Baton Rouge news

• Ordinance to stop sex trafficking would penalize lawful massage businesses, Louisiana Board of Massage Therapy says

  03-05-2023 21:23
  
  BATON ROUGE- Councilman Rowdy Gaudet says several businesses in East Baton Rouge Parish are suspected of being linked to sex trafficking.That is why he wants to pass an ordinance that would stop anyone with a felony sex crime from owning a massage business."This has become an industry that has unfortunately gotten a reputation," Gaudet told WBRZ last week. "There has been reports for 27 businesses just in East Baton Rouge Parish, that have been reported for human trafficking activity."A closer
  
  Read more

• Ascension Parish firefighter saves kitten stuck in vehicle engine

  03-05-2023 21:22
  
  ST. AMANT - A volunteer firefighter made a great rescue on Wednesday when she managed to get a cat out of a vehicle's engine. Chief James E. LeBlanc said someone called the Fifth Ward Volunteer Fire Department when they noticed a cat stuck in a vehicle engine area. Volunteer firefighter Viki Landry managed to free the kitten from the car. Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Interchange at Airline Highway and Florida Boulevard to be reopened next week

  03-05-2023 17:54
  
  BATON ROUGE - Drivers who routinely took the ramps from US 190 East or West to US 61 North are probably well-adjusted to the alternate route but a change is coming.The interchange has been closed for almost a full year after it was damaged last May. A city work truck carrying large equipment struck one of the girders on the Airline overpass, making it unsafe for drivers. A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Development, Rodney Mallett, says the repair process took so
  
  Read more

• Town of Killian fails state water quality test, residents says mayor is to blame

  03-05-2023 17:29
  
  KILLIAN - The town of Killian's water system received one of the lowest scores on the state's new drinking water grading system, receiving a "D."The failure is not a shock to residents."The color of it hasn't been what it should be lately. For the past two or three months it's been clear, but prior to that it was always brown or had an egg smell to it sometimes," resident Leon Vicks said.Residents say the color, smell and pressure of the towns' water is often lacking and has been for years.Howe
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Driver of vehicle where Madison Brooks was allegedly raped indicted by grand jury

  03-05-2023 16:38
  
  BATON ROUGE - The driver of a car where Madison Brooks was allegedly raped before her death has been indicted for rape. Casen Carver, 18, was indicted for first-degree rape and third-degree rape by a grand jury on Wednesday. According to arrest documents, Carver did not have sex with Brooks. He was arrested for principal to third-degree rape on Jan. 23, 2023 and later bonded out. Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• 63-year-old man arrested, victims say he raped them as children

  03-05-2023 16:01
  
  LAPLACE - A man was arrested Tuesday after victims came forward and told police he raped them as children. The St. John Parish Sheriff's Office got a tip on April 18, 2023 that Rodney D. Labat had sexually assaulted three juveniles. Deputies found evidence that Labat raped two people, a male and a female, several years ago when they were children. During the investigation, Labat was also found to be connected to the rape of a different child in March 2023. Labat was a
  
  Read more

• Sheriff's office involved in large raid off Plank Road

  03-05-2023 14:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - Armored trucks were seen lining up outside a home in a Baton Rouge neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office vehicles appeared to be conducting a raid in the area of Ford Street, located off Plank Road. Deputies were seen blocking off a portion of the street.It was unclear what authorities were looking for at that location. Sources said the operation may have involved multiple properties in that area. This is a developing story. Perma
  
  Read more

• "King of Zion City" among several arrested in EBRSO drug raid

  03-05-2023 14:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - Several suspects were arrested Wednesday with thousands of dollars worth of drugs & a dozen firearms being seized, after a months long investigation into a Zion City drug-trafficking ring.Armored trucks were seen lining up outside a home Wednesday in the area of Ford Street, located off Plank Road. Multiple arrest warrants were served after a 4 month-long investigation into a drug distributor known as, "The King of Zion City", Clyde Jones Jr. The Sheriff's Office said
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Deputies conduct drug raids in neighborhood off Plank Road

  03-05-2023 14:51
  
  BATON ROUGE - Sheriff's deputies were seen carrying out a series of raids in a Baton Rouge neighborhood Wednesday.Multiple armored trucks were seen lining up outside a home in the area of Ford Street, located off Plank Road. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said deputies were carrying out multiple narcotics raids in the area.No other details were immediately available.This is a developing story. Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

