WBRZ - Baton Rouge

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• Wanted teen hiding under bed, shot by deputies

  April 24, 2013 4:45 PM

  PONCHATOULA- A Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff deputy shot a teenager, wanted for murder, in the upper body inside the murder victim's house Wednesday afternoon. Ryan Pourciau, 18, was inside the home of April Vanderlinden. Vanderlinden's daughter, who deputies said was connected with Pourciau, saw him inside a bedroom Wednesday while... more »

• Sheriff: Teen accused of murder captured, injured

  April 24, 2013 4:06 PM

  PONCHATOULA - Sheriff's deputies in Tangipahoa Parish arrested a teenager wanted in connection with a murder, and said he was injured during the arrest. Deputies did not have specific details about the incident, and are planning to release more information in a 4:30 p.m. news conference. Ryan Pourciau,... more »

• Deputies expect to return to school Wednesday, day after murder Play Video

  April 23, 2013 9:55 PM

  PONCHATOULA- Deputies will likely maintain a presence at the city's high school Wednesday, a day after a student's mother was shot and killed. Deputies said another student at the school is wanted as a person of interest in the death of April Vanderlinden, 39. Vanderlinden was shot at her... more »

• Woman dead, school on lockdown after shooting

  April 23, 2013 1:27 PM

  PONCHATOULA- A woman was shot and killed, a teenager wanted in connection with the shooting is on the loose, and the city's high school is on lockdown because of the situation Tuesday morning. Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's deputies said Ryan Pourciau, 18, is a person of interest in the death... more »

• EXCLUSIVE: 'Golden Ticket' tour of area chocolate factory Play Video

  February 11, 2013 10:37 PM

  PONCHATOULA- WBRZ News 2 got the "Golden Ticket" to go inside the Elmer's Chocolate factory in Tangipahoa Parish. The family business has been making treats since 1855. "You can't make it any better... It's as good as it is gonna get," said Lucy Prine, who works for the... more »

• Tickfaw man killed in Tangipahoa accident

  December 7, 2012 3:31 PM

  PONCHATOULA - A pedestrian was killed in a late-night accident in Tangipahoa Parish. Tangipahoa Sheriff Daniel Edwards said in a news release that the accident happened around 11:45 p.m. Thursday. The victim was identified as 52-year-old Rocco Van Berge of Tickfaw. The victim was standing in the southbound lane of... more »

• Teen busted with gun at area high school

  November 14, 2012 2:08 PM

  PONCHATOULA- The high school here was placed on lock down earlier Wednesday as law enforcement personnel searched the campus for a gun. During the search, the gun was found and a 15-year-old was arrested. The student's name was not released. A spokesperson said in an email to media... more »

• Ponchatoula student arrested for having gun, knife

  October 19, 2012 2:54 PM

  PONCHATOULA - A junior high student in Ponchatoula has been arrested after bringing a loaded .38-caliber handgun and knife to school. Police Chief Bry Layrisson says the incident happened Friday at Ponchatoula Jr. High School after school officials notified police that someone had weapons on campus. WDSU-TV reports the 14-year-old... more »

• Area teen gets national award for service Play Video

  September 19, 2012 2:26 PM

  PONCHATOULA- A student at the public high school here got national attention for his leadership both at school and in the community. Taylor Ransom, a cadet in the Ponchatoula High School Marine Corps JROTC, received the JROTC Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement award. Ransom is one of... more »

• Ponchatoula woman wins $740,380 Lotto prize

  September 11, 2012 2:47 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A 66-year-old woman from Ponchatoula has claimed the $740,380 Louisiana Lotto jackpot from the Sept. 8 drawing. Patsy McKnight held the sole winning ticket. Lottery officials said Tuesday she picked up the prize - $518,266 after federal and state taxes were withheld - on Monday at lottery... more »

• After controversy, planned Wal-Mart is approved

  August 14, 2012 12:32 PM

  PONCHATOULA- This city of a few thousand is getting a Super Wal-Mart. The City Council approved elements needed for the project to move forward. But, it doesn't come without controversy. Some people who live near the planned store on Hwy. 51 near the intersection with Hwy. 22 have... more »

• Jury convicts man in rape-kidnap case

  March 22, 2012 8:41 AM

  LIVINGSTON - A Livingston Parish jury has found 25-year-old Allen Lee Martin of Ponchatoula guilty of aggravated rape and related crimes in connection with a February 2011 attack on an Albany woman. The jury of 10 women and two men also convicted Martin Wednesday on charges of aggravated burglary, second-degree... more »

• Threats prompt extra patrols at area high school Monday

  March 11, 2012 11:34 PM

  PONCHATOULA- Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's deputies are expected to be on the Ponchatoula High School campus Monday. ActionNews17.com , a community news website serving Tangipahoa and the Florida Parishes, reports deputies will be "highly visible" after threats were made to the school. WDSU TV in New Orleans also reports... more »

