13, 2012 7:08 AM

  PORT ALLEN - A 24-year-old Brusly man has pleaded guilty to one count of obscenity after authorities caught him on camera peeking into his 16-year-old neighbor's bedroom window. Charles Kazmir entered his plea Thursday. Col. Richie Johnson, of the West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, says Brusly police set up an... more »

• Bogalusa's public graveyards may get more pricey

  January 2, 2012 2:20 PM

  BOGALUSA - Some Bogalusa residents are upset by at a proposal to raise the price of plots at the two city-owned cemeteries. They now cost $100 at Bogalusa Cemetery and $150 at Ponemah Cemetery. City officials want to raise the price to $700. The Daily News reports that the City... more »

• Woman arrested for possessing $400,000 worth of fake checks

  November 30, 2011 12:06 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Local and national authorities added an extra 92 criminal charges to a Baton Rouge woman's rap sheet Wednesday morning after they arrested her for possessing over $400,000 in checks and money orders two weeks ago. BRPD's Financial Crimes Investigators arrested Latosha Edrena Jackson, 31, of 10950... more »

• Miles says very little about suspensions

  October 19, 2011 6:46 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Les Miles kept very tight-lipped at his 6 p.m. weekly press conference today when asked about the suspension of three LSU football players. "I'm not inclined to be forthcoming in information," Miles said to the media . "I'm not reactionary to needs of media and things... more »

• Deputy denied a chance to look at DNA evidence

  October 13, 2011 2:43 PM

  HOUMA, La. - A former Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's deputy's request to see DNA evidence from the investigation that led to his conviction on a sex charge has been rejected by a state district judge. Fifty-one-year-old Glenn Brunet was convicted in 2007 of carnal knowledge of a juvenile. The former... more »

• NO police sergeant indicted in K-9's death

  October 7, 2011 4:42 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A year after District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro's office dropped charges against a New Orleans police officer in the death of a police dog, an Orleans Parish grand jury has indicted Sgt. Randy Lewis. The Times-Picayune reports the panel Thursday indicted Lewis on one count of malfeasance... more »

• Former Baton Rouge cop indicted

  October 5, 2011 5:32 PM

  BATON ROUGE - An East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury has returned a 16-count indictment against a former Baton Rouge police officer accused of stealing cash seized in drug investigations. Attorney General Buddy Caldwell says 28-year-old Michael Thompson of Denham Springs was charged Wednesday with 16-counts of theft for... more »

• Plaquemines Parish sheriff indicted, resigns

  October 5, 2011 2:01 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Irvin F. "Jiff" Hingle has been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bribery concerning a program involving federal funds. Hingle, sheriff since 1991, submitted his resignation just before Wednesday's indictment. According to court documents, in 2007 the... more »

• BESE member facing DWI charge

  September 22, 2011 3:22 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member facing re-election next month was arrested in New Orleans earlier this year on suspicion of drunk driving. Louella Givens was arrested in February, according to a police report. Givens did not return a call to The... more »

• Grand jury gets LSU bar brawl case

  September 21, 2011 6:19 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The attorney for one suspended LSU football player implicated in a fight outside a Baton Rouge bar said his client won't testify before a grand jury today, and may not at all. Tommy D'Amico represents Josh Johns, who was arrested along with Tigers quarterback Jordan Jefferson... more »

• Driver says bombs in pickup were for 4th display

  June 28, 2011 11:55 AM

  LOCKPORT - The driver of a pickup truck found to be carrying 10 pipe bombs when it rolled over on a Louisiana highway told state police he made the devices for an Independence Day celebration - not for any malicious intent. Fifty-three-year-old Tony Barisich faces various felony charges in... more »

• LSP still investigating threats against EBR DA's office

  June 15, 2011 3:20 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A State Police spokesperson said the investigation into threats made against District Attorney Hillar Moore's office is still ongoing, and that it led to more charges against Baton Rouge rapper Torrance Hatch, also known as "Li'l Boosie". Lt. Doug Cain said Hatch was arrested May 26... more »

• HS FB coach arrested on indecent behavior charge

  June 12, 2011 11:28 AM

  HOUMA, La.- Ellender High School's football coach is free on $100,000 bond after being booked with a charge of indecent behavior with a 15-year-old female student. Authorities tell The Courier that 33-year-old Timothy Betts was released Friday, after his wife posted bond on the charges of indecent behavior with... more »

• BR man charged with manslaughter in grandmother's death

  May 12, 2011 5:46 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Authorities have upgraded charges against a Baton Rouge man accused of throwing his grandmother down hard enough to kill her. Cpl. L'Jean McKneely said Kendrick Montrell Johnson, 19, was arrested on May 3 and accused of grabbing and throwing his grandmother Joyce Pointer, 61, to the... more »

• Memphis police won't charge La. fugitives

  March 23, 2011 2:56 PM

  MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis' police director and mayor say there will be no local charges filed against two fugitives from Louisiana who were captured after a police chase. Darian Pierce and Ricky Wedgeworth were arrested by Memphis police on March 14. They had been on the run for... more »

