Louisiana news briefs

Director of LSU’s forensic laboratory to retire
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Mary Manhein, the longtime director of LSU’s forensic laboratory who has been involved in hundreds of cases to identify human remains, will retire this spring.
In a news release Wednesday, Manhein said she was ready to hand off control of the LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services lab to a new generation of scientists.
She says the most rewarding part of her more than 30 years of work was in resolving “cold cases” of missing or unidentified people. Manhein helped create a database of missing people in Louisiana, initiating a bill at the Louisiana Legislature to create the system.
Manhein will retire April 30. She says she plans to spend more time writing, visiting family, traveling and “contemplating a new career.”

The Beach Boys, LeAnn Rimes headline Family Gras
METAIRIE (AP) — The Beach Boys, LeAnn Rimes, country crooner Easton Corbin, teen rapper Becky G and former Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm will headline the eighth annual Family Gras, Metairie’s free Mardi Gras street party.
The festival, to be held Feb. 6 to 8 beside Lakeside Shopping Center, also features a lineup of local talent, including Allen Toussaint and Cowboy Mouth. In addition, there’s food, kids activities, arts-and-crafts and, of course, passing parades.
Jefferson Parish president John Young, at a press conference Wednesday, said the event is not meant to compete with Mardi Gras in New Orleans. He said he sees it as a family-oriented complement.
Young says according to University of New Orleans studies the annual event has generated between $4.6 million and $6.5 million for Jefferson Parish.

EPA: 3 companies agree
to a $900,000 civil penalty
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Three companies affiliated with Shell Oil Company, including the Convent and Norco Motiva Enterprises facilities, have agreed to a $900,000 civil penalty settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA says the civil penalty is in response to a number of alleged violations of the Clean Air Act.
Included in the settlement is Equilon Enterprises LLC doing business as Motiva Enterprises LLC, Shell Oil Products U.S. and Deer Park Refining Limited Partnership.
Violations were discovered through EPA investigation and by self-disclosure from the companies.
The violations include high levels of ethanol in gasoline, violations of gasoline volatility which can contribute to ozone pollution and violations of the sulfur standards.

Landreneau to head Louisiana State Parks
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne has appointed Dwight Landreneau as assistant secretary of the Office of State Parks, which manages 22 state parks and 17 state historic sites.
Landreneu previously served in the position under then Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco. The agency also manages two state preservation areas, the Louisiana Outdoors Outreach Program, several grant management programs and Poverty Point World Heritage Site.
Landrenau will replace Stuart Johnson, who retired last year after more than 17 years of service. Dardenne, in a statement Tuesday, said Landreneau will start immediately and lead the 441-employee agency for the balance of the term, which ends Jan. 11, 2016.
Landreneau also spent 2½ years as head of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and most recently was associate vice chancellor at the LSU AgCenter.

Ex-Sorrento mayor pleads not guilty to criminal charges
GONZALES (AP) — Former Sorrento Mayor Wilson Longanecker Jr. pleaded not guilty Tuesday to child pornography and aggravated animal cruelty charges, but his lawyers reserved the right to change the plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.
Prosecutors said Longanecker also pleaded not guilty to a single obstruction count involving a state child pornography investigation last year.
Longanecker was arrested Oct. 23 after the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office and others searched his home as part of a state Cyber Crime Unit investigation and found child pornography videos on his electronic equipment. He was arrested Dec. 29 after a forensic analysis turned up videos and images of cat torture and abuse on those devices.
The pleas were entered under a combined bill of information during an arraignment at the Ascension Parish Courthouse Annex in Gonzales, said Assistant District Attorney Robin O’Bannon.
But she said Longanecker’s defense attorney, Tim Pujol, told the court he was reserving the right to change the plea pending receipt of additional records. The next hearing date is Feb. 20.
Longanecker, 42, remains in Ascension Parish Prison near Donaldsonville. He faces 42 counts of possession of child pornography, seven counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and one count of obstruction of justice.
Longanecker served as mayor from mid-2011 to mid-2013 and previously was a town councilman.

3 cited for taking oysters from polluted area
BATON ROUGE (AP) — State wildlife enforcement agents have cited three Golden Meadow residents for alleged oyster fishing violations near Bayou Blue in Lafourche Parish.
The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Tuesday that senior agent Thomas Wolf spotted a vessel harvesting oysters from the unapproved area Saturday. Wolf cited 58-year-old Jeffrey L. Shepard, 50-year-old John Mejia and 34-year-old Talasha C. Nelson.
He also seized and returned four sacks of oysters to the water and the dredges and vessel.
Taking oysters from an unapproved polluted area brings up to a $950 fine and 120 days in jail. The subjects could also forfeit any seized equipment if convicted.

Teenager faces attempted murder charge
THIBODAUX (AP) — A 17-year-old boy has surrendered to police after he allegedly shot another teenager in the torso over the weekend.
Thibodaux Police Chief Scott Silverii says the suspect was booked Monday with attempted second-degree murder and is being held in the Lafourche Parish Detention Center on a $250,000 bond. It was unknown if the teenager had an attorney.
Investigators say the teenager allegedly walked up to a group of teens and fired before fleeing the scene. The victim went to his home, where a relative contacted police.
An ambulance transported him to an area hospital for treatment.
The suspect turned himself in after discovering police were searching for him.