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The former Delcambre clerk accused of stealing more than $30,000 from the town was found not guilty.
The jury took about 50 minutes to decide.
Lela Gayle Stelly served as Delcambre’s town clerk from 2010 to 2013. She resigned in November of 2013, amid an investigation of missing town funds. After a month’s long investigation into the matter led to the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office arresting Stelly. The Attorney General’s Office brought Stelly to trail this week on charges of felony theft.
Stelly took the stand Wednesday afternoon. She said that she did not take any money from the town of Delcambre.
Attorneys with the state as well as Stelly’s attorney questioned multiple witnesses on Wednesday, including former Delcambre Mayor Carol Broussard, who hired Stelly for the position of clerk, and two members of the Delcambre Board of Aldermen, Sarah Ann Trahan and Donald Martin.
The witnesses described a Board of Alderman meeting on Nov. 13, 2013, where Delcambre auditor Mike Broussard presented information about missing funds during an executive session. That part of the meeting occurred in the Mayor’s office. Mike Broussard previously found thousands of dollars not accounted for.
Carol Broussard, who lost a re-election bid last year, and the two aldermen said under oath Wednesday that Stelly offered to pay a sum of money to be able keep her job. Mike Broussard revealed a larger total, one that went above what Stelly is said to have offered to pay. Carol Broussard said that Stelly took the option to resign, rather than be terminated.
Another witness, former town tax collector, Nicole Bodin, testified on Wednesday that Stelly gave her an envelope containing $1,400 in 100-dollar bills as well as some receipts. Bodin said Stelly told her that she found the envelope in her belongings that were gathered from town hall, and it did not belong to her. Bodin then showed the envelope to Carol Broussard, who documented it. Photos of the contents were presented as evidence on Wednesday.
Stelly said during her testimony Wednesday that she found the envelope in a box of personal FEMA information. She said she returned it the day she found it.

ABBEVILLE – Funeral Services for Mrs. Betty Hartman Noel, 80, will be held at 2:00 PM on Thursday, September 14, 2017 at David Funeral Chapel of Abbeville with Rev. Dave Rousse officiating.  Interment will follow at St. Paul Cemetery.
Visitation will be at David Funeral Home of Abbeville on Thursday, September 14, 2017 from 9:00AM until the time of the services.
A native of Vermilion Parish and a resident of the Kaplan area, Mrs. Noel died at 7:38 AM on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at her residence. For many years Mrs. Betty enjoyed gardening, sewing, painting and dabbling in real-estate and rent houses.
She is survived by her two daughters, Joli Noel of Scott and Cherie S. Broussard and her husband Keith of Kaplan; four grandchildren, grandson Matthew and wife Jamie Bernard, granddaughters  Parrish Broussard, Gabrielle Laughlin, and  Baillie Broussard; three great grandchildren, Braxton Guilbeau, Connor Bernard, and Grayson Guilbeau; and one brother Bennie and wife Sue Hartman.
She was preceded in death by her Husband of 57 years  Alton Noel; her  parents, Roy Hartman Sr. and Lillian Duhon Hartman; brother Roy Hartman Jr.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Hospice Compassus, 610 W. Pinhook Rd. Lafayette La. 70503
You may sign the guest register book and express condolences online at www.davidfuneralhome.org
David Funeral Home of Abbeville at 2600 Charity St. (337)893-3777 will be handling the arrangements..

September 11, 1923 ~ September 8, 2017

ABBEVILLE — Funeral services were held on Monday, September 11, 2017 at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville honoring the life of Clenis Joseph Gallet, 93, who died Friday, September 8, 2017 at Maison du Monde Living Center.
He was laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Fr. Michael Richard officiating the services.
He is survived by his wife, Hazel Luquette Gallet of Abbeville; three sons, Donald Lee Gallet and his wife Betty of Port Arthur, TX, Randal James Gallet of Nederland, TX and Roger Dale Gallet of Beaumont, TX; three step children, Gene Dale Choate of Abbeville, David Joel Choate of Milton and Annette C. Hebert of Abbeville; four grandchildren; ten step grandchildren; six great grandchildren; and fifteen step great grandchildren.

Kaplan Police Chief Boyd Adams turned himself in Monday morning to the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office after a warrant was issued for his arrest by the Louisiana State Police.
Adams was charged with malfeasance in office and felony theft.
These charges stem from a state audit which questioned whether Kaplan Police Chief Boyd Adams used nearly $7,650 in public funds to pay personal expenses, drawing some of that money from two police department bank accounts city officials say they did not know existed.
The Legislative Auditor’s investigation found 149 transactions which equaled to $17,140 in a Kaplan Police Recreation Account.
Out of the $17,140 in transactions, a total of 59 transactions worth $7,650 have no documentation explaining the reason for the cash deposits.
Adams has denied wrongdoing, writing in a response to auditors that his accounting might need some work but he never misused the public’s money.
Adams has been the police chief of Kaplan since 2010 and is currently seeking a third term.
The audit cites several instances of sloppy accounting and of possible improper use of public funds.
Among them include - The chief cashed checks for $200 and $500, drawn on police department accounts and wrote a $280 check from a police department account to repay an officer who covered the chief’s personal phone bill.
Auditors noted that 38 minutes after Adams cashed the $500 check in 2014 he made a $500 deposit into his personal bank account.
Adams told auditors the cash from the $200 check was deposited in his department’s “cash bag” and was for an undisclosed undercover operation.
Auditors said Adams had no documentation for the purpose of cashing the $500 check, but the chief said it was not connected to the $500 deposit he made to his personal account on the same day.
Adams told the auditors the deposit was from the repayment of a $500 loan he made to a mother to buy school supplies and clothes for her children.
The chief also told auditors he put $280 into the police department’s cash bag to cover the $280 check he wrote the officer who paid his phone bill.
According to the audit, a log for withdrawals and deposits into the cash bag showed a $280 deposit from the chief, but auditors questioned the accuracy of many of the transactions recorded in that log and could find no other records to confirm repayment.
Much of the questionable spending was made using two bank accounts that other city officials said they did not know about until last year.
Adams said both accounts were set up years ago by his predecessors, a statement auditors confirmed.
The accounts have since been closed, and all police department funds are held in authorized city accounts.
Upon hearing of the charges, Kaplan Mayor Kirk Champagne said, “I really don’t know what to say. I know the state auditors found abnormalities in his accounting practices and the Louisiana State Police investigated.
“Apparently they found enough evidence to bring charges, because a warrant was issued for his arrest.”