Louisiana news briefs

Cassidy won’t say who he backed in 6th District
BATON ROUGE (AP) — After he cast his ballot in early voting, U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy wouldn’t say who he chose to replace him in Congress.
Cassidy, a Republican, is running for the U.S. Senate, leaving his Baton Rouge-based 6th District seat up for grabs. Eleven candidates are vying for the position, including seven Republicans and Democratic former Gov. Edwin Edwards.
Cassidy wouldn’t answer Monday when asked about his choice for the seat.
The race is likely to be decided in a Dec. 6 runoff — required if no one gets more than 50 percent of the vote in next week’s election. A runoff is expected between Edwards and a Republican candidate.

Consultant pleads
guilty in auto ad scheme
BATON ROUGE (AP) — A Mandeville media consultant accused of running a scheme that defrauded clients of more than $1 million over a three-year period pleaded guilty Monday to five counts of mail fraud.
Raymond Reggie, 52, was charged in a superseding indictment with five counts of mail fraud. A federal grand jury in Baton Rouge indicted Reggie in August 2013 with five counts of wire fraud and six counts of money laundering.
Reggie is the former brother-in-law of the late U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy and son of former Crowley City Judge Edmund Reggie.
The original counts were dismissed when the superseding indictment was filed, court records show. The U.S. attorney’s office said Reggie’s case had been set to go to trial in Baton Rouge Monday. He pleaded guilty without a plea agreement.
Reggie owned Nexlevel Group, an advertising firm that managed advertising for car dealerships.
Authorities said he submitted fake expenses for payment to the dealerships. Once the dealerships paid Nexlevel, authorities said Reggie diverted the money to a personal bank account.
Between January 2009 and July 2012, federal authorities said car dealerships issued Reggie’s company 138 checks totaling more than $1.2 million for advertising services they did not receive.
Reggie faces additional charges in Tammany Parish.

Extra state police deployment ending this weekend
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — About 50 state troopers and public safety officers will be leaving New Orleans after about four months patrolling in and near the French Quarter.
Louisiana State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson said more than 100 troopers remain at Troop B and public safety officers remain at work on some bridges.
The extra detachment was sent after one person was killed and nine injured in a shooting on Bourbon Street on July 3.
Edmonson originally said the officers would leave the city on Sept. 1, but in August extended their stay through October.

Judge won’t block St. Tammany anti-fracking suit
BATON ROUGE (AP) — A state district judge in Baton Rouge has refused to block a lawsuit filed by St. Tammany Parish officials who hope to stop a proposed oil drilling and fracking project.
Parish officials filed the lawsuit in June. They argue that the well is proposed for an area zoned residential and that the parish has the authority to ban hydrauling fracturing.
The state Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Conservation wants the suit thrown out.
But Judge William Morvant, of the 19th Judicial District, told attorneys Monday that the case has enough merit to be heard.
Fracking extracts oil and gas from rock by injecting high-pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel, and chemicals.

Jeanerette man dies in crash
NEW IBERIA (AP) — State police say a two-vehicle crash on La. 14 has claimed the life of a 42-year-old Jeanerette man.
Master Trooper Brooks David says Michael Dooley of New Iberia was traveling west on La. 14 Monday night when he turned left into the path of a motorcycle.
He says the driver of the motorcycle, Berwick Rhine Jr., struck the side of Dooley’s pickup and was thrown from the motorcycle during the crash.
David said Rhine was pronounced dead on scene.
This crash remains under investigation.

Survey postponed
in boundary dispute
LAFAYETTE (AP) — A survey planned for Wednesday to map out what Lafayette Parish officials say is the real boundary with Vermilion Parish has been postponed while the two parishes battle in court.
The survey would be a major step in Lafayette’s attempt to establish a new parish line after voting to void a 2002 boundary agreement that was once thought to have settled the lingering border dispute.
The Lafayette City-Parish Council last year voted to back out of the boundary agreement, citing historical records in an argument that the 12-year-old truce was based on incomplete research and gave land to Vermilion Parish that should have stayed in Lafayette Parish.
Vermilion Parish filed a lawsuit asking a judge to rule that Lafayette must abide by the 2002 agreement.

Franklin man pleads
guilty in child porn case
LAFAYETTE (AP) — A 37-year-old Franklin man has pleaded guilty to keeping hardcore child pornography on his computer, where federal and state agents found at least 230 images and 88 videos.
U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley says Tommie Joseph Beason pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. District Judge Richard Haik to one count of possession of child pornography.
Beason faces up to 10 years in federal prison. He also faces five years to life on supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

Man accused of cockfighting
MARRERO (AP) — A 76-year-old Marrero man is accused of cockfighting and of mistreating 44 chickens.
Armando Alvarez was booked with one count of cockfighting, 44 of cruelty to animals and 40 of aggravated cruelty to animals.
The arrest report says Jefferson Parish Animal Control told deputies that animals were inhumanely housed. Deputies wrote that they found 44 caged birds standing in waste, including 40 roosters with scars and mutilation that indicated cockfighting.
Cockfighting has been illegal in Louisiana since 2008. A 2013 ordinance makes it illegal to keep roosters in New Orleans.