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• Obama chooses lawyer as Guantanamo closure envoy

  June 16, 2013 5:22 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has chosen a high-powered Washington lawyer with an extensive government experience to be the State Department's new special envoy for closing down the prison at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Officials familiar with the decision tell The Associated Press that Clifford Sloan is... more »

• Updyke out of prison, possibly headed for La.

  June 11, 2013 10:36 PM

  OPELIKA, Ala.- Harvey Updyke, the man who poisoned famous oak trees at Auburn University, was released from prison and is reportedly on his way to Louisiana. Updyke attacked the trees three years ago . He is banned from attending collegiate sporting events as part of his probation. ... more »

• 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 »

• Error allows accused killer to leave jail

  June 7, 2013 10:32 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A mistake led to an accused killer getting out of jail when he was not supposed to be free. Cardale Green turned himself in Friday after being on the streets for a day. The district attorney's office said a court clerk mixed up paperwork with a... more »

• Murder suspect accidentally released

  June 7, 2013 1:47 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A murder suspect set for trial next month was released from Parish Prison Thursday because of a clerical error. He had surrendered to authorities by midday Friday. Cardale Green faces trial in July in the January 2011 killing of Derrick Casey on Gracie Street. He and another... more »

• Feline offender

  June 3, 2013 7:38 PM

  MOSCOW- This may be the first time prisoners in one of Russia's jails used a cat to smuggle contraband. Guards patrolling Penal Colony No. 1 near the city of Syktyvkar in the northern part of Russia saw a cat on the fence that seemed to be carrying something. On... more »

• Killer sentenced to 2 life terms plus 100 years

  May 24, 2013 1:50 PM

  BATON ROUGE - An East Feliciana Parish man was slapped with two life sentences plus 100 years for a particularly brutal murder in East Baton Rouge Parish. Dominique Smith was convicted in March and sentenced today for the murder of his former girlfriend, Jessica Palmer, 23, and her three... more »

• Convicted Pa. abortion doctor gets life in prison

  May 14, 2013 3:38 PM

  PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia abortion doctor convicted of killing three babies who were born alive has agreed to give up his right to an appeal and will be spared a potential death sentence. Dr. Kermit Gosnell was convicted Monday of first-degree murder in the deaths of the babies who were... more »

• Investigation: appeal filed in case over man never serving sentence

  May 13, 2013 10:41 PM

  GONZALES- Prosecutors filed an appeal after they lost a hearing to have a man serve time for a crime he was convicted of nearly twenty years ago. Stanley White never served a sentence for killing an eleven-week-old in a crash. A mistake in the justice system has been blamed... more »

• Tele-medicine service to increase for La. prisons Play Video

  May 8, 2013 5:28 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The state Department of Corrections plans to increase over the Internet diagnosis and treatment by nearly 600 percent. Corrections is rushing to sign a state contract to provide 17,000 annual tele-med check-ups to thousands of inmates. Deputy Secretary Thomas Bickham said the department was caught... more »

• Teen arrested on drug charge during jail visit

  May 7, 2013 8:53 AM

  PEARL, Miss.- A Ridgeland teenager has been arrested at the Rankin County prison for allegedly having marijuana while attempting to visit his sister. The Clarion-Ledger reports the 17-year-old was arrested Saturday and charged with possession of marijuana. Investigators say he was initially detained after tobacco slipped out of his pants... more »

• Ex-Jefferson Parish president reports to prison

  May 6, 2013 12:55 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard has started serving a prison sentence of nearly four years for his role in a bribery plot and payroll fraud scheme. A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Prisons said Broussard reported Monday to the low-security facility at a prison in... more »

• Man sentenced to 25 years after no contest plea

  May 6, 2013 11:26 AM

  LIVINGSTON - 51-year-old David Lee Scott was sentenced to 25 years in prison for armed robbery and selling drugs, according to the district attorney's office in Livingston Parish. Scott pleaded no contest to the charges on April 29. In September 2012, Walker City Police say Scott entered a... more »

• Victim's family calls suspended sentence "sickening"

