Police chief’s death voted top local story of 2014

The sudden death of Morgan City Police Chief Travis Crouch in late January was the top local news story of 2014, as chosen by the editorial staff of The Daily Review.
A wide variety of stories — including $700,000 of improper pay to Morgan City Housing Authority workers, an insanity judgment against a man accused of killing a police officer and a prayer scandal at Morgan City High — round out the top local stories.
—TRAVIS CROUCH DIES: Morgan City Police Chief Travis Crouch was laid to rest Feb. 6 at the Morgan City Cemetery after hundreds of people packed Sacred Heart Catholic Church for the Mass of Christian Burial, and law enforcement agencies from multiple parishes participated in the services. Crouch was found dead in a hotel room at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss., on Jan. 31, 2014, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove ruled Crouch’s death a suicide.
—MORGAN CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY: The Morgan City Housing Authority paid almost $700,000 in improper bonuses and wages between 2007 and 2014, the lion’s share paid to three office workers and the former executive director, according to a state Legislative Auditor’s report. The housing authority “improperly paid” employees $566,544 in bonuses between November 2007 and March 2013 based on an altered reward policy. The auditor’s report said another $130,418 was improperly paid by the housing authority to three employees as raises in excess of Civil Service guidelines.
—WILBERT THIBODEAUX INSANITY JUDGMENT:
Two 16th Judicial District Court judges ruled Nov. 20, 2014, that accused killer Wilbert Thibodeaux, 49, is incompetent to proceed to trial. He was committed to Feliciana Forensic Facility in Jackson to try to restore his competence. Thibodeaux was charged Jan. 26, 2013, with first degree murder of a police officer, first degree murder, two counts of attempted first degree murder of a police officer and simple arson. On that day, Chitimacha Police Sgt. Rick Riggenbach was responding to a 911 call on Flattown Road in Charenton. Thibodeaux then shot and killed Riggenbach, and shot St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies Matthew Strickland and Jason Javier who also responded to the call, and were shot by Thibodeaux. He also set fire to a residence in the 1100 block of Flattown Road. The body of Eddie Lyons, 78, was recovered inside the debris of the burnt residence.
—MORGAN CITY HIGH PRAYER SCANDAL: In response to a letter demanding the removal of prayer in public school-sponsored events, hundreds of community members and students held a candlelight prayer vigil at Morgan City High School Nov. 23, 2014. A humanist group from Washington, D.C., threatened to sue the St. Mary Parish School Board if the practice of including prayer in school-sponsored events was not stopped. A prayer by an invited veteran, who is a local minister, during Morgan City High School’s Veterans Day program on Nov. 11 spurred a complaint by a female student to the American Humanist Association, which threatened the lawsuit in a letter received Nov. 18, 2014.
—MILLIONS MISSING FROM MORGAN CITY COMPANY: In July 2014, Karen Dehart Duhon, 59, of Morgan City, and Donna Sue Peveto, 58, of Houma, were charged with stealing nearly $2 million from Capital Management Consultants Inc. in Morgan City, their former employer. Duhon was charged on eight counts of theft of more than $1,500 totaling $1.23 million, while Peveto was charged on seven counts for theft more than $1,500 totaling $633,700. The charges were the result of an investigation that began in March by Morgan City police. The company’s president Scott Tucker passed away in January 2014. After Tucker’s death, the shareholders arrived at the business to begin examining the operations of the company, according to the affidavit. Police learned that the only other employee with access to the company’s fund besides Tucker was Duhon, the company’s part-time bookkeeper, the affidavit said. According to affidavits, from 1999 to 2014, the company identified $2.87 million in suspected fraudulent transactions from Duhon and $2.43 million in fraudulent transactions from Peveto.
—LEPA PLANT GROUNDBREAKING: A groundbreaking for the new Louisiana Energy and Power Authority Plant was held April 17, 2014, in Morgan City. The city will have a 10-megawatt share in the 64-megawatt, natural gas-fueled plant, which will be located on Youngs Road. The plant is scheduled to be online by Oct. 15, 2015. LEPA member municipalities Morgan City, Houma, Jonesville, Plaquemine, Rayne and Vidalia will get power from the plant. The city will close the Joseph Cefalu Sr. Municipal Steam Plant in June 2015 in anticipation of the new plant coming online.
—SCHOOL UPGRADES IN PATTERSON: Construction should begin in mid-2015 on the planned 81,400-square-foot facility that will house Patterson Junior High students. The project includes construction of new space which will be a two-story in certain sections. Additionally, the complete renovation of the existing 16,800-square-foot, two-story classroom building is included in the project. The school, which will front on Catherine Street, is being constructed next to the existing school on property obtained by the School Board through an exchange with the City of Patterson. Meanwhile, a $1.99-million sister project at Hattie Watts Elementary is underway. The 11,650-square-foot student assembly and physical education facility at Hattie Watts Elementary is expected to be complete in December 2015. This facility and the junior high are being paid for by a 15-mill property tax approved by voters in October 2013 that supports $21 million in bonds.
—CAJUN COAST WELCOME CENTER REOPENS: More than two years after it sank 4.5 feet into the swamp, the $4 million Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau Welcome and Interpretative Center in Morgan City officially opened July 1 and held a grand opening Aug. 20. The center had been scheduled to open about a month after the date of the building collapse on June 14, 2012. Expert House Movers raised the building back to its original height in May 2013. The 16,000-square-foot, two story building features floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the swamp it is situated in and all of the wildlife that inhabits the area.
—FIRST BLACK POLICE CHIEF IN MORGAN CITY: Michael Banks was appointed police chief less than a month after he began leading the department as assistant chief in the wake of Police Chief Travis Crouch’s death Jan. 31. Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi recommended appointing Banks, and the council approved the recommendation unanimously. Banks, 54, worked for the Morgan City Police Department for more than 30 years after starting as the animal warden in November 1983. He is Morgan City’s first black police chief. Crouch appointed Banks assistant chief on July 26, 2013.
—PORT EMERGENCY OPS CENTER CONSTRUCTION BEGINS: The Port of Morgan City’s Government Emergency and Operations Center, estimated to cost $11 million, broke ground Dec. 2. The port received $7.1 million in state funding to go toward the project and has dedicated nearly $4 million from port funds to pay for the center. The building can serve as an emergency command center during events such as hurricanes and will also house tenants from governmental agencies on a day-to-day basis. The center will be located on La. 182 adjacent to the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.
—MCDERMOTT LEAVES, DANOS ARRIVES: In August, oil field services company Danos announced plans to bring a fabrication yard to Amelia leasing 190 acres of property in Amelia that was formerly occupied by McDermott International. In May, McDermott announced it was moving its fabrication yard from Amelia to Gulfport, Mississippi, according to the Sun Herald. Danos officials said they have long-term plans to employ 500 people in Amelia.