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United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a former Vermilion Parish middle school teacher was sentenced last week to 70 years in prison for making and possessing child pornography.
James Stacey Harber, 33, of Abbeville, La., previously of Ohio, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on three counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
He was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release and is required to register as a sex offender.
According to the Aug. 18, 2017 guilty plea, Harber began communicating with a woman in Abbeville while he was living in Ohio in 2010. They began having a sexual relationship online and communicating via online video. The woman later included her three minor children in the online sexual relationship.
Harber moved to Abbeville in 2013 and gained employment at the Louisiana Office of Child Services and then as a middle school teacher. He sexually abused the woman’s children after moving to Louisiana in addition to recording sexually explicit images of them. Law enforcement agents searched Harber’s home on April 26, 2016 and found numerous images and videos of child pornography on various electronic media, which included images downloaded from the internet as well as images he recorded himself sexually exploiting the children.
“These types of horrific cases must not be allowed to continue,” said Van Hook.
“It is vital that the public and people in the community help to bring these cases to light as happened in this case. This 70-year sentence shows our resolve to prosecute and convict to the fullest extent of the law.”
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourage the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423. Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi- tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app. Tips may be submitted anonymously.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Abbeville Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker prosecuted the case.

January 7, 1969 ~ January 17, 2018

Abbeville – A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 on Saturday, January 27, 2018 at Vincent Funeral Home-Abbeville honoring the life of Donald Christopher Duhon 49, who died Wednesday January 17, 2018. Donald Christopher Duhon born January 7, 1969 to Mrs Eva Lee(Ms. Topy) and the late Kenneth Pilette. He departed this life on January 17, 2018. Donald “Cameo” was a loving individual that enjoyed singing, being with his family and friends. A Loving Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, Cousin and Funloving Friend. He will be deeply missed but never forgotten. He is survived by his mother, Eva Lee (Charlie) of Abbeville; son Deion Bessard of Kaplan; two Daughters, Laketha O’brien of Abbeville, and Na’tashia Coleman of Duson; three sisters, Denease Curry (George) of Broussard, Tammy Mire (Herbert) of Houston, and Roxanne Davis of Crewe, Va; five brothers, Ronald C. Duhon of Abbeville, Sedwin A. Antoine (Rolanda) of Lafayette, Sedwick A. Antoine (Kamilah) of San Antonio, Brandon Lee (Scarlett) of Abbeville, and Peter Reaux. His grandchildren, Ja Trevion O’brien, Marcus O’brien, Khyri Kelly, Jawane Kelly, Alaya Bessard, Hayden Bessard and Dhani Bessard. His nieces; Ava Julian, Alicia S. Sanchez, Shanice Duhon, Kynia Duhon, Alea Mire, Kaleigh Williams, Jordan Lee And Sori Antoine. Nephews; Devonta Jason, Alex Mire, Sir Qualon Solomon, Kaden Williams and Brandon P. Lee Jr., and a host of relatives and Friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth M. Pillette; paternal grandparents, Walter and Rosabell Pilette; maternal grandparents, Davis and Olivia Duhon; three aunts, Shirley Smith, Susie D. Mayfield, and Veronica Jacquet, and one uncle, Lloyd Duhon. The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home, Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles Street, on Saturday 27, 2018 from 11:00 until time of service. Elder Calvin Broussard will conduct the funeral services.
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.

The first step was taken in getting all school employees a pay raise. It was a small step, but it was a step.
School board member Chris Gautreaux, at Tuesday night’s committee meeting, introduced a motion of having the business department begin looking into ways to give all school employees a percentage pay raise. School board member J.B. Moreno seconded the motion.
“We need to look into the ultimate goal of giving the employees a pay raise,” said Gautreaux at the committee meeting. “I want the business department to come back to us with two or three different proposals on how we can get there.”
The motion was approved 7-0 (Anthony Fontana is no longer a school board member).
While the motion was approved, not all board members were in favor of the idea of giving a pay raise because of the decline of money in the general fund account.
Board member Kibbie Pillette reminded the board that the school board was recently projected to have a $2 million shortfall in this year’s budget. Pillette asked Gautreaux how much was the raise for all employees going to cost the school board?
Gautreaux said the business department is going to figure out a cost amount and bring that number back to the school board.
“The business department will see what the budget can afford, or do we need to pass a half cent sales tax,” said Gautreaux. “It’s just to start the process. It will be the board’s decision to decide what to do. We will determine what percentage (raise) it will be.”
“Where are you going to find access revenue in the existing budget?” asked Pillette. “It would be ludicrous.”
School Board Laura LeBeouf said Gautreaux’s pay raise plan is a “ploy.”
“I think it (pay raise) is an awesome ploy by the other side to calm our teachers down,” LeBeouf said. “I know what is coming down from the state and, we, as a district, are about to face massive cuts. Do the research and bring it back to the board.”
“It is not a ploy,” Gautreaux responded.
Moreno approached Gautreaux to see if it was possible to give the employees a pay raise, Gautreaux explained.
“I know the general fund can not handle a raise,” Gautreaux said. “I just want to explore. If we do not explore what kind of fat is in the budget, we will never get to the cuts we really need.”

Click on link on view video of pay raise talk.

https://youtu.be/GSOv3dIJfys

If you plan on attending Thursday’s Vermilion Parish School Board meeting, you better go early because you may not have a seat in the meeting room if you get there 20 minutes before the meeting.
In the past, people have been allowed to stand along the walls in the meeting room if all the seats were full.
No longer, according to Superintendent Jerome Puyau.
Because of the state fire marshal, there will be a limited amount of people who will be allowed in the meeting room.
The state fire marshal said the number of people allowed is 60, which includes the eight school board members, the superintendent, the secretary and the six school supervisors.
That leaves only 48 remaining chairs.
There is expected to be three media outlets, with two journalists per outlet, for a total of six chairs.
That leaves only 42 chairs remaining in the meeting room.
At Tuesday’s committee meeting, people began arriving at 5 p.m. to get a good seat.
Because of the expected overflow crowd tonight, the school system is prepared.
There are now cameras in the meeting room, along with two new speakers in the meeting room and in the hall.
The overflow crowd will be able to watch the meeting in a room down the hall. The meeting will be streamed live to the other room.
A total of around 60 people can sit in the side room and stand in the hall.

Security stepped
up for meetings

Security was stepped up at Tuesday night’s Vermilion Parish School Board Committee Meeting.
For starters, the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office had a deputy parked in the parking lot for the entire committee meeting, which ended at 9 p.m. and began at 6 p.m.
An Abbeville Police Officer was stationed inside the meeting room from 5:30 p.m. until 9 p.m.
The Sheriff Office and City Police are expected to be at Thursday's 6 p.m. meeting.