  May 3, 2013 4:08 PM

  GONZALES - A man who pleaded guilty to killing a baby in a wreck nearly 20 years ago won't have to serve a day of his prison sentence, which the state never enforced. That decision was issued by Judge Jessie LeBlanc in Ascension Parish today. In court, she ruled... more »

• LA incarcerated highest per capita in nation Play Video

  April 19, 2013 5:50 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The number of people in prisons in Louisiana is the highest per capita in the nation. It's costing taxpayers a lot of money, and today, state and local leaders met to address the problems this poses. Education and time spent in prison was the main... more »

• New Orleans man sentenced in child porn case

  April 19, 2013 9:09 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A 48-year-old man will serve a nine-year prison sentence for downloading photos depicting the sexual abuse of children. U.S. District Judge Nannette Brown on Thursday also ordered Myles Fitzgerald Guidry to spend the rest of his life under federal supervision after he is released. Acting U.S. Attorney... more »

• La. man gets prison for plot to defraud BP

  April 3, 2013 10:16 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A Covington businessman has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for a plot in which he fraudulently billed BP for roughly $1.4 million for use of a helicopter after the company's huge 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Bay Ingram, who owned Southeast Recovery... more »

• Inmates did drugs, drank beer in Orleans Parish prison

  April 2, 2013 11:38 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Video showing inmates at the New Orleans jail apparently snorting drugs, drinking beer and in possession of at least one large handgun was shown Tuesday during a hearing in U.S. District Court. The recordings, believed made by inmates, were aired during the second day of hearings on... more »

• Updyke receives three years for Auburn tree poisoning

  March 22, 2013 9:26 PM

  OPELIKA, Ala. - The Alabama fan who poisoned the iconic Toomer's Corner oak trees at rival Auburn has been sentenced to three years in prison. Court filings Friday show that Harvey Updyke Jr. pleaded guilty to damaging an agricultural facility. The sentence requires him to serve at least six months... more »

• Prison phone firms can seek exclusion from new ban

  March 20, 2013 11:54 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Public Service Commission is giving companies that provide phone service to Louisiana's prisons and local jails the ability to argue their case for continuing pricy surcharges on the calls. The five-member regulatory panel, which oversees telecommunications companies, unanimously agreed in December to cut the rates charged... more »

• Gerald sentenced to 70 years in prison for DWI deaths

  March 12, 2013 10:28 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The man convicted of killing seven people during a drunken crash in Slaughter received a decade in jail for each of their deaths today. A judge sentenced Brett Gerald to 70 years in prison, ten years for each count of vehicular homicide he faced, and pay... more »

• Orleans Parish Prison escapee found in Baton Rouge

  March 11, 2013 10:25 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - An Orleans Parish prisoner who escaped Friday from one of the jail's temporary housing centers was captured within 48 hours. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office tells The Times-Picayune 40-year-old Mitchell Manning was found in a Baton Rouge hotel around 10:50 a.m. Sunday. He was arrested without incident.... 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 »

• Work-release inmate wanted after leaving job

  February 18, 2013 4:58 PM

  JACKSON- A work-release inmate walked away from his job Monday, the second time in a week that the East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office has had the task of locating a trusty. Most recently, Frankie New, 40, left a body shop where he was assigned to work on Highway 10.... more »

• Jindal seeks release for nonviolent drug offenders

  February 15, 2013 12:52 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Gov. Bobby Jindal wants to let some nonviolent drug offenders out of prison early if they complete an intensive treatment program. The governor says he believes his proposal would reduce the likelihood prisoners would end up back in jail, and also cut prison operating costs. The measure... more »

• Former Ill. Gov. Ryan to be released from prison

  January 30, 2013 2:39 AM

  CHICAGO - George Ryan is about to become the latest Illinois governor to go through a prison door. This time he's headed out. The 78-year-old Republican has served five-plus years for corruption. Authorities are expected to release him from a prison in Terre Haute, Ind., sometime Wednesday. He's expected to... more »

• La. man gets prison for shooting at helicopter

  January 23, 2013 2:08 PM

  ALEXANDRIA- A Sikes man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for shooting at a Louisiana Army National Guard helicopter during a drug surveillance operation. U.S. District Judge Dee Drell on Wednesday sentenced 62-year-old Lamar Kelly to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised... more »