• Teen dies in Ponchatoula crash

  February 28, 2012 8:44 AM

  PONCHATOULA - State police say a 16-year-old boy died in a crash in front of Ponchatoula High School after he lost control of his pickup and spun into the path of a bus. Trooper First Class Nick Manale says Tyler Saizan of Ponchatoula was driving east on La. Highway 22... more »

• Deputies: trio busted for burglaries after getting stuck in mud twice

  February 24, 2012 12:46 AM

  PONCHATOULA- Three teens were arrested, charged with a string of burglaries after their get-away vehicle got stuck in the mud. Brandon Herring, 18 and Michael Pierson and Travis Troxler- both 17- were busted and deputies say they're connected to crimes in Tangipahoa and maybe Livingston. In a news... more »

• Shoplifter arrested after leading police on chase

  February 16, 2012 11:56 AM

  HAMMOND- A man in Tangipahoa Parish was arrested after leading police on a chase. Murray Jackson is accused of stealing from a Dollar General store in Hammond, then leading police on a chase. During the pursuit, Jackson reportedly attempted to run over Ponchatoula Police units, and fled south... more »

• Ponchatoula teen killed in I-12 accident

  January 31, 2012 5:02 AM

  ST. TAMMANY PARISH - A car accident along Interstate 12 claimed the life of a 17-year-old from Ponchatoula and injured her two passengers Monday night. State troopers say Kristina Barnard died from injuries she suffered after her car struck a tree along the highway. Investigators say Barnard was... more »

• Man arrested for fight with worker at convenience store

  October 28, 2011 9:58 AM

  PONCHATOULA- A man responsible for a physical fight with a convenience store worker Thursday has been arrested. The fight resulted in the worker being transported to North Oaks Medical Center to be treated for injuries sustained during the altercation. Robert Bowman Jr., was arrested and charged with second... more »

• Police ask for help finding missing person

  August 11, 2011 2:30 PM

  PONCHATOULA - Police are asking for your help in looking for 27-year-old Kristie Woods. Kristie hasn't been seen or heard from in about two weeks. People close to her say this behavior isn't typical of Kristie. Her last known address is 20395 Esterbrook Rd. She is about... more »

• 16-year old drowns in pond Monday

  August 8, 2011 2:22 PM

  PONCHATOULA - Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a 16-year old boy who drowned early Monday morning. The teen drowned while swimming with five of his friends in a pond in the Ponchatoula area. TPSO found the boy's body and pronounced him dead at the... more »

• Skeletal remains identified as missing Ponchatoula man

  May 12, 2011 3:36 AM

  HAMMOND- The skeletal remains that were found last week in a shallow grave in Tangipahoa Parish have been identified as a Ponchatoula man who went missing earlier this year. According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, the remains were identified as 82-year-old Leon Rachal. Authorities say the grave... more »

• TPSO: Man arrested after trying to fight deputy

  April 11, 2011 1:49 PM

  HAMMOND - A man arrested in Tangipahoa Parish for trying to fight a sheriff's deputy had to be fully restrained when he began beating his head on the window of a vehicle, according to the sheriff's office. Sheriff Daniel Edwards said Bryant Tanner, 21, of Ponchatoula was arrested Sunday... more »

• Traffic advisory for Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival

  April 7, 2011 2:23 PM

  PONCHATOULA - The annual Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, which will take place this weekend April 8th-10th, is expected to bring over 300,000 visitors to the downtown Ponchatoula area. This increased traffic volume quickly overloads the surrounding interstate system causing dangerous backups from heavily congested off ramps. In an effort... more »

• Tangipahoa drug bust nets guns, cash

  March 30, 2011 5:11 PM

  PONCHATOULA - The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Department has arrested four Ponchatoula residents on multiple drug charges and seized more than $50,000 in cash. TPSO has been conducting an on-going investigation concerning drug related activity at a esidence at 14680 Kraft Road in Ponchatoula. On Tuesday deputies investigated the home... more »

• Man accused of kidnapping, rape pleads not guilty

  March 18, 2011 1:06 PM

  LIVINGSTON, La. - Allen Lee Martin pleaded not guilty Thursday in 21st Judicial District Court to kidnapping, raping and robbing an Albany woman in February, the District Attorney's Office reported. Assistant District Attorney Charlotte Suir said a grand jury indicted Martin on March 10 on charges of aggravated rape,aggravated... more »

• Officials boycott high school games

  February 1, 2011 5:50 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Labor disputes have become a common problem in professional sports, but now many areas of Louisiana are dealing with one involving high school basketball. High school referees want to be paid more than the $30 to $40 a game they make now, and associations in Hammond,... more »

