INDReporter

Medium Rare

by Patrick Flanagan

Choice cuts from Acadiana's news media for Friday, Jan. 10, 2014:

Choice cuts from Acadiana's news media for Friday, Jan. 10, 2014:

Abbeville's next thriller
Filming is under way this week in Abbeville, according to this story from Vermilion Today, for a motion picture called The Shelter. The film, which has a budget of just under $100,000, is written and directed by John Fallon and stars Michael Pare of The Lincoln Lawyer. Abbeville, it's worth noting, also was the site for another major motion picture: 1958's The Blob, not to mention its 1972 sequel Son of Blob. According to Vermilion Today, The Shelter's plot goes like this: "On a star filled night, widower and homeless man Thomas (Michael Pare) finds shelter for the night when he falls upon a vast two story house with the lights on and an inviting open front door. He strolls on in thinking he just caught a lucky break and for a while, it would appear as though he did. Inside, with nobody in sight, he finds all of the comforts that he used to have. After taking a bath, feasting wholeheartedly on some food and relishing the silliness on the tube, he gets some well-earned shut eye. All is well until a restless Thomas wakes up in a panic and finds a loaded revolver resting on his lap. Baffled, he picks up the weapon, checks the barrel and notes that it is fully loaded. A visceral sense of unease invades him immediately. Something is very wrong and he decides that it is time to leave. Alas he finds out swiftly the premises won't let him depart so quickly. The doors are all locked, and the windows puzzlingly cannot be opened or broken. Destiny has brought Thomas to this place. Will he survived the ordeal?"

Local meth industry takes a hit
A recent house raid by the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office's narcotics unit, according to this report from Eunice Today, uncovered a large-scale methamphetamine operation. The bust resulted in the arrest of Joshua Benoit, and the seizure of a meth lab, which according to the report, was just a Gatorade bottle connected to a rubber tube using electrical tape. Also found at the scene were a number of ready-to-inject syringes filled with meth, and several transport boxes authorities believe were used to conceal the narcotics in the underbelly of a vehicle, among other items. "This man supplied meth to a large part of Acadia Parish," APSO Chief Deputy Keith Latiola tells Eunice Today. "It was particularly disturbing to find the needles which were loaded and ready to go."

Terror on four wheels
The residents of Baldwin are being terrorized by four-wheelers, reports St. Mary Now. The four-wheeler riders, skilled in off-road tactics, are easily evading the efforts of the Baldwin Police Department. The concerns of residents are justified, however, and as the story notes: "One resident said the drivers go so fast they would not able to stop in time to avoid hitting a child or pedestrian. They also speed through stop signs."

Man buries wife; denies role in death
Here's an unsettling story posted by KATC TV 3 about Arthur Eugene Tillett, who was arrested by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office this week on charges of cruelty to the infirmed and unlawful disposal of remains. Apparently Tillett, according to the story, admitted to burying his wife Sandra's body beneath a concrete slab, yet, denies any role in her death. An autopsy came back "undetermined," KATC notes, and the sheriff's office says the investigation is ongoing.