Louisiana news briefs

Baton Rouge area home sales up in June
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Home sales in metro Baton Rouge increased by 3.3 percent in June, despite a sales drop in East Baton Rouge Parish, the largest local market.
The Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors reports Thursday there were 880 home sales that closed in June in the nine-parish area.
That compares with 852 closed sales in June 2013.
The biggest monthly gainer was Livingston Parish, where sales were up 28.8 percent from 125 to 161. Ascension Parish had a 3.1 percent sales gain from 159 sales in 2013 to 164.
Sales in East Baton Rouge Parish were down by 5 percent in June, going from 503 to 478 over the year.
The median sales price was up 4.8 percent from $177,900 to $186,500 last month.
The average number of days a home was on the market was unchanged at 81.
But the number of homes for sale fell 8.8 percent to 4,017. The supply in months was 5.3, compared with 6.4 in 2013.
The number of new listings on the market was up 12.9 percent from 1,181 in 2013 to 1,333.
Through the first half of the year, there were 4,390 home sales in the metro area, compared with 4,258 through June 2013, a 3.1 percent increase.

Woman accused of child desertion in Thibodaux
THIBODAUX (AP) — Police say a 42-year-old Thibodaux woman has been arrested after she was found walking with a crack pipe and a small amount of cocaine while her two young children were alone at home.
Deidre Thomas was booked Wednesday with child desertion and possession of cocaine among several other charges. She is being held at the parish jail in lieu of a $14,550 bond.
Lafourche sheriff’s deputies said they saw Thomas about 2:15 a.m. and stopped to check on her. She told them her two children, ages 4 and 9, were home alone, They were turned over to a family member.

LaPlace woman jailed; 50 dogs taken from her home
LAPLACE (AP) — St. John the Baptist Parish sheriff’s deputies have arrested a LaPlace woman for operating an illegal dog rescue service that kept 50 dogs at her home in unsanitary conditions.
The sheriff’s office says 46-year-old Joyce Charles was arrested Tuesday. Authorities say she had been warned that she could not operate her Happy Yappy Doggy Rescue at her home. On May 7, animal control removed 40 dogs housed throughout her home in pet carriers soiled with dirt, urine and feces. Some of the dogs were kept in the garage without food, water or air circulation.
Deputies arrested Charles after getting a tip that she had taken in more dogs. Authorities say 10 dogs were seized following her arrest.
Charles remains in jail in lieu of $17,000 bond.

Dad runs over daughter
BOSSIER CITY (AP) — A toddler died Thursday after being accidentally run over by her father as he pulled out of his driveway in Bossier City, police said.
Sgt. Brian Griffith said Damion Dacaldacal, 27, told investigators he had placed his three children into his truck to take them to daycare. He then walked back to the house to secure his home and didn’t realize that his 14-month-old daughter had gotten out of her car seat and walked in front of the vehicle, which had been backed into the driveway.
Dacaldacal returned to the vehicle and began to pull out when he ran over the child, Griffith said. “He didn’t see her when he pulled out,” he said.
The child was pronounced dead at University Health.
“We don’t foresee pursuing any charges,” he said. “Per standard procedure, we have drawn blood from the driver and it will be tested but we’re viewing this as a tragic accident.”
Griffith did not know the ages of the other children.

Former housing official reports to prison
LAFAYETTE (AP) — The former executive director of the Lafayette Housing Authority has reported to federal prison in Montgomery, Alabama, to serve out his 28-month sentence for bribery and bid law violations.
Walter Guillory, 51, pleaded guilty in February.
He reported to prison on Monday.
In June, U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Foote sentenced him to two 28-month prison terms, to run concurrently. At Guillory’s request, Foote recommended he be incarcerated in the federal prison in Oakdale.
Guillory, formerly the executive director with the Alexandria Housing Authority, was executive director of the Lafayette Housing Authority from July 1999 until October 2010 when he was forced to resign after an audit revealed financial and other irregularities. He also served as executive director of the Opelousas Housing Authority from 2005 until 2009.
Guillory pleaded guilty in February to bribery in connection with an annual baseball fundraiser he organized to raise money for youth programs at the Lafayette housing complexes. According to investigators, Guillory required businesses to contribute to the baseball event in return for keeping contracts with the two housing authorities. He also allegedly pocketed $100,000 from the fund raisers.
Guillory also pleaded guilty to violating state and federal bid laws by falsifying bids to make it look like the Opelousas Housing Authority was following bid laws. Garnett Thomas, the grants coordinator for the OHA, pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the scheme. Thomas reportedly was sentenced last week to probation for two months.
In April, businessman Kendall T. Anderson of Anderson Iron Works entered a plea deal in connection with the scheme for failing to report the bid-rigging. A 2011 Daily Advertiser investigation found the company received around $100,000 in housing authority work without submitting formal bids. Anderson’s sentencing is set for Aug. 28.

Judge appointed
OPELOUSAS (AP) — Retired U.S. Magistrate Judge Mildred Methvin has been appointed to fill the seat of former state Judge Donald Hebert, of St. Landry Parish, who died July 9 at age 65.
The state Supreme Court said Wednesday that Methvin will serve through Dec. 31, when a new judge should be in place following parish judicial elections this fall. Methvin, a native of Alexandria, served 26 years as a U.S. magistrate in Lafayette.
Hebert was elected judge in 1999 and planned to retire after his current six-year term ended Dec. 31.

St. Landry takes another look at Home Rule Charter
OPELOUSAS (AP) — The St. Landry Parish Council has unanimously agreed to have an Administrative Committee review aspects of the Home Rule Charter that has been used to operate parish government since 2004.
Council member Pam Gautreau said Wednesday the charter includes what she said are “gray areas” that are sometimes ambiguous and need further clarification.
Gautreau, however, did not indicate specifically which areas of the charter she feels require revision.
Gautreau called the charter basically a copy-and-paste document with half-sentences.
The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/1qhD53d) St. Landry’s Home Rule Charter, approved by voters in 2003, replaced the Police Jury with a 13-member council and a parish president.