News for Tuesday 121812

By Dave Graichen

As most of us still come to grips with the school shooting tragedy in Connecticut last Friday, many parents are wondering what is any plans are in place here in Central Louisiana to prevent such incident. In Rapides parish, school officials report plans are and have been in place for some time throughout the district, including an armed RPSO officer at each school. Other plans, though in place, are not publically discussed. Interim Superintendent Gerald Woodard said parents have called the Central Office, as well as individual schools, with questions about student safety. Woodard and others in the district are reminding parents and the community that the schools are prepared.

A Pineville man arrested earlier this month, has been arrested again on more charges related to inappropriate relationships with juveniles. 21 year old Adam Mock was charged with two counts of felony contributing to the delinquency  of a juvenile, one count of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile and one count of felony indecent behavior with a juvenile. The Rapides Parish sheriff’s office says  detectives interviewed a second juvenile who had sex with Mock twice at Mock's residence, causing him to be arrested again.

A  District  Court  Judge  in Baton Rouge says he'll make his ruling sometime today on  whether or not Governor  Bobby  Jindal's  new  teacher tenure laws are  in  violation  of  the  state  constitution.  Judge

Michael  Caldwell  heard  the  case Monday and told lawyers he wasn't ready to make a decision yet.

The Jena Choctaw Pines Casino in Grant Parish will hold two job fairs this week, in anticipation of their opening after the first of the year. The sessions will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Dry Prong Community Center; and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday  at the Alexandria Fulton Hotel in downtown Alexandria. The casino expected to employ about 300 people.

Between now and New Year's Day law enforcement are intensifying patrols  to get drunk drivers off the road. Louisiana is participating in the  national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, which features

increased sobriety checkpoints. State Police Col. Mike Edmonson says  Alcohol was a factor in 41-percent of Louisiana fatal crashes last year.

Six people were killed in fatal crashes investigated by State Police since last Friday afternoon.  LSP  spokesperson  Jared  Sandifer says the number  of  people  killed  in  auto  wrecks investigated  by  state

troopers is up to 21 for the month of December.  He  says  speed has been a factor in many of these fatal wrecks. Many of the fatal wrecks this month have also involved victims who weren't wearing their seatbelt.

A  15-year old West Monroe High School student has been arrested  in connection  with  some  threats  he  reportedly  made  against other students  at  the  school.  Police say the student made the  threats

over the week-end and  he  was arrested a short time later and taken into custody. According to investigators,  the teen-ager had made no plans  to  carry  out  the  threats and was apparently  upset  about something that happened at school.

Two Eunice women are under arrest for allegedly  leaving  an  infant inside their car for an hour and a half while they gambled. The  St. Landry  Parish  Sheriff's  office says they were apprehended after a

concerned citizen saw the baby  in  the  car  alone  at a truck stop casino. Each woman was booked with cruelty to a juvenile.

After 56 years in business,  Ville  Platte  landmark  Floyd's Record shop will  close  its'  doors for good on Christmas Eve. In  its  earlier years, Floyd's could  actually  press  you  a  record,  and boasted clients like Elvis Presley. After its closing, Floyd's will continue to sell music via the Internet, but its physical store will  be  a thing of the past.

East Baton Rouge authorities do not expect to recover the  48 pounds of cocaine stolen from the Clerk of Court's evidence room. Two Clerk of Court employees and three others were arrested late last  week in

connection with the stolen cocaine. Baton Rouge Police Chief Dewayne White  says  where it went after it left the government building  is anyone's guess.

Those pinching pennies  for  last  minute  Christmas gifts are happy about  the  gas  prices  these  days.  According  to   the  American Automobile  Association,  the  statewide  average  for  a gallon  of regular is now $3.06 cents which is down 16 cents from a month ago.

Police  in Sulphur bust a man they caught red-handed  vandalizing  a local church.  Officers  believe  35-year-old Wayne Duplechin was on drugs when they confronted him. He  resisted  arrest  and  had to be

tasered.  Duplechin  is  accused  of  using  a sledgehammer to smash religious statues at two churches and possibly  more.  He's  charged with  burglary,  criminal  damage  to property and a hate crime--for

targeting churches.

A Church Point man is jailed for allegedly  stealing  a  huge sum of cash  and  a $25-thousand ring from a woman's home, after she  hired him to do yard  work.  26-year-old Toby Fontenot reportedly took the

ring and $40-thousand in  cash  when  he  went  inside  to  use  the bathroom.  Police  say  he  also  hit  an  officer,  when  they were arresting him.

The state Department of Insurance announces new online tools to help you  compare rates as you shop for auto and homeowners coverage. Insurance  Commissioner Jim Donelon says you can find the comparison guides online,  at "ldi.la.gov"; look for the area labeled "Consumers".  Donelon says the new comparison guide tool, will help you shop rates by  variables like age, location, coverage level, home value. For auto insurance, you can compare based on driving history, age, year and model  of car and more. Donelon says the new website feature is modeled after a national  program.