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ZURIK: Fake license plates plague southeast Louisiana roads

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ZURIK: Fake license plates plague southeast Louisiana roads


KENNER, La. (WVUE) – Fake license plates are creating safety concerns on southeast Louisiana roads and leaving victims helpless.

Amanda Holman experienced the issue firsthand when she was hit by a car with a fake temporary license plate.

“I was on the interstate, right past the Transcontinental Overpass on my way home from work,” she recalled. “There’s traffic always in that curve by Veterans going towards Kenner. I slowed down and got hit from the back by a car.”

They pulled over, but the police never came.

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The other driver didn’t speak English and, fearing for her safety on the side of the interstate, Holman left the scene after photographing the tags.

“I was like, well, at least if I take a picture of the license plate, that should help,” she said.

Tracking down the other driver turned out to be impossible. Holman later discovered the plate was counterfeit.

Fake license plates on Southeast Louisiana roads are causing safety and insurance concerns(Kenner Police)

There are likely thousands of fake license plates on southeast Louisiana roads. Over a few week, Fox 8 took pictures of license plates and cross-referenced them with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Fox 8 found 719 fake temp tags in parishes all over the area. Fifteen vehicles had the same license plate number, 18347697. All were allegedly issued by Alexandria-based company Gladiator. The OMV says that tag number was issued once in 2009 to an auto group in Hammond.

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Fourteen cars across the metro area had the license plate number 19072146. The labeling on who issued it varied from vehicle to vehicle.

According to law enforcement, fake license plates usually indicate uninsured drivers.

Holman had to pay for the damages to her car with her insurance.

“We already have the highest insurance rates in the country,” she said. “My insurance is now almost double. I pay $663 a month for two vehicles because I had to claim my own insurance.”

The car that hit Holman had a temp tag registered to Crosy Auto Title in Tickfaw. Terri Crosby closed that business six years ago but says she feels victimized by plates popping up all across the metro area with her former company’s name.

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“A name that I used to use… of a business that’s been closed since 2018. And faking fraudulent documents and fraudulent temp tags, which is putting the public at risk,” she said. “And you go hire an attorney and the attorney can’t help you.”

She says she has gotten calls from roughly 100 law enforcement agencies ranging from nearby Jefferson and Tanigpahoa parishes, to as far away as Bridgewater, New Jersey, and New York City.

“I’ve never been to New Jersey. I don’t know anybody that lives in New Jersey. But the police officers said that this particular one in New Jersey was used in the commission of a crime,” Crosby said.

Crosby provided Fox 8 with receipts she’s obtained from buyers of the fake temp tags with her company’s name. Someone, using a fake OMV document with a fake Crosby email address, is charging up to $6,000 for counterfeit tags.

Some 20% of over 700 temp tags Fox 8 spotted had the Crosby Auto Title name on them.

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Fox 8 easily found a Crosby tag on the internet. Ready to print and be fraudulently stuck on the back of a car. Crosby says it’s ruining her name and reputation.

“It’s the most important thing, I think, I live for. Other than my family and God. That is who we are. To see this, it hurts. It’s so puzzling because it’s like, just another form of crime that we’re experiencing now. There’s no way to stop criminals who want to be criminals,” Crosby said.

ZURIK INVESTIGATIONS

Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley says he’s trying to stop it.

“This is the number one threat to the residents here in Kenner,” he said. “This problem is of grave concern to law enforcement. And it should be to every community in the area.”

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“They can cause bodily harm with no recourse and harm to your car with no recourse,” Crosby said. “Then you’re stuck with a bill from somebody who was fraudulent.”

Conley says he has teams of officers working the street. In the last 10 weeks, Kenner police have confiscated 70 fake tags.

“Over half of them had no insurance attached to the vehicle. Some of the vehicles weren’t even registered. They have what they call skeleton VIN numbers, that they should be in a salvage yard,” Conley said.

“Somebody has to be able to stop this,” Holman said. “These should be something you could just duplicate on your home computer or make a copy of and have no ramifications. We are all paying ridiculous insurance prices in this state already and this is just making it worse.”

“I’m not sure if there’s an easy answer to this, but we’re gonna have to figure something out,” Conley said. “It’s scary.”

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Louisiana

Civil rights investigation finds pattern of excessive force by Louisiana State Police

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Civil rights investigation finds pattern of excessive force by Louisiana State Police


The Louisiana State Police for years have used excessive force during arrests and vehicle pursuits, a statewide pattern of misconduct that places the public at “serious risk of harm,” according to a scathing report released Thursday by the U.S. Justice Department.

A broad civil rights inquiry, announced in 2022 following an Associated Press investigation, found troopers’ use of stun guns “particularly concerning,” and that troopers have used force on people who “do not pose a threat or a flight risk,” often because they are restrained. It cited “systemic failures in supervision” and “chronic underreporting of force.”

“We also found that troopers use excessive force to immediately control encounters, often within the first few moments of encountering a person and without giving the person a warning or an opportunity to comply,” the report said. “Additionally, LSP uses excessive force on people who run from troopers, even when that person is only suspected of a misdemeanor.”

The findings were released two days after federal prosecutors said they would not bring charges in the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene, ending a lengthy probe into the white state troopers who stunned, punched and dragged Greene on a roadside following a high-speed chase outside Monroe, Louisiana.

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Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, blasted the report as an attempt “to diminish the service and exceptionality of LSP.”

“We will not let that happen,” Landry said in a statement. “The reputation of our men and women in blue is one of respect, admiration and appreciation, and we will always have their back.”

Col. Robert Hodges, the state police superintendent, told troopers in an internal email obtained by AP that the “isolated incidents” highlighted in the report “are not a fair assessment of today’s Louisiana State Police or our agency’s incredibly proud history and culture.”