• Edwards asks feds to end supervised release early

  January 22, 2013 2:37 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana's flamboyant former Gov. Edwin Edwards says he's done his time, paid $2 million in fines and forfeitures and done everything required for his supervised release, and wants the supervision to end now. Federal prosecutors support the request. They say Edwards has served more than 18 months... 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 »

• Newlyweds head to separate prisons

  January 15, 2013 10:41 AM

  THIBODAUX - A Lafourche Parish couple spent the first week of their marriage free, but could spend the next nine years in separate prison cells as they serve time for cocaine distribution. The Courier reports 30-year-old Tanna Hawkins and 28-year-old Tara Robinson Hawkins were married the first week of January,... more »

• DOC: Fugitive spotted in New Orleans

  January 10, 2013 4:03 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - State prison officials said a convicted killer who escaped from a St. Gabriel correctional facility New Year's Day has been spotted in New Orleans. Corrections officials said they learned Keana Barnes, 33, got a ride to downtown New Orleans last week. They said she has also... more »

• Reward increased in search for fugitive

  January 4, 2013 10:40 AM

  BATON ROUGE - State prison officials upped the reward today for information leading to the capture of an escaped fugitive they say should be considered armed and dangerous. The state Department of Public Safety and Corrections offered $2,500 in their search for leads to find Keana Barnes, 33, who... more »

• EXCLUSIVE: Escaped killer's ex-husband warns of violence Play Video

  January 2, 2013 5:51 PM

  ST. GABRIEL - The search for a killer continues as correctional officers and U.S. Marshals widen the net in the hunt for escaped convict Keana Barnes continues. Barnes broke out of the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women on New Year's Day. State prison officials said she should be considered... more »

• Woman who escaped prison has run before Play Video

  January 1, 2013 5:56 PM

  ST. GABRIEL- Authorities said the woman who escaped overnight from a state prison in St. Gabriel was serving a 25-year sentence for manslaughter, and offered a reward for information leading to her capture. St. Gabriel Police Chief Kevin Ambeau said 33-year-old Keana Barnes climbed over a fence at the... more »

• Escaped prisoner was serving manslaughter sentence

  January 1, 2013 11:45 AM

  ST. GABRIEL - Authorities said the woman who escaped overnight from a state prison in St. Gabriel was serving a 25-year sentence for manslaughter, and offered a reward for information leading to her capture. St. Gabriel Police Chief Kevin Ambeau said 33-year-old Keana Barnes climbed over a fence at... more »

• Female prisoner escapes from St. Gabriel prison

  January 1, 2013 10:35 AM

  ST. GABRIEL - A woman escaped overnight from the Elayn Hunt Correctional Institute for Women in St. Gabriel, according to authorities. Prison chase teams are out searching the area, but the prisoner's identity has not been released at this time. It is the second escape in less than... more »

• Weatherton given life sentence for kidnapping, rape

  December 18, 2012 5:32 PM

  GONZALES - An Ascension Parish judge handed down a life sentence today for a man convicted of kidnapping and rape who was featured on "America's Most Wanted". Bobby Weatherton acted as his own attorney in the sentencing phase of the trial. He was convicted in March of beating and... more »

• Phone calls to get cheaper at La. prisons

  December 12, 2012 5:42 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The costs of many prison phone calls are set to drop over the next couple of years. The Louisiana Public Service Commission agreed Wednesday to a revamped proposal that will shrink the price tag for prisoners to call home, after complaints that current rates were too high... 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 »

• Ex-NO official gets prison in Katrina grant plot

  November 29, 2012 3:09 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A former New Orleans city councilman has been sentenced to six months in prison for plotting to misuse federal money intended to help a nonprofit organization after Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Judge Lance Africk also on Thursday sentenced Jon Johnson to six months of home detention and... more »

