Crowley, LA (KPEL News) – An animal rescue owner in Crowley, Louisiana, is fighting back after being accused of stealing a dog she says rightfully belongs to the rescue group. She has retained an attorney who issued a complaint against Acadia Parish deputies who arrested her. The letter demands that the animal be returned to the rescue and requests an internal investigation of deputies with the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Jamie Amie owns and operates Precious Paw Prints Animal Rescue, a non-profit organization. For the past month, she has been working to get Maggie back.
JANUARY 31, 2024
According to a letter from her attorney to Acadia Parish Sheriff K.P. Gibson, Jamie Amie found a German shepherd wandering around a cemetery in Crowley on January 31, 2024. The dog wasn’t microchipped, wasn’t wearing a collar, and appeared underweight.
Amie says she notified Crowley Animal Control, and the dog was put on hold, as legally required.
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After the prescribed hold period, Precious Paw Prints assumed responsibility for the dog.
Amie then sought veterinary treatment for the dog she called “Maggie.” The vet determined that Maggie was, in fact, malnourished and heartworm positive. The rescue paid to have Maggie spayed, vaccinated, microchipped, and began preventive medications and vaccinations.
The day Amie found Maggie, she created a public post on Facebook with a picture of the dog, asking the owners to identify themselves.
Shortly after, an approved applicant requested to adopt Maggie.
FEBRUARY 13, 2024
Amie says a man contacted her and said the dog many belong to a family member. He claimed that he and his girlfriend didn’t realize she had been missing for two weeks because the owner didn’t tell them.
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Her attorney’s letter notes that the stories the man told her were questionable:
He… added that she had gone to a breeder and “got away.” He then disclosed that his girlfriend’s father’s dog [the dog in the rescue’s care] had been hit by a car and the girlfriend’s father had shot her. The dog was named Sally.
At that point, the boyfriend and alleged owner’s daughter said they wanted the dog back. Amie informed them that Louisiana and Acadia Parish law dictate that Maggie rightfully belonged to the rescue, and they could apply for adoption. She said they weren’t happy about that answer.
FEBRUARY 15, 2024
Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at Amie’s home, lights flashing. She explained to them the situation, got the Crowley Animal Control officer on the phone, and read the the parish ordinance outlining her rights.
She says:
They did not originally show me the warrant or give me badge numbers when asked. They then had this couple come pick up the dog at my house while they arrested me. They bring me to jail and start the booking process. They take my jewelry, they pat me down, they ask questions and get my size for clothing. They then decide to not book me and let me leave with a citation for theft and resisting an officer (resist how I’m not sure).
She was confused about why an animal control officer hadn’t come with deputies to her house because, she says, that’s protocol when a dog is involved in a case.
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The Friends of Pound Pets in Acadiana Facebook group explained what they say is the law regarding stray animals in Acadia Parish and in Louisiana:
Domesticated animals are considered property in Louisiana. They must be contained at ALL times or you are subject to seizure and fines. If an animal if found stray, they are subject to a stray hold which varies from parish to parish with a state minimum of 3 days, but in Acadia that hold time is 5 days not including weekends or holidays. Those 5 days are the time in which an owner can reclaim their “property” or pet. That’s it. When those 5 days are over, legal custody passes to whoever has the dog (the shelter or the finder). They can be rehomed, destroyed, etc. As a finder, you do also have to report to the shelter when and where the dog was found in case an owner shows up looking and attempt to find the owner (posting on social media, checking for a collar and/or microchip, etc). At the end of 5 days, ownership is null and void for the original owner.
Based on her records and account of the events, Amie operated within those legal constraints.
FEBRUARY 23, 2024
Amie spoke with Sheriff Gibson who told her the documentation had been handed over to 15th Judicial District Attorney Don Landry who would decide whether to pursue charges. He told her the dog would be returned to the rescue only if they were instructed to do so by the DA.
FEBRUARY 29, 2024
Amie’s attorney, Allyson Melancon, sent a letter to Sheriff Gibson:
RE: APSO wrongful seizure of property and false arrest of Jamie Amie.
The latest information she shared indicated that she was notified that an assistant district attorney has been assigned, and her lawyer spoke with Landry. The letter, which you can read below, serves as an official complaint against the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s deputies.
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attorney letter amieAllyson Melancon, attorney
attorney letter amieAllyson Melancon, attorney
attorney letter amieAllyson Melancon, attorney
Everyday items that our pets love more than their expensive toys
We spend a fortune on brand new toys for our pets. Chances are that they will completely destroy those at some point. But before that destruction happens, there are some normal, everyday items that we have in our homes that our pets would rather play with. The best thing…these “toys” are usually way less expensive.
A Pentecostal pastor in Louisiana charged with sexually molesting a teenage girl in his church has been convicted of indecent behavior with a juvenile – but was acquitted of the more serious crime of statutory rape.
Milton Otto Martin III, 58, faces up to seven years in prison and must register as a sex offender after a three-day trial in Chalmette, Louisiana, resulted in a guilty verdict against him on Thursday. His sentencing hearing is tentatively set for 15 January in the latest high-profile instance of religious abuse in the New Orleans area.
