Ville Platte Councilwoman Indicted on Forgery and Fraud Charges

Back in November 2022, while running for re-election, Ville Platte City Councilwoman Christina Sam was arrested on fraud and forgery charges.

Now, Evangeline Parish District Attorney Trent Brignac told KLFY that Sam had been indicted on those charges.

In November, Sam was running for her deceased husband's council seat when election fraud charges were leveled against her.

According to KATC, Sam's husband died right before Christmas in 2021. In January 2022, she was sworn in to serve the remainder of her husband's term. She then faced re-election in the fall of 2022.

Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine said at the time to KATC,

She's fully qualified and fully knowledgeable about the things that are going on in the city. So, it will definitely be an easy seat for her to fill because she'll just be continuing what he started, and what he was working on.

On Wednesday, members of the grand jury returned a true bill on the following:

Forgery
Election Fraud
Election Offenses Affecting Registration

When Councilwoman Sam was arrested back in November it all centered around the claims that Sam was able to get voter registration applications. She is accused, by District Attorney Brignac, of knowingly having them, and knowing that the information contained on the cards was false.

For her part, Sam has asked that Brignac recuse himself from any of the proceedings concerning her. This matter will come before the court Monday, February 6 in Ville Platte.

In the general election, Sam ended up beating her run-off opponent, Adam Toussaint with 64% of the vote.

Ultimately if Sam is convicted of the charges against her, she could face a maximum of two years in prison along with a fine.

The Most Common Medical Marijuana Questions In Louisiana

Multiple pieces of legislation dealing with medical marijuana and expansions to the current structure have been or will be introduced in the upcoming legislative session that begins March 14, 2022.

Attitudes are shifting about recreational use as well. In last year's session, lawmakers passed a bill that changes penalties for a small amount of marijuana.

At the beginning of 2022, smokable medical marijuana also became legal. Many people have asked questions about how and where to get medical marijuana. Here is the current information available.

Armed Robberies Across Acadiana in 2022

Of the crimes that have headlined 2022, armed robberies have been among the most prevalent.

Armed robberies - as they become more prevalent in a community - steal peace from the citizens who live there. These crimes may start out as a thief trying to steal from the victim but many times that thief turns into a murderer when that weapon is actually used.

Let's take a look at headline-catching cases involving armed robbery in 2022.