Ascension Parish Sheriff candidate C. J. Matthews as he outlines the tumultuous transition from Jeff Wiley as Sheriff to Bobby Webre as Sheriff.
It’s time for episode four (4) of our fascinating series with Ascension Parish Sheriff Candidate C. J. Matthews. The title of our feature says it all, so folks, here’s the video evidence to back it up.
August 15, 2023: Matthews explains the tumultuous transition from Sheriff Wiley to Sheriff Webre. As the late C. B. Forgotston was so fond of saying, “You can’t make this stuff up!”
As we indicated we would, we’re expanding the table to now include documents referenced in this video, which are all found on the last row of the updated table (i.e. the eighth row of documents). Here’s that updated table:
Date (timeframe) of Document
Nature of Document
On or about February 19, 2018 through on or about March 2, 2018.
Also, we previously provided this link for an Advocate article by David Mitchell published on January 20, 2019, and we’re repeating it for this feature since, let’s just say, inquiries made prior to its publication just may have influenced Attorney General Jeff Landry’s Office’s decision to “rekindle” the investigation. Further, it may have influenced Webre’s wording in the letter to Landry’s Office (see page two of the last row of documents — i. e. the eighth row of documents in the above table).
Folks, nobody is going to want to miss segment five of this series wherein Matthews elaborates upon the efforts of the Attorney General’s Office as part of its “rekindled” investigation!
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Then Louisiana State Police (LSP) Trooper Michael Hebert, who is a candidate for Sheriff in Cameron Parish, states to Gravity District 8 of Ward 1 of Calcasieu Parish project manager John Reon that he (Hebert) has no intention of investigating “contracts or FEMA fraud” entailing a complaint by Billy Broussard that such fraud transpired in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita.
Our current series entailing Ascension Parish Sheriff candidate C. J. Matthews has smashed all of our previous features’ records for both videos views and feature visits, and we are very thankful that folk have found the features to be of interest and informative.
Contractor Billy Broussard, on whom we’ve done more posts that any other single individual on this blog, viewed all of the Matthews features with keen interest. He asked if he could come visit us and sound off on the candidacy of Michael Hebert, a retired LSP trooper who, according to his LinkedIn profile, presently serves as a, “Victim Assistance Coordinator / Investigator at Cameron Parish District Attorney’s Office.”
Broussard alleges (and actually provided the video proof) that Hebert completely ignored the strong evidence that he (Broussard) had, to include former Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) Director Kevin Davis arranging a meeting with him, Broussard, former Calcasieu Parish District Attorney John DeRosier, then-GOHSEP attorney Ben Plaia, and Hebert regarding alleged FEMA fraud perpetrated by officials of Gravity Drainage District 8 of Ward One of Calcasieu Parish.
That alleged fraud involved officials with that agency diverting money intended to pay Broussard for roughly $1 million in drainage work he did on Indian Bayou in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita to its own workers for dredging work done beyond the Army Corps map at sites which were, according to Broussard, clearly ineligible for reimbursement from FEMA.
Let’s take a look at Broussard sounding off on the candidacy of Mr. Hebert in the upcoming race for Sheriff of Cameron Parish and why Broussard advises voters to exercise extreme caution before pulling Hebert’s lever:
August 11, 2023: Broussard explains why he believes Cameron Parish voters should exercise extreme caution in considering the candidacy of Michael Hebert for Sheriff of Cameron Parish.
Now, let’s supply some support for Broussard’s contentions from past features we’ve published regarding his allegations of FEMA fraud which adversely impacted him to the tune of around $1 million:
1. Videos of others with knowledge of the project (especially Carl Patterson, who strongly backs Broussard’s contentions and outlines other irregularities which took place during that period — see video of gentleman with the red striped shirt).
Our own observation is that it is indeed disturbing that former GOHSEP director Kevin Davis, Broussard, Hebert, DeRosier, and then-GOHSEP attorney Ben Plaia all met with Broussard finally being able to breath a sigh of relief that the truth about the diversion became fully revealed, only for DeRosier and Hebert to remain after the meeting with Hebert emerging from the one-on-one pow-wow with DeRosier to declare to Broussard, “I am not going to supplement my report.” That’s even more the case given DeRosier’s obvious problems reflected on link # 2 above (which transpired in the exact same timeframe), further complicated by the fact that DeRosier served as the attorney for the Gravity District entailing Broussard’s claims.
Broussard also wanted it stressed that, should Hebert be willing to sign a sworn affidavit admitting to the contents of that meeting, he (Broussard) would be more than happy to do a follow-up Sound Off Louisiana feature stating on camera that Hebert, “finally did the right thing!”
We again want to express appreciation for the interest in the C. J. Matthews series, and we’ll have segment four (4) out very soon!