• Suspect in Arizona shooting held without bail

  January 10, 2011 3:53 PM

  PHOENIX - The suspect in a deadly Arizona shooting is being held without bail and has been assigned a lawyer who defended Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Timothy McVeigh. Jared Loughner entered a Phoenix courtroom Monday handcuffed and wearing a tan inmate uniform. His head is shaved and he has a... more »

• Additional charge for Baton Rouge robbery suspect

  January 4, 2011 2:48 PM

  A man arrested in connection with a string of business robberies in East Baton Rouge Parish, has been charged with another one. Zachary Police have charged Terrell Mosley with Armed Robbery of the Family Dollar on Highway 19 in Zachary. Investigators say Mosley is now responsible for four... more »

• Officials react to "bath salt" abuse surge

  December 22, 2010 6:11 PM

  BATON ROUGE- It's a substance that some doctors say is sweeping the nation as the new over-the-counter way of getting a high. A white powder, commonly disguised as bath salts, is being snorted, injected, and in some cases smoked to create a high similar to cocaine. Dr. Mark Ryan,... more »

• School locked down during manhunt in Baton Rouge

  December 2, 2010 11:02 AM

  BATON ROUGE - An elementary school has been locked down in northern Baton Rouge while police search the area for a man who fled from authorities this morning. Deputies were serving a warrant for 26-year-old John Carr at Elm Grove Apartments near I-110 for failing to appear in court... more »

• Horses seized after animal cruelty complaint

  November 30, 2010 3:36 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Animal control officers seized several horses today in an animal cruelty investigation in Baton Rouge, and want to bring charges against their owner. Animal Control Director Hilton Cole said today that his office had received complaints about the horses being malnourished, which were pastured on property... more »

• Jury selection starts in Katrina burned body case

  November 8, 2010 9:01 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Jury selection is underway in the trial for five current or former New Orleans police officers charged in the death of a man whose burned body turned up in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. Former officer David Warren is charged with shooting 31-year-old Henry Glover outside a strip mall... more »

• Man gets 5 years for attempted sexual battery

  October 18, 2010 5:32 AM

  A Ragley man has been sentenced to five years on a sexual assault charge involving a girl who was 3 years old at the time. Robert Williams Bell had been charged with sexual battery and aggravated rape, though he was convicted on a lesser count of attempted sexual battery. Bell... more »

• People concerned about crime, priority given in town

  September 29, 2010 6:30 PM

  Radio talk show lines in Baton Rouge are lighting up because of crime, and there are concerns certain parts of town are given priority. Another issue is accused killer Aramis Jackson’s criminal history and if he should have been on the street prior to the murder of Alexandra Engler... more »

• Ex-death row inmate convicted on lesser charges

  September 25, 2010 11:44 AM

  A man who spent six years on Louisiana's death row for killing a drug-dealing rival and his girlfriend has been convicted of lesser charges. A jury found Edwin Irving Harris guilty of manslaughter and negligent homicide in the deaths of Tamyra Frazier and Mister Gordon, both 19 and from Harvey.... more »

• Charge reduced in off-duty officer's death

  September 18, 2010 4:02 PM

  A judge has reduced a charge against a man accused of killing an off-duty Gretna police officer during a New Orleans Bourbon Street fight to manslaughter. Authorities say detective Brett Thomas died after being hit in the head during a brawl June 27 after an argument. A judge reduced the... more »

• Ex-pastor loses appeal of sex abuse charges

  August 1, 2010 9:55 AM

  A former pastor sentenced to life in prison for his role in a sex abuse scandal at a defunct Ponchatoula church has lost his bid for a new trial. The state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal upheld four aggravated rape convictions returned in 2008 against Louis Lamonica, who had been... more »

• Appeals court: Manslaughter conviction stands

  June 10, 2010 7:54 AM

  An appeals court has upheld the manslaughter charge and sentence imposed on Daniel Pegues, who was accused of killing an off-duty sheriff's deputy. Pegues was found guilty in the shooting death of Calcasieu Deputy Alan Inzer. The attorney for Pegues argued that he was denied a fair trial because the... more »

• Taxi driver booked in child's death

  April 2, 2010 7:38 AM

  DeSoto Parish authorities have arrested a Shreveport-area taxi driver in the death of a 12-year-old boy. DeSoto Sheriff Rodney Arbuckle says the boy, Justin Bloxom, was lured away from a friend's house in the middle of the night when he received a text message from someone he thought was a... more »

• Four students arrested for firing and handling gun at school

  March 23, 2010 11:57 AM

  East Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputies arrested four students Tuesday morning for firing and handling a gun at Park Forest Middle School. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies with the School Drug Task Force responded to a call at about 9:15 a.m. concerning a gun reportedly brought to school and... more »

• Man charged with defrauding members of Saints organization

  March 22, 2010 4:37 PM

  A man was charged Monday in connection with the fraudulent sale of Louisiana film tax credits sold to current and former members, coaches and staff of the New Orleans Saints, according to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten. Wayne Read, 46, of Wonderlake, Ill., faces one count of interstate transporation of... more »