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March 31, 1924 ~ January 11, 2022

ABBEVILLE — Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, January 14, 2022 at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville honoring the life of Martha Louise Bessard, 97, who died Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at Eastridge Nursing Center. She will be laid to rest at Macedonia Cemetery.
She is survived by her children, Harold Bessard (Brenda), Mary Lou Diggs, Marshall Perry (Joyce), Mamie Briggs, and Michael Bessard (Helen); special grandson, Harold Antoine (Leona); grandchildren; nieces; and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Valerien Bessard and the former Lucinda Anderson; and thirteen siblings.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Friday, January 14, 2022 from 9:00 AM until time of services.
Due to a rise in covid-19 cases, the family requests that everyone in attendance please wear a mask or face covering; thank you.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

According to Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Eddie Langlinais, on December 31, 2021, the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office received a call of a shooting that occurred in the 300 block of Lover’s Lane, south of Abbeville.
When Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division (CID) detectives arrived on scene, they discovered two vehicles and a residence had been shot 14 times with a .22 caliber firearm.
During the course of the investigation, Detectives identified a suspect vehicle and confirmed the driver of the vehicle as Craig Dewon Batiste (B/M, DOB: 09/26/2000) from Rayne, LA. Through further investigation of the incident, Detectives developed information identifying the shooter as Johnathan Brian Lee (H/M, DOB: 03/12/2001) from Crowley, LA.
On January 7, 2022, with the assistance of the Rayne Police Department, Bastiste was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center on a warrant for Assault by Drive-By Shooting ($50,000 bond). A subsequent search warrant was conducted on Batiste’s residence where Detectives located a .22 caliber rifle with a large-capacity magazine.
On January 11, 2022, with the assistance of the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lee was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center on a warrant for Attempted 1st Degree Murder ($150,000 bond), and Illegal Discharge of a Firearm ($25,000 bond).
This investigation is still ongoing, and additional charges may follow.
"I commend my deputies for a job well done, and I thank the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Rayne Police Department for their assistance in this investigation,” says Sheriff Mike Couvillon.

LAFAYETTE — United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Karen Duhon, 67, of Berwick, Louisiana, has been sentenced by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 60 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, on mail fraud charges. Duhon was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,391,598.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Duhon in December 2018 and she pleaded guilty on August 12, 2021 to one count of mail fraud. Duhon worked as the bookkeeper at Capital Management Consultants, Inc. (CMCI), a family-owned company located in Morgan City, Louisiana from October 1973 until August 2014. Beginning in approximately January 1999, Duhon took money from CMCI unlawfully. With the assistance of the treasurer of CMCI at the time, Duhon began writing checks to herself in amounts over her allowed salary, which the treasurer would then sign. Duhon deposited the checks in various accounts owned by her and her husband. She would then make false accounting entries in CMCI’s records to disguise these payments. The amount of loss suffered by CMCI was $3,263,677.06.
In addition, Duhon, along with the treasurer, also assisted certain members of the company owner’s family with their personal finances, including paying bills and balancing accounts. This gave Duhon access to checks connected to a specific brokerage account owned by one of the family members. From November 2012 through January 2014, Duhon, with the aid and encouragement of the treasurer, and without authorization of the victim family member, used this brokerage account to pay $127,920.94 in expenses on her personal American Express cards. Further, in December 2013, Duhon, acting with intent to defraud, mailed or caused to be mailed to American Express a check in the amount of $8,370.03 drawn on the victim family member’s account.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney T. Forrest Phillips.

ERATH – A mass of Christian Burial for Dolores Ann Bolner DuBois will be held at 12:00PM Thursday, January 13th, 2022, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Erath with Father Louis Richard officiating. Interment will follow at Our Lady of Lourdes Mausoleum.
Visitation will be held at David Funeral Home in Erath on Wednesday, January 12th, 2022, from 5:00PM to 9:00PM with a recitation of the rosary at 7:00PM. Visitation will resume Thursday, January 13th at 9:30AM until time of service.
Dolores was a lifetime resident of Erath. She passed away Monday, January 10th, 2022, surrounded by her loving children. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Dolores was a 1955 graduate of Erath High School and was the 1954 Homecoming Queen. She worked at Gulf Coast Bank for eighteen years. Dolores was a member of the Erath Fourth of July Association for several years. She was also active in a number of Erath clubs and organizations, including Les Travailleuses, Les Demitasse Ladies Club, Erath Court of the Catholic Daughters of America, and the Twelve and Go Social Club. Dolores was a lifelong parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church where she actively volunteered her time. She was faithfully devoted to our Mother Mary and prayed the rosary every day. Dolores enjoyed many trips to the beach with her immediate and extended DuBois family as well as friends. She was also an enthusiastic football fan, often taking the role of an armchair quarterback. Her family will miss the unconditional love she gave along with her incredible cooking skills.
Dolores leaves behind four daughters; Renee DuBois McDermott and husband Jim of Youngsville, LA; Ann DuBois Burch of Franklin, TN; Yvette DuBois Hebert and her husband Chris of Erath, LA; and Camille DuBois of Baton Rouge, LA. She is also survived by one son, Richard Camille DuBois, Jr. and his wife Tiffany of Erath, LA. Two sisters, Susan Seifert of Baton Rouge, LA and Cathy Richardson (husband Perry) of Lafayette, LA; one brother, Mark Bolner of Grosse Isle, LA also survives her. Surviving grandchildren are Nicole Pittman (Nick), Andrea Bernard (Scott), Lauryn Lee (Jason), Matthew Burch (Elizabeth), Rachel Burch, Christina Burch, James McDermott (Hannah), Kristen Moreno (Zach), Sydney DuBois, Alexandra Granger, Averi Granger, and Ahna Granger; and 11 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Richard Camille DuBois; her parents Kelsie Bolner and Lillian Chaisson Bolner.
Serving as pallbearers will be Matthew Burch, James McDermott, Nick Pittman, Scott Bernard, Jason Lee, and Herbie Gill. Honorary pallbearers will be Mark Bolner and Zach Moreno.
The family would like to thank the kind parishioners of St. Theresa who called 911, EMS First Responder Michael Soirez, Acadiana Ambulance personnel, Ochsner Lafayette General Trauma Team, and all of the fifth floor ICU physicians and staff who gave our mother such excellent care and attention. The family also wishes to thank Susan Ho who has always been willing to go above and beyond.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Erath, Louisiana or St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
You may sign the guest register book and express condolences online at www.davidfuneralhome.org
Arrangements are being taken care of by David Funeral Home in Erath, LA., 209 East Putnam Street, (337) 937-0405.