Local attorney says LSU named client as rape suspect in clerical error
BATON ROUGE — After LSU Police named an 18-year-old as a suspect in an initial report of an alleged rape last week, a local attorney on Monday said his client was named through a clerical error that has been repeated in local news coverage over the past week. LSU...
Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement to honor eight fallen officers, one K-9 posthumously
BATON ROUGE, La. — Eight Louisiana law enforcement officers and one K-9 who died in the line of duty during 2024 and 2025 will be commemorated posthumously by the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement during a special Medal of Honor Ceremony. The ceremony will take place Thursday at 2...
Baton Rouge police say shooting victims and youth violence are up from last year
BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge police and the East Baton Rouge coroner's office report that 81 people have died in violent crimes so far this year, including 15 juveniles. Though the number of homicides is down from this time in 2025, the number of young people killed in homicides is up.
2026 Broadmoor Christmas Parade cancelled as organizers struggled to afford police officers
BATON ROUGE — An annual Christmas parade in Baton Rouge has been cancelled this year as organizers struggled to afford officers for coverage and traffic control. The 2026 Broadmoor Christmas Parade has been cancelled as organizers said they were unable to obtain a waiver from the mayor's office and the Baton Rouge Poli
Zachary Police arrest 61-year-old man accused of rape, false imprisonment
ZACHARY — A 61-year-old Zachary man was arrested earlier this week on rape charges. According to a report from the Zachary Police Department, a sexual assault victim was being treated at North Oaks Health Medical Center in Hammond on Sunday. Police later identified the victim's alleged abuser as Brent...
After not being allowed to argue self-defense, Baton Rouge teen takes mid-trial manslaughter plea
On the morning of his third day at trial, 19-year-old Tyler Hoggan pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter in connection with a fatal shooting outside of a North Acadian Thruway convenience store. Hoggan had been indicted on a second-degree murder charge, accused of shooting Patrick White, 29, in November...
Fire crews battle flames at historic school building in downtown Baton Rouge
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Fire crews battled flames overnight at the old Children’s Charter School on North Street in downtown Baton Rouge. Officials at the scene said the fire began around 1:30 a.m. The Baton Rouge Children’s Charter School was founded in 1997 and held a maximum of...
Convicted rapist sentenced for crimes in Baton Rouge and Livingston
A Walker man will spend 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to raping and beating two women in Baton Rouge and Livingston Parish. David Coutee, 40, attacked the women in separate incidents in 2024, according to prosecutors. He beat one with a hammer and a flashlight and locked her in an attic, and he choked the ot
Man arrested, accused of raping employee in Baton Rouge City Hall bathroom
BATON ROUGE - A man accused of raping an employee at Baton Rouge City Hall in one of the facility's bathrooms was booked into jail Monday. Alfred Richardson, 67, was arrested in the assault that reportedly happened Sept. 16. An arrest warrant says the victim told authorities that he entered...
Cause of death revealed for former Port Allen Mayor Derek Lewis
PORT ALLEN — The cause of death for former Port Allen Mayor Derek Lewis was revealed on Monday following his death in an emergency room at Our Lady of the Lake in August. It was deemed that the 65-year-old former mayor died of natural causes according to a pathologist at the West Baton Rouge Coronoer's Office.