• No electrolysis for Mass. transgender prisoner

  November 20, 2012 12:37 PM

  BOSTON - A federal judge in Massachusetts says he won't order more hair-removal treatments for a transgender inmate who won a court order for taxpayer-funded sex-change surgery. Judge Robert Wolf also ruled Tuesday that the gender reassignment surgery he ordered for Michelle Kosilek in September will be on hold until... more »

• Sisters sentenced in federal identity theft, fraud case

  November 16, 2012 3:45 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A U. S. District judge sentenced two Baton Rouge sisters to four years in federal prison apiece for running a three-year, six-figure credit card scheme. U. S. Attorney Don Cazayoux Jr. said Trachell Brown was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for bank fraud and... more »

• Ohio drug defendant asks judge for 1 more joint

  November 16, 2012 12:35 PM

  CINCINNATI - A judge's offer to allow an Ohio drug defendant the chance to stay out of prison if he'd give up marijuana might have just gone up in smoke. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Melba Marsh says she was astonished by the response from 19-year-old Damaine Mitchell on Wednesday.... 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 »

• High prison call costs, burden to families

  November 15, 2012 6:09 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Offenders in prison, no matter what the crime, are allowed to make phone calls. Most of those calls are made to family. The outgoing cost is expensive, and some families are struggling to pay the bills. "The burden, really isn't on the prisoner," said Geraldine... more »

• NY woman to get $2.7M for wrongful conviction

  November 13, 2012 10:15 AM

  BUFFALO, N.Y. - A New York woman who spent more than 13 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of killing her teenage daughter has reached a $2.7 million settlement with the state. Buffalo media outlets report that Lynn DeJac Peters is holding a news conference Tuesday to discuss... more »

• Manslaughter plea by stepmother in child's death

  November 13, 2012 10:08 AM

  BENTON - An Elm Grove woman faces up to 25 years in prison in the death of her 5-year-old stepdaughter. Catherine Lowe accepted a plea deal on Monday. Lowe pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Celeste Lowe in January 2011. She had been charged with second-degree... more »

• Former LSU QB Jefferson released from prison Play Video

  October 31, 2012 3:42 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Former LSU Quarterback Jordan Jefferson walked out of Parish Prison with a smile from ear to ear on Wednesday. Jefferson pleaded no contest this morning to a battery charge stemming from a fight outside a bar last year. He told the judge this incident opened his eyes.... more »

• Sandusky moved to prison housing death row inmates

  October 31, 2012 2:53 PM

  HARRISBURG, Pa.- Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is serving his child molestation prison sentence at an institution in far southwestern Pennsylvania that includes most of the state's death row inmates. The Corrections Department announced that Sandusky was transferred to Greene State Prison after being evaluated at a... more »

• Jordan Jefferson back in EBR Parish Prison Play Video

  October 30, 2012 6:43 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson is back in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison after violating the conditions of his bond. District Judge Chip Moore revoked Jefferson's 2011 bond for his simple battery arrest, then ordered him back to jail by 2pm. Jefferson was arrested last... more »

• Judge revokes Jefferson's bond from bar fight

  October 30, 2012 10:24 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A Baton Rouge judge today revoked former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson's bond from a 2011 bar fight, and said he needed to report to the parish prison by 2 p.m. District Judge Chip Moore said Jefferson's recent drug arrest violated the conditions of his bond on... more »

• Prison employee arrested in theft of deposit

  October 30, 2012 10:18 AM

  BATON ROUGE- An East Baton Rouge Parish Prison employee has been arrested in the theft of a CVS Pharmacy security deposit of more than $4,000. Donnie Hookfin, who had been working in security at Parish Prison for the last seven years, was fired and booked Monday on one count... more »

• Sandusky moved from county jail to state prison

  October 23, 2012 10:35 AM

  CAMP HILL, Pa. - Jerry Sandusky is now a state prison inmate after his transfer from the Centre County jail. A state prison system spokeswoman says the 68-year-old former Penn State assistant coach was transferred to the State Correctional Institute at Camp Hill early Tuesday. Camp Hill is... more »