If you would like to be added to our Sound Off Louisiana email list to be notified of future posts, simply click on ANY post (this one is relatively short and requires less scrolling) and scroll to the bottom (mobile devices) or look at the upper right-hand column (desktops). Simply supply your email address within the subscribe box. You’ll then receive an automated email from Word Press, and all you have to do is click on the blue “confirm follow” bar contained within that email, and you’ll begin receiving great posts such as the preceding one above. Note: In order to view videos associated with the post, you MUST still click on the headline lettering as Word Press does not facilitate embedded videos in its email distribution.
Dr. Lara Stooksbury enjoys time with her own pets (photo courtesy of The Pelican Institute).
In a feature published on April 7, 2023, we vented frustration at Louisiana Attorney General (and candidate for Governor) Jeff Landry having devised a program to essentially protect individual occupational licensing board and commission members from personal liability entailing any efforts to improperly deny applicants a license to earn a living in Louisiana.
We concluded that post by indicating that, “The matter of the two vets should be taken up formally at the May 23, 2023 meeting, and we certainly plan to be there with our camera….”
Well, we were there and, after taking about 2 1/2 hours in Executive Session to decide on the request by the Pelican Institute of the repeal of a ludicrous rule blocking Dr. Lara Stooksbury and Dr. Courtney Breen from obtaining Louisiana vet licenses, the Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine LBVM took all of 17 seconds to render its decision. We caution viewers of the following video not to be distracted even slightly because basically, if one blinks, one will miss this vote. With that admonition in mind, here’s arguably the shortest video we’ve ever published in our blog’s history:
May 23, 2023 LBVM meeting wherein all that was needed was 17 seconds to deny the Pelican Institute’s request for rule repeal which blocked Stooksbury and Breen from obtaining licenses.
Two highly qualified veterinarians today filed a lawsuit against the Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine, challenging an arbitrary rule that prohibits them from practicing their profession.
Dr. Lara Stooksbury and Courtney Breen, who had active licenses in other states and over 20 years of combined experience as veterinarians, sought licenses to practice in Louisiana but were blocked by the Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine (“the Board”) because of a restrictive practice time requirement concocted and enforced by the Board. They have filed a petition for declaratory and injunctive relief in the 19th Judicial District Court of Louisiana against the Board and are represented by the Pelican Institute Center for Justice.
“Despite my love for animals, my extensive experience as a veterinarian, and Louisiana’s desperate need for veterinary care, I found myself blocked from practicing my profession due to a restrictive licensing requirement,” Dr. Stooksbury said. “This legal action is a necessary last resort to advocate for changes that are sorely needed to eradicate discrimination and prevent denial of licensure to many qualified veterinarians.”
The veterinarians brought the lawsuit under a new law that allows individuals to contest regulatory barriers to work. Instead of allowing state government to arbitrarily impose regulatory hurdles that prevent professionals in Louisiana from working, this law shifts the burden from the challenger to the licensing agency to justify its rules.
“This lawsuit is the first litigation filed under our state’s new law that makes it easier to challenge bad regulations,” said James Baehr, Special Counsel for the Pelican Institute Center for Justice, “We are proud to represent Dr. Stooksbury and Breen in their fight for the right to pursue their chosen professions.”
Sarah Harbison, General Counsel of the Center for Justice, added, “The Pelican Center for Justice has previously achieved critical court victories, challenging both federal and state overreach in Louisiana and the Fifth Circuit. Through this effort, we are laying the groundwork for continued success in the courts on behalf of Louisiana citizens.”
“Louisiana’s economy is saddled with unnecessary rules that keep hardworking professionals from earning a living in the state,” said Daniel Erspamer, Chief Executive Officer of the Pelican Institute. “Removing those rules and empowering workers is key to Louisiana’s Comeback Agenda. We applaud these courageous veterinarians for standing up for freedom and opportunity. Through the success of this initiative and others to follow, our goal is to transform Louisiana from one of the worst states for occupational licensing to one of the best within the next few years.”
The case was assigned to 19th JDC Judge Beau Higginbotham. We commit to track the litigation and keep our subsribers informed of developments entailing it.
If you would like to be added to our Sound Off Louisiana email list to be notified of future posts, simply click on ANY post (this one is relatively short and requires less scrolling) and scroll to the bottom (mobile devices) or look at the upper right-hand column (desktops). Simply supply your email address within the subscribe box. You’ll then receive an automated email from Word Press, and all you have to do is click on the blue “confirm follow” bar contained within that email, and you’ll begin receiving great posts such as the preceding one above. Note: In order to view videos associated with the post, you MUST still click on the headline lettering as Word Press does not facilitate embedded videos in its email distribution.
Ascension Parish Sheriff candidate C. J. Matthews as he outlines the tumultuous transition from Jeff Wiley as Sheriff to Bobby Webre as Sheriff.
