Tagged News

• State DEQ secretary visits Ascension Parish industrial site linked to red dust clouds

  September 19, 2023 8:53 PM

  GONZALES - The Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality on Tuesday visited the source of a recurring "red dust cloud" that has led to near-daily complaints lately from nearby residents. Officials told WBRZ that Roger Gingles and several members of his staff visited the former Lalumina LLC... more »

• Ascension teen indicted for murder in girlfriend's killing, will be tried as an adult Play Video

  August 7, 2023 8:08 AM

  GONZALES - A teenage boy accused of murdering his girlfriend out of jealousy is now expected to stand trial as an adult for the girl's death. On Thursday, District Attorney Ricky Babin told WBRZ that 16-year-old Jaquin Stephens was formally charged with first-degree murder. The Ascension Parish Sheriff's... more »

• Ascension Parish names new transportation chief

  August 1, 2023 5:25 PM

  Ascension Parish has installed a new public official to spearhead its transportation projects. On Tuesday, Parish President Clint Cointment announced the hiring of Daniel B. Helms as the parish's new Chief Transportation Engineer. Helms, who has 20 years experience managing transportation projects in the public and private sectors, officially... more »

• Ascension Parish ready for its close-up in Hallmark Channel film premiering Thanksgiving Day

  November 22, 2022 11:05 AM

  ASCENSION PARISH - This Thanksgiving, Sorrento will be on the viewing menu for those who dive into the Hallmark Channel and its seasonal array of holiday fare. The movie " My Southern Family Christmas " makes its broadcast premiere just as most Americans put down the fork and pick... more »

• UPDATE: Teen arrested in officer-involved shooting in Ascension subdivision Play Video

  May 21, 2021 7:01 AM

  SORRENTO - A 15-year-old is one of three suspects arrested in connection with an altercation that left an officer injured and another suspect in critical condition. After further investigation into the incident, State Troopers arrested the teen for resisting an officer by force or violence, disturbing the peace, and... more »

• Man allegedly killed by 16-year-old son in Ascension Parish

  October 23, 2020 9:43 AM

  ASCENSION PARISH - On Thursday night, a domestic incident led to a 47-year-old man's death in Sorrento, officials say. According to representatives of the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office, Alvin Geisenheimer and his 16-year-old son were involved in an altercation at a location along Airline Highway when the teen shot... more »

• Ascension Officials: Closure of gate at Marvin Braud Pumping Station due to weather forecasts

  September 14, 2020 9:16 AM

  ASCENSION PARISH - The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office announced Sunday that a closure of the gate at Marvin Braud Pumping Station took place that evening at 7 p.m. Following the closure, the Pumping Station began drawing down the water in parish waterways. The Sheriff's Office announcement, which... more »

• Deputies arrest Gonzales man for allegedly firing multiple rounds at several people

  March 4, 2020 10:12 AM

  GONZALES - Deputies with the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office arrested a man following a shooting incident in Sorrento, Tuesday. Authorities were called to the intersection of Railroad Street and Braud Road shortly after 4 p.m., where they learned that 29-year-old Rodney Butler had fired a gun at several people... more »

• Railroad Street closure to affect Sorrento drivers, Monday

  January 27, 2020 9:03 AM

  ASCENSION PARISH - The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is reminding drivers that Railroad Street in Sorrento will be closed, Monday, Jan 27, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. DOTD says the closure will allow KCS Railroad to safely perform maintenance on the railroad tracks. more »

• Zachary man dies in crash on LA 22 in Sorrento

  June 9, 2017 6:06 PM

  SORRENTO – A Zachary man is dead following a single vehicle crash on LA 22, east of LS 936, in Ascension Parish. According to Louisiana State Police, the crash took the life of 34-year-old Dustin Good. The crash occurred on Friday around 3 a.m. when Good was traveling west... more »

• Weekend closure of I-10 moved to next weekend

  June 1, 2017 10:19 AM

  SORRENTO – A total closure of I-10 East will be put on hold until the weekend of June 9-12, the state announced Thursday. A closure was planned for June 2, 3 and 4. Crews will instal a repaired section of the overpass above I-10 that was previously damaged. Earlier... more »

• I-10 reopens at Sorrento; see how crews removed interstate bridge Play Video

  March 6, 2017 9:38 AM

  SORRENTO – The closed stretch of I-10 east in Ascension Parish re-opened overnight, nearly a day ahead of schedule after a weekend-long closure so crews could make repairs to a bridge section. As scheduled, both eastbound lanes of I-10 closed at the US 61 exit Friday night. The lanes... more »

