Louisiana news briefs

Louisiana officials preparing for Ebola cases
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana leaders say they have devised a statewide response plan to protect residents if the state has a case of Ebola. They say they are working with hospitals to identify treatment locations.
Kevin Davis, director of Louisiana’s emergency preparedness office, told the House homeland security committee Thursday that a Louisiana-specific Ebola response plan was distributed to local government and state agencies. It includes a quick reference guide for first responders.
State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry says officials are staying in touch with universities, airports and the Coast Guard to track when people may be coming from countries with Ebola outbreaks.
Eight people in the United States have been treated for Ebola, including two nurses who treated a Texas patient who died of the virus. No Louisiana cases have been reported.

Unarmed French Quarter patrols delayed
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s plan to use voluntary hotel taxes to fund an unarmed, civilian patrol in the French Quarter has hit a snag.
A group of businesses in the historic neighborhood questioned why the city wasn’t spending the $2.3 million in annual revenue to hire actual police officers.
Chris Young, of the French Quarter Business League, told the city council Thursday that given the crisis in the neighborhood, the idea of spending money on unarmed civilians to patrol was ludicrous.
In light of the debate, Councilwoman Nadine Ramsey, who was sponsoring the measure on Landrieu’s behalf, moved to defer action on it until the body’s next meeting, scheduled for Nov. 6.

Crowley teacher accused of indecent behavior with students
CROWLEY (AP) — Authorities accuse a Crowley High School teacher with sending nude pictures to three 16-year-old students and performing oral sex on one of them.
Acadia Parish sheriff’s deputies say 34-year-old Tracy Marie Barras was booked on three counts of indecent behavior with juveniles.
Maxine Trahan, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman, says Barras was arrested Tuesday at her home in Duson.
Trahan says the three students admitted to a coach that they received nude photos of Barras through Kik, a text-messaging app.
According to the arrest affidavit, Barras performed oral sex on one student in her classroom during the homecoming pep rally.
Barras remains in the Acadia Parish jail. District Judge Kristian Earles set her bail at $60,000.

Court: ULL lived up to contract with former coach
LAFAYETTE (AP) — The state’s high court has ruled that the University of Louisiana System and its Lafayette campus did not breach a former head football coach’s contract when he was fired.
The state Supreme Court ruling reverses the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal that found in the former coach’s favor over the contract issue.
A separate claim by Jerry Baldwin, where he alleges UL-Lafayette acted with racial bias and fired him because he’s black, was not addressed in Wednesday’s ruling.
The 6-1 ruling held that Baldwin’s contract had been honored in full when he was fired in November 2001. The firing followed a three-season record of six wins and 27 losses.
No trial date has been set in Baldwin’s claim the university fired him for racial reasons.

Man sentenced to death
in deadly heroin case
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Federal prosecutors in New Orleans say a Los Angeles gang member has been sentenced to life in prison on charges related to heroin trafficking and the death of a federal witness.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite said Quenshey Mitchell, 37, was sentenced Thursday.
Mitchell had been convicted in January on six criminal counts, including conspiracy to distribute heroin and conspiracy to obstruct justice through murder.
The trafficking operation used female couriers to transport drugs to New Orleans. Polite said a woman charged in the case, Cristina S. Williams, was murdered in Los Angeles in July 2010.
Polite, in a news release about the sentence, praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Los Angeles Police detectives in the investigation.
“Quenshey Mitchell was willing to do anything to protect his heroin trafficking enterprise, including taking the life of a potential witness against him,” Polite said. “Today’s sentence ensures that his drug dealing and violence will come to an end, as he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.”

Delay likely in trial
related to parade shooting
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The November trial date in a federal drug trafficking case related to a 2013 Mother’s Day parade shooting in New Orleans is likely to be delayed.
Court papers filed by federal prosecutors Thursday state that both sides agree a delay is needed because a new indictment has been handed up. It includes additional weapons charges related to the drug trafficking allegations.
Prosecutors have made the mass shooting at a neighborhood parade in May of 2013 an element of a multi-count indictment charging multiple defendants in connection with drug trafficking and illegal firearm use. Police said 19 people were hit by gunshots and one person was hurt in the chaos that ensued after the gunfire erupted. Two brothers who are defendants in the federal case allegedly fired the shots.

Teen in Ninja Turtle mask accused of robbing store
LAFAYETTE (AP) — A Lafayette teen is behind bars after police say he used “turtle power” and a stick wrapped in plastic to rob a convenience store.
The incident took place around 6 a.m. Thursday.
Police say 18-year-old Lacorrion Detron Turner was wearing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mask when he robbed the business.
Police say Turner allegedly used a plastic-wrapped stick to force his way behind the counter. He then tried — and failed — to open the register.
Police say Turner fled on foot after taking two wallets taken from underneath the counter.
Officers arrested Turner a short time later.
It was unclear whether he has an attorney.

State police investigate officer involved shooting
OPELOUSAS (AP) — State police have taken over the investigation of an officer involved shooting in Opelousas.
Police say 23-year-old Demarcus Jones threatened someone with a gun Wednesday night before leading an officer on a foot chase.
Police Chief Perry Gallow said the officer followed Jones for several blocks before he allegedly turned and fired at the officer who returned fire.
Gallow says Jones was later found hiding under a house and taken into custody.
He was taken to a nearby hospital, treated for a wound to his left side and released into police custody.
Gallow say the officer, who was not injured, will be placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of state police investigation.