The “pattern-or-practice” inquiry followed AP reporting that found Greene’s arrest was among at least a dozen cases in which state troopers and their bosses ignored or concealed evidence of beatings, deflected blame and impeded efforts to root out misconduct in the agency. In one case, a white trooper pummeled a Black man 18 times with a flashlight following a traffic stop, leaving him with a broken jaw, broken ribs and a gash to his head.

The state police withheld body-camera footage of Greene’s death for two years, but the AP published it in 2021. The video showed troopers swarming Greene even as he appeared to raise his hands, plead for mercy and wail, “I’m your brother! I’m scared! I’m scared!” Troopers repeatedly jolted Greene with stun guns before he could even get out of the car, with one of them wrestling him to the ground, putting him in a chokehold and punching him in the face. Another called him a profanity.

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The 32-page report alleges that Greene’s death “demonstrated serious failures” that “were not isolated but part of a larger pattern or practice of law enforcement conduct that deprives people in Louisiana of their rights under the Constitution.”

The report cites one case in which a trooper “slammed a bar patron to the ground” merely for failing to provide his ID quickly enough. “Rather than explaining the reason for the request or trying to persuade the man to cooperate,” the report says, “the trooper immediately grabbed the man’s arm and forced him to the ground, injuring his nose.”

The Justice Department also examined whether state police engage in “racially discriminatory policing” but made no findings “at this time” as to whether that contributed to the misconduct.

The report recommends — but does not mandate — a long list of remedial measures, while also crediting the agency with making ”much-needed reforms after video of Mr. Greene’s death became public.”

“More reforms are needed to remedy the unlawful conduct we found,” the report says.

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Justice Department says Louisiana State Police violate the constitutional rights of people it encounters

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Justice Department says Louisiana State Police violate the constitutional rights of people it encounters


WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department says the Louisiana State Police engages in practices that violate the constitutional rights of people with whom it interacts.

Findings announced after a “pattern and practice investigation” Thursday afternoon said the agency routinely uses excessive force, including the unjustified use of Tasers, and escalates minor incidents involving people who do not pose a threat. The entire report is available at the Justice Department website.

Among other findings, the Justice Department said the agency uses unreasonable force without warning and without giving people an opportunity to comply with directions. It also found troopers used force on people in handcuffs and on people accused only of misdemeanors.

In a brief statement issued with its report, the Justice Department noted the agency is reforming itself and has made changes in its use-of-force policy, but it says more work must be done.

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Gov. Jeff Landry said the report “seeks to diminish the service and exceptionality” of the State Police.

“We will not let that happen,” Landry said, without offering specifics. “The reputation of our men and women in blue is one of respect, admiration, and appreciation, and we will always have their bac.”

Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement that the U.S. Justice Department was acting to advance a political agenda and did not address the agency’s actual findings.

“We will continue to ensure that LSP is the finest law enforcement organization in the country and have a deep respect and appreciation for all of Louisiana’s law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line for the citizens of our great State each and every day and they have our steadfast support,” she said.

The Justice Department has been looking at the State Police since 2022. The report comes just after the department said it would not file criminal charges following the death of motorist Ronald Greene.

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The investigators laid the blame on poor supervision of troopers, noting that the agency doesn’t do meaningful reviews following the use of force. It also said training modules “encourage aggressive behavior and escalate encounters.”

The report’s executive summary details Greene’s traffic stop in northern Louisiana on May 19, 2019. Police chased Greene for 14 minutes until he crashed, then punched him, dragged him by his ankles and left him face down in the road.

When a supervisor arrived, he stepped over Greene and checked on how the officers were doing. “None of the troopers rendered aid to Mr. Greene, who became unresponsive and died before he reached the hospital,” the report said.

“Mr. Greene’s death and its aftermath demonstrated serious failures at LSP — excessive force, improper supervision, ineffective training, and breakdowns in accountability,” the report said. “These failures were not isolated, but part of a larger pattern or practice of law enforcement conduct that deprives people in Louisiana of their rights under the Constitution.”



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Missing Teen In Henderson: Help Locate Maria Baltazar Perez

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Missing Teen In Henderson: Help Locate Maria Baltazar Perez


Louisiana officials are seeking the public’s help in finding a missing teenager, according to KATC.

According to officials with the Henderson Police Department, a young woman, new to this country and our area, is missing.

What Do Police Know At This Time?

Henderson Police say Maria Baltazar Perez is a 16-year-old young woman whose friends and family say they have not seen her.

 

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Where Was The Teenager Last Seen?

The girl relocated from Guatemala and was last seen at her home in the 100 block of Leblanc Drive in Henderson on Tuesday, January 14, at around 10 o’clock that night. The school called when Maria, who had been staying with family friends, did not show up for school. Authorities were not contacted until 3:35 p.m.

Henderson Police officials described the teenager as being five feet, five inches tall, and she is said to weigh about 170 pounds.

What Can You Do To Help?

If you know anything about this case or Perez’s whereabouts, you are urged to call the Henderson Police Department at 337-228-2065.

This is a developing story, and the KPEL News Team is working to provide additional coverage for Acadiana. Updates will be shared as they become available, so download the KPEL News app via Google Play or in the App Store and subscribe to breaking news alerts to get the latest information sent directly to your mobile device.

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You can also use the KPEL app to submit a news tip, share a traffic update, or chat directly with our on-air team.

Be sure to bookmark our latest site, wearelafayette.net, where we provide more local news coverage as well as lifestyle and community features.

To report errors, omissions, or other concerns regarding the content above, send emails to news@kpel965.com.

LOOK: 25 must-visit hidden gems from across the US

From secret gardens to underground caves, Stacker compiled a list of 25 must-visit hidden gems from across the United States using travel guides, news articles, and company websites.

Gallery Credit: Abby Monteil

 

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