Authorities who investigated Martin, the pastor of Chalmette’s First Pentecostal Church, spoke with several alleged molestation victims of his. But the jury in his case heard from just two of them, and the charges on which he was tried pertained to only one.
That victim’s attorneys – John Denenea, Richard Trahant and Soren Gisleson – lauded their client for testifying against Martin even as members of the institution’s congregation showed up in large numbers to support him throughout the trial.
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“That was the most courageous thing I’ve ever seen a young woman do,” the lawyers remarked in a statement, with Denenea saying it was the first time in his career he and a client of his needed deputies to escort them out the courthouse. “She not only made sure he was accountable for his crimes – she has also protected many other young women from this convicted predator.”
Neither Martin’s attorney, Jeff Hufft, nor his church immediately responded to requests for comment.
The documents containing Martin’s criminal charges alleged that he committed felony carnal knowledge, Louisiana’s formal name for statutory rape, by engaging in oral sex with Denenea’s client when she was 16 in about 2011. The indecent behavior was inflicted on her when she was between the ages of 15 and 17, the charging documents maintained.
A civil lawsuit filed against Martin in parallel detailed how he would allegedly bring the victim – one of his congregants – out on four-wheeler rides and sexually abuse her during breaks that they took during the excursions.
The accuser, now about 30, reported Martin to Louisiana state police before he was arrested in March 2023. Other accusers subsequently came forward with similar allegations dating back further. Martin made bail, pleaded not guilty and underwent trial beginning on Tuesday in front of state court judge Darren Roy.
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Denenea said he believed his client’s testimony on Wednesday was pivotal in Martin’s conviction, which was obtained by prosecutors Barry Milligan and Erica Moore of the Louisiana attorney general’s office, according to the agency.
As Denenea put it, it seemed to him Martin’s acquittal stemmed from uncertainty over whether the accuser initially reported being 16 at the time of the alleged carnal knowledge.
State attorney general Liz Murrill said in a statement that it was “great work” my Milligan and Moore “getting justice for this victim”.
“We will never stop fighting to protect the children of Louisiana,” Murrill said.
Martin was remanded without bail to the custody of the local sheriff’s office to await sentencing after the verdict.
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The lawsuit that Denenea’s client filed against Martin was stayed while the criminal case was unresolved. It can now proceed, with the plaintiff accusing the First Pentecostal church of doing nothing to investigate earlier sexual abuse claims against Martin.
The plaintiff also accused the Worldwide Pentecostal Fellowships to which the Chalmette church belonged of failing to properly supervise Martin around children, and her lawsuit demands damages from both institutions.
Martin’s prosecution is unrelated to the clergy molestation scandal that drove the Roman Catholic archdiocese of nearby New Orleans into federal bankruptcy court in 2020 – but the two cases do share a few links.
State police detective Scott Rodrigue investigated Martin after also pursuing the retired New Orleans Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker, a serial child molester who had been shielded by his church superiors for decades. Rodrigue’s investigation led to Hecker’s arrest, conviction and life sentence for child rape – shortly before his death in December 2024.
Furthermore, Denenea, Trahant and Gisleson were also the civil attorneys for the victim in Hecker’s criminal case.
Newlab New Orleans is deepening its energy-tech ambitions with a new partnership alongside JERA, Japan’s largest power generator, to accelerate next-generation carbon capture solutions for heavy industries across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, The Center Square writes.
The collaboration brings JERA Ventures into Newlab’s public-private innovation hub, where startups gain access to lab space and high-end machinery to commercialize technologies aimed at cutting emissions and improving industrial efficiency.
The move builds momentum as Newlab prepares to open its fifth global hub next fall at the former Naval Support Activity site, adding New Orleans to a network that includes Riyadh and Detroit. JERA’s footprint in Louisiana is already growing—from a joint venture on CF Industries’ planned $4 billion low-carbon ammonia plant to investments in solar generation and Haynesville shale assets—positioning the company as a significant player in the state’s clean-energy transition.
Federal immigration authorities are keeping a tight lid on key details as “Catahoula Crunch” closes its first week in southeast Louisiana, Verite writes.
The operation—one of Department of Homeland Security’s largest recent urban crackdowns—began with raids at home-improvement stores and aims for 5,000 arrests, according to plans previously reviewed by the Associated Press. While DHS publicly highlighted arrests of immigrants with violent criminal records, AP data shows fewer than one-third of the 38 detainees in the first two days had prior convictions.
Meanwhile, advocacy groups report widespread fear in Hispanic communities, with residents avoiding hospitals, schools, workplaces and even grocery stores amid sightings of federal agents.
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Business impacts are already visible: restaurants and Hispanic-serving corridors like Broad Street appear unusually quiet, with staff shortages forcing menu cuts and temporary closures. School absenteeism has doubled in Jefferson Parish, and protests have spread across New Orleans and surrounding suburbs as local leaders demand transparency around federal tactics.