• Gunfire outside Sorrento landfill escalates environmental fight Play Video

  January 17, 2017 12:32 AM

  SORRENTO- As workers entered the BFI Colonial Landfill on Highway 70 Monday morning, witnesses say a woman shot her gun in the air after yelling at them. A short time later Ascension Parish Sheriff deputies arrested Genie LeBlanc, 62, charging her with a misdemeanor offense. LeBlanc was on her... more »

• Seven students suffer minor injuries in Sorrento bus crash

  January 13, 2017 7:26 PM

  SORRENTO – First responders say seven students were injured, three of those taken to the hospital, after a school bus was involved in a crash in Sorrento Friday afternoon. The crash happened in the 8300 block of Main Street just after 6 p.m. Sources tell WBRZ’s Brett Buffington that... more »

• UPDATE: I-10 east lane closure postponed

  January 4, 2017 5:23 PM

  SORRENTO – State traffic officials say the planned closure of both I-10 eastbound lanes at US 61 has been postponed. According to a statement released by DOTD Wednesday, the full interstate closure was planned for Friday, Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. Crews were planned to remove the damaged section... more »

• Residents against landfill expansion in Sorrento Play Video

  January 3, 2017 6:29 PM

  SORRENTO – A controversial landfill is up for discussion in Sorrento Tuesday night. The BFI Colonial Landfill is trying to renew a permit and apply for a football field-sized expansion. However, residents who live close to the landfill are not happy with the proposed expansion. One resident, Tony... more »

• Lanes reopen on I-10 east after accident near Sorrento

  November 4, 2016 1:31 PM

  SORRENTO – All lanes are open following an accident near US 61 that blocked the left lane of I-10 East near Sorrento Friday afternoon. The accident happened just after 12 p.m. Friday. DOTD officials say that congestion from the incident has reached three miles in length. Preliminary sources... more »

• I-10 westbound closed at Sorrento due to accident

  October 21, 2016 5:42 PM

  SORRENTO – Traffic officials said that the left lane of I-10 west is closed to traffic after an accident near Sorrento Friday afternoon. According to DOTD, the accident happened around 4:28 p.m. Friday on I-10 just past LA 22. Traffic is currently passing through the right lane. ... more »

• All lanes now open on the Sunshine Bridge

  September 21, 2016 7:00 AM

  SORRENTO - All lanes are now open on the Sunshine Bridge. Wednesday morning, all lanes of the Sunshine Bridge were closed westbound due to an accident with injury. There are several miles on delay on LA 44 southbound and LA 70 westbound. Commuters may take the Veterans Memorial... more »

• Sorrento councilman pleads not guilty to theft, forgery charges

  September 8, 2016 10:34 AM

  GONZALES - Sorrento Councilman Randy Anny pleaded not guilty to theft and forgery charges in court on Thursday. Anny and Baton Rouge attorney Roy Maughan Jr. are accused of misappropriating more than $77,000 of town money in 2013. Maughan pleaded not guilty as well. Anny was serving as... more »

• Sorrento church offering free supplies to flood-impacted residents

  August 24, 2016 12:55 PM

  SORRENTO- The Sorrento Baptist Church is prepared to distribute much needed supplies to those impacted by the recent flood. The supplies were delivered from out of state donors and include items, like diapers, cleaning materials and deodorant. Church organizers say the supplies are available on a first come, first... more »

• Sorrento mom: 'I have nowhere to go.' Play Video

  August 16, 2016 2:09 PM

  SORRENTO – A Sorrento mother was brought to tears Tuesday after returning to her home to find it flooded with water. The single mother of two girls told WBRZ’s Earl Phelps that she evacuated Monday night to Pierre Part after battling rising waters Monday afternoon. She said the... more »

• Voluntary evacuations spread as flood waters rise in Ascension

  August 15, 2016 11:54 PM

  SORRENTO - Ascension Parish residents are preparing for the worst on Monday night as flood water began to creep across major roadways. Parts of Airline Highway are underwater due to the heavy rains that fell across the area earlier last weekend. Parish officials are predicting that both sides... more »

• Voluntary evacuation ordered for Sorrento residents

  August 15, 2016 7:23 PM

  S ORRENTO – Officials in Ascension Parish are asking residents in Sorrento to evecuate due to rising flood waters in the area. Sorrento officials say they expect water to potentially rise 3-4 feet over the next 12 hours. Ascension Parish authorities say residents can evacuate to the Lamar... more »

• Judge awards $50K over alleged sex assault by police chief

  August 1, 2016 5:56 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A federal judge has awarded $50,000 in damages to a woman who accused a former Louisiana police chief of sexually assaulting her in his office while she was drunk and he was on duty. U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick's ruling Monday says the town of Sorrento... more »

• NEW DETAILS: Sorrento council member and BR attorney indicted on theft and forgery charges

