Former Port Allen Mayor Derek Lewis dead at 65
Former Port Allen Mayor Derek Lewis, 65, has died. The coroner's office confirmed his death to WBR Independent and said it is under active investigation.
August 20, 2026Emergency Services
81 posts
Port Allen Police Ask Public to Help Identify Three Suspects in 2025 Stabbing
The Port Allen Police Department is asking the public to help identify three women connected to a stabbing and home invasion on Gladiolus Street in June 2025. One suspect has been arrested. The three remaining women are unidentified.
August 07, 2026
Parish investigating unidentified odor along I-10, Highway 1 South
West Baton Rouge Parish officials are investigating an unidentified odor reported by residents along Interstate 10 and Highway 1 South. The source has not been identified. LDEQ has been notified.
August 03, 2026
Former First Baptist Church of Addis Christian Academy of Louisiana teacher arrested on sex crime charges involving student
Brandon C. Greely, 48, of Baker, was booked into the WBR Parish Correctional Center on charges of Carnal Knowledge of a Juvenile and Indecent Behavior with Juveniles after an LSP and FBI investigation into allegations at a school in Addis.
July 31, 2026
'The story would be very different today': Wife tells parish council how WBR firefighters saved her husband after levee cycling crash
A wife stood before the WBR Parish Council on Thursday and described how a three-minute response by parish firefighters and paramedics saved her husband's life after a cycling accident on the Mississippi River levee left him with cracked vertebrae.
July 24, 2026
Addis man arrested after stabbing on Benoit Drive
An Addis man was arrested Tuesday evening after a domestic disturbance that left a woman with stab wounds on Benoit Drive. Braylon Oneil Duffy has been booked into the West Baton Rouge Parish Detention Center on multiple criminal charges.
July 21, 2026
WBR Jail Warden Hired to Fix Drug Problem Resigns After New Death and Group Overdose
The warden hired to fix the drug problem at the West Baton Rouge Detention Center has resigned after less than a year. His departure follows another inmate death and a group overdose linked to the facility's work release program.
July 21, 2026
Addis police: Evidence tampered with in death of 7-year-old Paris Williams
Evidence in the death of seven-year-old Paris Williams was tampered with and concealed, the Addis Police Department revealed at a press conference. A 911 hang-up call from the child's mother came more than two hours before a second call reported the child unresponsive.
July 08, 2026
Darren Dorman Jr. Is Fifth Inmate to Die at WBR Detention Center Since 2024
Darren Dorman Jr., 46, a federal detainee, was pronounced dead at the West Baton Rouge Parish Detention Center on Sunday night after being found unresponsive in a cell. Sheriff Jeff Bergeron ordered an investigation. The death is the fifth at the facility in just over two years.
July 07, 2026