• 6 La. residents arrested on Medicaid fraud charges

  October 19, 2012 10:32 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Six personal care attendants from northeast Louisiana are accused of scheming to defraud the state's Medicaid program. Louisiana Attorney General James "Buddy" Caldwell's office says the six are accused of submitting timesheets to their employer that falsely stated they provided in-home services to Medicaid patients who... more »

• Ex-Leesville police chief gets prison in gun probe

  October 16, 2012 4:33 PM

  LAFAYETTE - A former Leesville police chief has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. U.S. District Judge Richard Haik on Tuesday sentenced 51-year-old Bobby Hickman to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Federal... more »

• Bell given life for killing former chief's brother-in-law Play Video

  October 12, 2012 5:30 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A judge sentenced Leandre Bell, the man convicted of killing the brother-in-law of Baton Rouge's former police chief, to life in prison today. A jury found Bell guilty this past June of killing Christopher Domingue, the brother-in-law of former Police Chief Jeff LeDuff, as well as... more »

• Bell given life for killing former chief's brother-in-law

  October 12, 2012 12:50 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A judge sentenced Leandre Bell, the man convicted of killing the brother-in-law of Baton Rouge's former police chief, to life in prison today. Bell, was convicted of two counts of murder and a host of other charges, including armed robbery. Leandre Bell was formally sentenced... more »

• Mom gets 99 years in prison for gluing tot's hands

  October 12, 2012 12:38 PM

  DALLAS - A Dallas woman has been sentenced to 99 years in prison for beating her toddler and gluing the child's hands to a wall. Elizabeth Escalona faced from probation to life in prison. Prosecutors sought 45 years behind bars. A state district judge decided her sentence Friday. Police say... more »

• Miss. man sentenced for molesting La. girl

  October 10, 2012 9:07 AM

  COVINGTON - A 37-year-old Picayune, Miss., man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for committing sexual battery on a young Louisiana girl. Barton W. Naftzger Jr. was sentenced Tuesday by state District Judge William J. Burris in Covington. Naftzger went to trial in August on a... more »

• Police: Man tries to rob bank of $1 in prison bid

  October 9, 2012 12:40 PM

  NORTHERN CAMBRIA, Pa. - Police say a man tried to rob a Pennsylvania bank of $1 because he hoped to be sent to a federal prison nearby. A police complaint says 50-year-old regular customer Jeffrey McMullen walked into an AmeriServ bank Friday in Northern Cambria and handed notes to tellers... more »

• Jerry Sandusky sentenced to at least 30 years

  October 9, 2012 10:06 AM

  BELLEFONTE, Pa. - Jerry Sandusky has been sentenced to at least 30 years in prison in the child sexual abuse scandal that brought shame to Penn State and led to coach Joe Paterno's downfall. The sentence means the 68-year-old former Penn State assistant coach will be in prison at... more »

• Lawyer certain Sandusky will speak at sentencing

  October 8, 2012 3:14 PM

  BELLEFONTE, Pa. - Jerry Sandusky's lawyer says "it's as certain as certain can be" that the former Penn State assistant football coach will assert his innocence when he's sentenced on 45 counts of child sexual abuse. Defense attorney Joe Amendola said Monday that nobody else is expected to speak... more »

• DOJ seeks to join lawsuit against Orleans prison

  September 24, 2012 5:20 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The U.S. Justice Department is asking to join a class action lawsuit that accuses Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman of overseeing a jail that routinely subjects prisoners to brutal, inhumane conditions. The federal agency filed a request Monday in federal court, asking to be included as a... more »

• Taiwan co. fined $500 million for LCD price fixing

  September 20, 2012 1:25 PM

  SAN FRANCISCO - A Taiwanese company has been fined $500 million and two of its former top executives sentenced to three years in prison for their leading roles in a global LCD screen price-fixing conspiracy. The sentences handed down Thursday are among the harshest penalties ever given in an antitrust... more »

• La. sheriff sued over detention of immigrants

  September 19, 2012 4:34 PM

  ABBEVILLE - To see if detained immigrants are being locked up unlawfully for long periods of time, a civil rights group is seeking to get the Vermilion Parish sheriff to turn over documents on immigrants who've been jailed since 2009. The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a lawsuit against Sheriff... more »