• Crash on I- 55 kills 5-year-old Ponchatoula boy

  January 2, 2011 11:29 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- Police say a 5-year-old from Ponchatoula was killed in one-car accident over the weekend near the interchange of Interstate 55 and Interstate 10. Louisiana State Police said 44-year-old Steven Acosta was driving south Saturday on I-55 when he lost control of his 2006 Mazda Tribute shortly before... more »

• Louisiana man pleads guilty in storm aid fraud

  December 3, 2010 11:59 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A Ponchatoula man has pleaded guilty to defrauding the American Red Cross of more than $13,000 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Federal prosecutors say 44-year-old Juan Owens pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in New Orleans after being charged with one count of... more »

• Ponchatoula woman charged in fatal accident

  November 27, 2010 10:19 AM

  HAMMOND - State police say an 18-year-old Ponchatoula woman is facing a negligent homicide charge after she drove past a stop sign without stopping and crashed into another woman's car, killing the other driver. State police say Leanne Keen also was booked with failure to yield at a stop sign.... more »

• Man arrested after scuffle with deputy

  November 12, 2010 10:22 AM

  PONCHATOULA- A man is arrested in Tangipahoa Parish after a violent encounter and scuffle with a deputy at Julia Weathersby. Julius Glass, 31, is charged with disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, violent battery on an officer, and resisting arrest from an officer with violence or battery. The deputy... more »

• Four arrested for making meth

  November 9, 2010 7:52 AM

  PONCHATOULA - Tangipahoa Parish deputies arrest four people in connection with making meth at a home in Ponchatoula. Rusty Prevost, Crystal Miller, Dylan Roberts, and Christian Tullier are all charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, operation creation possession of a methamphetamine laboratory, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Deputies... more »

• Deputies say drunk driver also left child home alone

  October 25, 2010 2:27 PM

  A Ponchatoula resident arrested in suspicion of driving drunk told deputies he had also left his nine-year-old child home alone, according to authorities. 52-year-old Charles Baughman was arrested by Tangipahoa Sheriff’s deputies on Sunday. Investigators said he was driving recklessly on highway 442, and that he smelled strongly of alcohol.... more »

• Pontchatoula man accused of abusing elderly father

  August 31, 2010 11:53 AM

  A Ponchatoula man has been arrested in suspicion of abusing his elderly father, according to authorities. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office arrested 47-year-old Jack Bennett, Jr., on Monday for charges of cruelty to the infirm. Sheriff Daniel Edwards said in a press release that their investigation began when an anonymous... more »

• TPSO deputies involved in shooting

  August 26, 2010 9:13 AM

  Louisiana State Police are investigating a case involving Tangipahoa Parish deputies who shot and killed a Ponchatoula man. Tangipahoa deputies say they were executing a narcotics and weapons related search warrant at a home in Ponchatoula, when the suspect 58-year-old Charles J. Meyn aka "Booby" allegedly pointed his gun and... more »

• $90,000 in stolen equipment found in Ponchatoula

  August 20, 2010 4:37 PM

  Authorities in Vermillion Parish have arrested a New York man after recovering stolen construction equipment worth around $90,000. The arrest was part of a multi-agency investigation including the Vermillion Parish Sheriff’s Office, the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the Louisiana State Police. The investigation began with NICB was contacted by... more »

• Ponchatoula man arrested for child pornography

  June 21, 2010 9:12 AM

  Tangipahoa Parish deputies arrested a man from Ponchatoula for child pornography. Deputies searched the home of Kenneth Allen Hayes, and allegedly found child pornography pictures on electronic equipment. Detectives say some of the images / videos depicted children as young as 10-years-old engaged in sexual activity. Deputies say Hayes admitted... more »

• Deputies arrest man for indecent behavior with a juvenile

  April 29, 2010 9:16 AM

  Tangipahoa Parish deputies arrested a man who was wanted by Ponchatoula police for indecent behavior with a juvenile and simple assault. Deputies and police found *Oric* Brown hiding under a blanket in the back bedroom of the residence on Bud James Lane in Ponchatoula Deputies also arrested Victoria Bracey... more »

• Bell from USS Ponchatoula: dedication May 3-6

  April 26, 2010 5:27 AM

  Navy veterans who served on the USS Ponchatoula will hold a reunion in Ponchatoula May 3-6 and dedicate a bell that once hung from one of its masts. There have been two ships by that name. The bell is from the first - a tanker that served in the Pacific... more »

• Ponchatoula man's body recovered from river

  April 22, 2010 4:54 AM

  A body recovered Tuesday afternoon from the Mississippi River has been identified as a 31-year-old Ponchatoula man who authorities say jumped into the river Saturday night from a ship. The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office says Adam Gonzales was a work-release inmate from Tangipahoa Parish whose shipmates say... more »

