A teenager who was cited for causing a three-vehicle collision that made two trucks collide head-on, told police he was using FaceTime on his cell phone and not paying attention.
The crash was Sunday afternoon in the 8200 block of Highway 87 North. One of the trucks, driven by Steven Parkhurst, who is a state district judge elect, rolled over.
Orange police reported that 17-year-old Christopher Slade LeBlanc of Orange, who said he was on his cell phone, was given a ticket for failure to control speed.
The collision was about 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Police said a Ford F150 pickup truck driven by 62-year-old Stacy Brian Teal was traveling southbound and slowed to turn left.
A Hyundai Sonata driven by LeBlanc was traveling southbound behind the F150. When the truck slowed, the Hyundai crashed into the back. The collision sent the F150 into the northbound lane of traffic. It hit an F250 pickup driven by Parkhurst head-on. Parkhurst’s truck then rolled over.
Teal was taken by Acadian Ambulance to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont. Her passenger, 34-year-old John Delassus, went to St. Elizabeth by private vehicle. Police described their injuries as non-incapacitating.
Parkhurst was taken privately to an Orange emergency clinic, while LeBlanc refused medical treatment.
Orange police reported finding 42 phony $100 bills in the pocket of a man who tried to evade a traffic stop Saturday night in the downtown area.
The 20-year-old man and the 20-year-old woman passenger were arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession. The man also faces a misdemeanor charge of evading arrest.
A patrol officer said he saw a vehicle with tinted windows that appeared to be darker than allowed by law. The vehicle was spotted about 11 p.m. Saturday on Tenth Street near Green Avenue.
The officer turned on lights to make a traffic stop, but instead of stopping, the vehicle went northbound on Tenth and turned west onto Green Avenue. Then the vehicle turned onto 12th Street and went through the historic district, running through stop signs, according to police.
The vehicle stopped at a residence in the 1400 block of Cherry Avenue. The officer reported finding the phony money marked “for motion picture only” in the man’s back pocket. A small amount of marijuana was in the console.
Police arrested 20-year-old Baxter Barthodumas Tolliver Jr. for misdemeanor possession and misdemeanor evading detention. His 20-year-old passenger, Jaylah Gwentajah Turner, was arrested for misdemeanor possession.
Social Media