• State lawmakers caught off guard by prison closure

  September 18, 2012 2:11 PM

  BATON ROUGE - State lawmakers from southwest Louisiana, even those allied with the governor, say they were caught off-guard by an abrupt announcement from the Jindal administration that it planned to close a state prison in DeQuincy. The closure of C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center was announced Friday, with Corrections... more »

• DeQuincy correctional center closing doors

  September 14, 2012 4:52 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Officials say a medium-security prison in southwestern Louisiana will be shutting its doors as part of the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections' continued cost-savings plan. Officials said Friday most of the prisoners at the C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center in DeQuincy will be shifted to... more »

• Woman gets prison in Medicare fraud plot

  September 11, 2012 4:04 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A woman who worked as a patient recruiter for several Louisiana medical equipment companies has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for her role in a Medicare fraud scheme. U.S. District Judge James Brady in Baton Rouge also on Tuesday ordered 47-year-old Karen Rayburn to pay... more »

• Reports: manhunt in Tangipahoa

  August 24, 2012 12:13 AM

  AMITE- According to reports published late Thursday night, K-9 deputies and air support have been called in to search for a 36-year-old trusty who walked away from a work-release program. ActionNews17.com reports John Steven Johnson left his post at the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office shop on Hwy 51. ... more »

• 40 indicted in drug ring run from Indiana prisons

  August 23, 2012 12:33 PM

  INDIANAPOLIS - Two inmates housed at different Indiana prisons are accused of running a drug ring thanks to cellphones smuggled in by guards. A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday charges 40 people in connection with a scheme that involved methamphetamine, heroin and other drugs. The indictment also alleges that prison guards... 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 »

• Houston man gets prison for online prostitution

  August 17, 2012 12:34 PM

  HOUSTON - A Houston man has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison in a prostitution case involving hotels and online advertisements. A federal judge in Houston on Thursday sentenced 30-year-old Jerald Bland. Bland in January pleaded guilty to transportation of a woman for commercial sex. Prosecutors say... more »

• NYC man gets 2 1/2 years for illegal kidney sales

  July 12, 2012 12:50 PM

  TRENTON, N.J. - A New York City man has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison in a case prosecutors say is the first ever federal conviction for illegally selling human kidneys for profit. Levy Izhak Rosenbaum showed no immediate reaction to the sentence Wednesday in Trenton federal court.... more »

• La. man gets prison in alligator hunting case

  June 22, 2012 2:30 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A licensed alligator hunter from Louisiana who pleaded guilty to illegally guiding customers to hunt alligators in unauthorized areas has been sentenced to six months in prison. The Justice Department says 38-year-old Gregory Dupont is the first person to be sentenced to prison for federal felony convictions stemming... more »

• Former Port Allen mayor sentenced to 40 months

  June 12, 2012 1:30 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A federal judge sentenced former Port Allen Mayor Derek Lewis to 40 months in prison Tuesday, after Lewis pleaded guilty to racketeering charges. He testified against former New Roads Mayor Tommy Nelson and former St. Gabriel Mayor George Grace in exchange for a lighter sentence. ... 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 »

• Winnfield man faces up to 90-year prison term

  May 4, 2012 7:28 AM

  WINNFIELD - A 35-year-old Winnfield man convicted on methamphetamine conspiracy and trafficking charges faces up to 90 years in prison. District Attorney Chris Nevils says Timothy D. Norris could be looking at even more jail time if his office is successful in classifying him as a habitual offender. In 2003,... more »

• House passes bill to give repeat offenders parole hearings Play Video

  April 19, 2012 6:10 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A bill to offer a chance at parole for some in state prisons received a lot of debate before being passed by the full Louisiana House today. The House voted 86-7 to send the bill to the Senate, after a long debate about just who would... more »

• Fred Smith reports to federal prison in Ark.