  June 16, 2016 1:55 PM

  SORRENTO – Sorrento Council member Randy Anny and Baton Rouge attorney Roy Maughan Jr. have been indicted on theft and forgery charges. According to the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office, Council member Anny was indicted on one count of theft, three counts of forgery, one count of malfeasance and one... more »

• Repairs to begin on closed I-10 West access ramp near Sorrento

  April 28, 2016 4:24 PM

  SORRENTO - State Senator Eddie Lambert says work will begin soon to repair the US 61 northbound access ramp to I-10 westbound near Sorrento. The ramp has remained closed since October 2015 after a construction vehicle with an over-height load collided with the ramp’s structure. “According to the... more »

• Former Sorrento police officer sentenced for indecent behavior with juvenile

  March 21, 2016 3:23 PM

  SORRENTO - A former Sorrento police officer, 36-year old Owen Ockman Jr., was sentenced to 5 years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections for indecent behavior with a juvenile. Ockman, of Gonzales, was found guilty on one count of the above charge by an Ascension Parish Jury back in April... more »

• Catching Child Predators: Inside look at State's Cyber Crime Unit Play Video

  March 17, 2016 6:36 PM

  BATON ROUGE- It's a job that has no end in sight and a case load that grows by the day. We're talking about state investigators who try to catch men and women who prey on children. Those convicted are public officials, those fighting for justice and average Joes. We've... more »

• Post office clerk pepper-sprayed during hold up Tuesday in Sorrento

  February 9, 2016 12:18 PM

  SORRENTO - Sheriff's deputies surrounded the post office in this small town Tuesday after an unidentified woman tried to rob the facility. Deputies said the woman told the worker she needed stamps, then pulled out what looked like a gun. The weapon was actually a water gun filled with... more »

• Troopers identify 2nd victim in deadly crash on I-10

  February 3, 2016 8:39 PM

  SORRENTO - Investigators say speed is a suspected factor in an I-10 crash near Sorrento that took the lives of a pair of California residents and hospitalized another Wednesday night. Louisiana State Police say the crash happened in the eastbound lanes of I-10 east of LA 22 in Ascension... more »

• Former mayor Longanecker pleads guilty to child porn, animal cruelty Play Video

  January 19, 2016 12:43 PM

  GONZALES - The former Mayor of Sorrento, Wilson Longanecker Jr. pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to possessing child porn and animal cruelty in an Ascension Parish Courtroom. Longanecker's deal for his guilty plea to all 50 charges gets him 40 years behind bars, according to authorities. He will receive credit... more »

• Troopers identify passengers in fatal wreck near Sorrento

  November 8, 2015 9:15 PM

  SORRENTO – Police have identified all four passengers in a vehicle that flipped on I-10 near Sorrento Saturday and became partially submerged in water. With the assistance of the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab, the family members of the deceased identified two of the occupants in the vehicle. ... more »

• Police: three confirmed dead in single-car crash in Sorrento

  November 7, 2015 10:50 PM

  SORRENTO - State police confirmed three people were killed in a single-car crash on I-10 in Sorrento Saturday night. According to Louisiana State Police, two males and one female were killed when their vehicle flipped over and submerged in water near mile marker 189 on I-10 before Sorrento. They said... more »

• Randy Anny, wife plead not guilty to fraud, conspiracy Play Video

  September 3, 2015 12:49 PM

  SORRENTO - A Sorrento Council member and his wife pleaded not guilty to federal charges they illegally claimed thousands of dollars of Gulf oil spill recovery money. Randy Anny and his wife Barbara entered their pleas in federal court in Baton Rouge Thursday morning. They both face charges of... more »

• Sorrento Police have options to stay open Play Video

  November 14, 2013 4:24 PM

  SORRENTO - The Sorrento Police Department has one offer on the table to provide insurance to keep the department open. The town of Sorrento is currently considering the only liability insurance quote they have of $67,692. That's nearly $40,000 more than the department's current insurance, which is set to... more »

• Sorrento Police Chief explains how he was grazed by bullet Play Video

  September 1, 2013 4:15 PM

  BELLE RIVER - Sorrento Police Chief Earl Theriot says he was grazed by a bullet this week while getting his Belle River camp ready for the Labor Day weekend. "I was just like this getting stuff out of my truck, and I heard the shot and I turned and... more »

• 16-year-old dies in crash

  May 4, 2013 6:00 PM

  SORRENTO, La. - A 16-year-old died in a single-vehicle crash around noon Saturday on I-10 westbound in Ascension Parish, according to Louisiana State Police. State Troopers say Gary Clark, Jr. was a passenger in a 2006 Cadillac CTS westbound on I-10 when the car ran off the roadway and... more »