• Police: 1 dead, 4 hurt in shooting inside Atlanta building

  03-05-2023 14:28
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — One person was fatally shot and at least four others injured Wednesday in a shooting at a medical building in Midtown Atlanta, police said.Atlanta police said there had been no additional shots fired since the initial shooting unfolded inside a Northside Medical building on West Peachtree Street in a commercial area with many office towers and high-rise apartments.Atlanta police said the suspected shooter is believed to be Deion Patterson, 24, and that he was considered
  
  Read more

• Police: 1 dead, 3 hurt in shooting inside Atlanta building

  03-05-2023 14:28
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — One person was fatally shot and at least three others injured Wednesday in a shooting in a Midtown Atlanta building, police said.Atlanta police said there had been no additional shots fired since the initial shooting unfolded inside a building on West Peachtree Street, between 12th and 13th Streets, a commercial area with many office buildings and high-rise apartments. No suspect was in custody and police said in an email just after 1 p.m. that it was an “acti
  
  Read more

• New Orleans-based Ruth's Chris Steak House sold for $715 million

  03-05-2023 14:06
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Ruth's Chris Steak House, the New Orleans-based restaurant chain that grew to open up more than 150 locations across the country and internationally, has been bought up by Darden, the parent company of Olive Garden and Longhorn Steak House.Darden announced the merger Wednesday, saying the decades-old chain will complement its portfolio of restaurants, which also includes Yard House, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze and Eddie V's.You can read
  
  Read more

• Long-running Louisiana restaurant chain, Ruth's Chris Steak House, sold for $715 million

  03-05-2023 14:06
  
  NEW ORLEANS - Ruth's Chris Steak House, the New Orleans-based restaurant chain that grew to open up more than 150 locations across the country and internationally, has been bought up by Darden, the parent company of Olive Garden and Longhorn Steak House.Darden announced the merger Wednesday, saying the decades-old chain will complement its portfolio of restaurants, which also includes Yard House, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze and Eddie V's.Ruth's Chris
  
  Read more

• Walmart employee fatally shoots customer in Florida, investigators say

  03-05-2023 13:49
  
  An off-duty Walmart employee fatally shot a customer who tried to help a female employee who had gotten into a fight with the gunman, Florida law enforcement officials said Wednesday.Tironie Sterling, 22, is charged with first-degree murder for Tuesday afternoon’s shooting at a suburban Fort Lauderdale Walmart, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said.According to investigators, Sterling went to the Lauderdale Lakes store to meet with a female colleague. They got into an arg
  
  Read more

• La. lawmakers advance proposal to mandate life sentences for fentanyl dealers

  03-05-2023 13:33
  
  BATON ROUGE - A bill that would overhaul Louisiana's punishments for fentanyl possession cleared a major hurdle Tuesday as House lawmakers advanced it to the Senate.HB90, authored by Rep. John Stefanski, was approved on the House floor, 74-29, and now heads to the Louisiana Senate. The proposal seeks to impose mandatory life sentences for those caught with more than 28 grams, roughly an ounce, of the drug."If you are 18-45, the number one reason you're going to die, is fentanyl," Stefanski told
  
  Read more

• Hit and run caught on video in Zachary, police trying to ID driver

  03-05-2023 12:11
  
  ZACHARY - Police are trying to identify the driver of a truck involved in a brazen hit-and-run crash that was caught on camera.The wreck happened on Lower Zachary Road. Surveillance video shows the truck pulling into the highway and striking the side of a sedan. The second driver pulls over to assess the damage as the pickup speeds off with stopping to exchange information or render help.Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact police at (225)654-1922 or via email.Perma
  
  Read more

• Car burst into flames after wreck on Gardere Lane

  03-05-2023 12:00
  
  BATON ROUGE - Three people went to a hospital after a wreck involving a burning car Tuesday night. The crash happened on Gardere Lane near Ned Avenue. The St. George Fire Department said crews arrived to find one of the two cars on fire. Firefighters put out the flames, and paramedics took the victims to a hospital in stable condition. Permalink| Comments
  
  Read more

Follow @BatonRougeNews_ on Twitter!