  April 16, 2012 3:06 PM

  PORT ALLEN - Former Port Allen Police Chief Fred Smith is now behind bars for his conviction on federal racketeering charges. Smith reported to a federal prison in eastern Arkansas this afternoon around 2 p.m., according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He was sentenced to seven and... more »

• Budget committee backs central La. prison sale

  April 10, 2012 2:20 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The House's budget committee has narrowly supported a Jindal administration plan to sell a central Louisiana prison to a private operator. A similar proposal was killed by the Appropriations Committee last year. But the panel has several new members who are allies of the governor and who... more »

• Budget committee considers central La. prison sale

  April 10, 2012 8:10 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The House's budget committee is set to decide whether to support a Jindal administration plan to sell a central Louisiana prison to a private operator. A similar proposal was killed by the Appropriations Committee last year. But the panel has several new members who are allies of... more »

• House approves copper theft bill

  April 6, 2012 10:40 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana State House has approved HB48 which legislators hope will crack down on a growing statewide problem of copper thefts. Representative Lance Harris submitted the bill which now heads to the Senate for debate. His bill states: when a theft is more than one thousand dollars... more »

• Evidence withheld, Texas man wants tough penalties

  March 29, 2012 3:33 PM

  AUSTIN - A Texas man who spent nearly 25 years in prison for a murder he did not commit is campaigning for tougher penalties against prosecutors who withhold evidence during a trial. Michael Morton said he wants to make sure prosecutors could be fined or even disbarred for concealing facts... more »

• Mystery man in Rutgers case wants prison for Ravi

  March 23, 2012 8:42 AM

  WHIPPANY, N.J. - The man who was spied during intimate encounters with a Rutgers freshman, who later committed suicide, wants the former student convicted in the case to go to prison. The man has been identified only as M.B. He will draft a statement his lawyer will read when Dharun... more »

• Prison job, tedium await Blagojevich

  March 15, 2012 7:12 AM

  CHICAGO - Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is trading in his Oxxford-label suits for prison khakis and a new identity: Inmate Number 40892-424. The impeached one-time golden boy of Illinois politics famous for his trademark thick hair and penchant for television cameras is set to begin Thursday his 14-year term... more »

• Former Port Allen Police Chief sentenced to 7 1/2 years Play Video

  March 14, 2012 12:38 PM

  BATON ROUGE-- Former Port Allen Police Chief Fred Smith will serve seven and a half years in a federal prison for exchanging his official position as chief for bribes. "Utterly unforgivable" and "shameful" is how Judge Brian A. Jackson described Smith's actions, calling him a greedy person who failed... more »

• WBR deputies to be sentenced in jailhouse beating

  March 8, 2012 11:26 AM

  PORT ALLEN- Two former West Baton Rouge deputies are expected to plead guilty to their role in a 2007 jailhouse beating that left an inmate with a broken jaw. Authorities say Gary Frith and Philmore Bradford will plead guilty to second degree battery and malfeasance in office. Deputies... more »

• Former LSU defensive end arrested for battery

  March 7, 2012 11:11 AM

  BATON ROUGE- Deputies arrested former LSU football defensive end Rahim Alem. Alem, 25, is accused of trying to choke a woman Monday night, according to The Advocate. According to an affidavit of probable cause, the victim told deputies that Alem put his hand around her throat and placed... more »

• Grace shackled, cries before judge denies bail Play Video

  March 6, 2012 6:23 PM

  BATON ROUGE - George Grace had just 15 minutes to say goodbye to his family before U.S. Marshals hauled him back to prison. Judge Maurice Hicks called Grace's words "slippery at best" and said George Grace has "zero credibility" after committing perjury during his trial. It was one reason Hicks... more »

• Reported tornado hits Ala. state prison

  March 2, 2012 11:07 AM

  BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- A state corrections official says a reported tornado in northern Alabama hit a state prison but there was no immediate word on damages or injuries. Corrections spokesman Brian Corbette said Friday a tornado hit the Limestone Correctional Facility, a prison in Limestone County. Another reported tornado destroyed several... more »

• Former abstinence director sentenced

  March 1, 2012 4:57 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's former director for the Governor's Program on Abstinence has been sentenced to six years in prison. 64-year-old Gail Ray Dignam was convicted last year on two counts of mail fraud. U.S. District Judge James J. Brady also ordered Dignam to pay restitution and to... more »