One of the first bills pre-filed for the 2015 legislative session beginning in April would rename a stretch of U.S. Hwy. 167 between Maurice and Abbeville after a Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy who was murdered while off duty last summer. Senate Bill 6, filed by state Sen. Jonathan Perry, seeks to rededicate the section of roadway as the Allen Bares Jr. Memorial Parkway.
The veteran law enforcement officer was shot and killed last June while mowing a lawn on an off-duty afternoon. Moments earlier, Bares had called in a report of suspicious activity to fellow deputies. Two men, both 20, are facing capital murder charges and the death penalty in connection with Bares’ death.