• Reward offered in deadly hit and run in Ponchatoula

  April 12, 2010 12:17 PM

  Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards needs your help finding a driver who fled the scene of a deadly crash in Ponchatoula last week. Carrie and Carl Vorenkamp were hit by a black SUV on Interstate 55. Their Ford Focus was pushed off the road, flipped and hit a parked... more »

• Strawberry Festival crucial for Louisiana berry sales

  April 9, 2010 5:45 PM

  The 39th annual Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival kicked off Friday, giving Louisiana berry farmers some hope for their profit margins. Cold weather prevented an earlier harvest this year and out of state berries have flooded the market. Now Louisiana berries are plentiful, but the glut of strawberries on the market has... more »

• 39th Annual Strawberry Festival begins today

  April 9, 2010 2:05 PM

  The 39th Annual Louisiana Strawberry Festival began today in Ponchatoula. The festival is expected to draw more than 300,000 people from around the country. The event boasts the seasonal, sweet fruit prepared in many different ways, including chocolate dipped and deep-fried. Strawberry prices have drastically dropped this year in order... more »

• Ponchatoula man arrested after threatening deputies

  March 31, 2010 7:46 AM

  Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff deputies arrested Eric Broussard after he allegedly threatened sheriff's deputies. Deputies went to a home on CC Road and Broussard allegedly became aggressive with the deputy and tried to resist arrest by pulling away and kicking. Deputies say Broussard was threatening the victim in the home and... more »

• Woman arrested in connection with major Ponzi scheme

  March 4, 2010 10:25 PM

  Cheryl Chaucer surrendered to deputies in Tangipahoa Parish today. Investigators say Chaucer is connected with a massive Ponzi scheme that was run by her husband. William Chaucer, Jr., of Ponchatoula, was arrested three months ago. He’s accused of stealing more than $11 million from hundreds of investors. Chaucer told people... more »

• Two killed in crash near Sorrento

  March 1, 2010 4:43 AM

  A three car crash on Highway 70, south of Sorrento, killed two people and sent four others to the hospital. It happened Sunday evening on LA 70 near LA 22. Louisiana State Police say 18-year-old Thomas Walker of Robert crossed the center line and side swiped another car before... more »

• Ponchatoula man pleads innocent in Ponzi scam

  February 26, 2010 6:44 AM

  A 61-year-old Ponchatoula businessman accused of bilking more than 200 investors out of $11 million has pleaded not guilty to various charges related to running the alleged Ponzi scheme. William Chaucer entered his plea Thursday to one count of failing to register to sell securities and 20 counts of making... more »

• Deadly fire in Ponchatoula

  February 22, 2010 1:56 PM

  A man is dead after a house fire in Ponchatoula early this morning. The Fire Department arrived within minutes of the 911 call, but the house was engulfed in flames. A body, believed to be Aubra Fontenot, the owner of the home, was found inside. More tests are being... more »

• Movie crew in Hammond 2 weeks, then New Orleans

  February 3, 2010 5:08 AM

  A movie crew will be shooting a science fiction/paranormal thriller in Hammond for the next two weeks. After Dark pictures is making "Seconds Apart," starring Orlando Jones and others. The film is set in Louisiana and is about twin 18-year-old boys with supernatural powers. Crews have been building sets for... more »

• State Police bust large pot growing operation

  December 18, 2009 3:48 PM

  A Ponchatoula man is in jail, accused of running an elaborate marijuana growing operation in his home. State police say troopers, along with the Ponchatoula Police Department and the DEA, searched a trailer at 350 Methvin Drive in Ponchatoula. They found several marijuana plants along with a watering... more »

• Ponchatoula man accused in $11 million Ponzi scheme

  November 19, 2009 10:43 AM

  A man from Ponchatoula was arrested Thursday accused of bilking at least 200 investors out of $11 million. William Chaucer, Jr. faces 20 counts each of felony theft, operating as an unregistered investment advisor and other charges. The Louisiana Attorney General's Office says Chaucer told people he would... more »

• Conflicting takes on racially-charged pictures

  November 2, 2009 10:26 PM

  Pictures taken on Halloween night in Ponchatoula have caused some controversy among residents. The pictures of a woman dressed in black face and three men in what appeared to be white hoods were posted on the Tangipahoa Parish NAACP website on Sunday. Chapter President Pat Morris says the... more »

• New charges against former convicted city councilman

  September 10, 2009 8:08 AM

  Former Ponchatoula city councilman was arrested on charges of raping a minor girl -- the same day he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for an unrelated rape. 55-year-old Robert Elzy Jr. was convicted last month on a charge of forcible rape for getting a friend to rape his... more »