Category Archives: Ascension

WASHINGTON Ron Klain, who after a few near misses finally achieved his career-long goal of becoming the White House chief of staff, will turn 60 this summer. This is, as his boss might say, a big deal.

Mr. Klain has previously hosted blowouts to celebrate his round-numbered birthdays, notably his 50th in 2011, when hundreds of friends and Obama administration luminaries descended on a Maryland farm for a state fair-themed extravaganza, complete with deep-fried Oreos and tributes to the honoree.

Plans for his 60th have become such a source of Beltway status anxiety that a small universe of Washington strivers is angling for details: Some have asked White House contacts whether a celebration is in the works and if invitations have gone out.

The commotion makes clear that Mr. Klain is an unquestioned man to see in the current White House, the most influential chief of staff of recent vintage and a marked departure from the four battered and marginalized short-timers who held the position under President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Klain, who was the chief of staff for Vice Presidents Biden and Al Gore, is viewed in and out of the West Wing as the essential conductor of administration business, a surrogate for the president and in the mischievous portrayal of opponents an all-powerful, unelected orchestrator of an ultraliberal agenda.

Republicans have taken to calling him Prime Minister Klain.

Hes kind of the guy behind the curtain, Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, said recently of the chief of staff. It is an oft-repeated Republican line of attack and a characterization the White House is determined to quash.

Im a staff person, not prime minister, Mr. Klain, who declined to be interviewed for this article, told Kara Swisher last month on her podcast Sway.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, a longtime colleague of Mr. Klains, reaffirmed this message in an interview, referring to him as the premier staff person, certainly of my generation.

In fact, the chief of staff holds an outsize authority in the constellation of Biden insiders, many of whom, like him, go back decades with the president. People in and around the White House describe Mr. Klain as the essential nerve center of an over-circuited administration whose day-to-day doings reflect how this White House works and what it aspires to.

Mr. Klain rarely travels anywhere with the boss, including local hops like President Bidens visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to push the Democrats $3.5 trillion infrastructure plan. Instead, the chief of staff stayed behind to work the phones and strategize with lawmakers and White House negotiators and, essentially, deal with a simultaneous array of meetings, triage decisions and crises.

I probably talk to him every day, and we can finish each others sentences, said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader. If theres a thorny problem, Ill call him.

Wednesday, for instance, included Mr. Bidens visit to the Hill, a White House decision to evacuate thousands of Afghan interpreters and other allies from the 20-year war in Afghanistan and an uptick in Covid-19 cases across the country. The pop star Olivia Rodrigo also dropped by to help promote coronavirus vaccines, the prevailing buzz in the West Wing that day.

Today was Olivia Rodrigo Day at the White House, Mr. Klain declared at his 6:30 p.m. wrap-up meeting with senior staff, long after the singer had departed. He synthesized the days infrastructure developments and prepared to brief the president the next morning.

Mr. Klain has also taken a special emissarys role with select members of the Senate, where the evenly divided chamber has raised certain relationships to the highest-priority chief of staff portfolio.

One is Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, the moderate Democrat whose swing-voting tendencies have earned him special care and feeding. Ive never had a problem calling him, day or night, Mr. Manchin said of Mr. Klain. Hes always up.

Shortly after Mr. Bidens inauguration, Mr. Manchin became irate that he had not been given advance notice that Vice President Kamala Harris would be making news media appearances in West Virginia to promote the administrations Covid relief package.

Mr. Klain soon paid a visit to Mr. Manchins houseboat on the Potomac River, where he lives when he is in Washington. The senator ordered in a pasta dinner from Nostra Cucina, his favorite Italian restaurant. We had a glass of wine and really got to know each other, Mr. Manchin said.

Mr. Klain, who resembles a grown-up Model U.N. prodigy with a round, boyish face and a burdened, workaholic demeanor, determinedly addresses Mr. Biden with the deference of a professional humble servant: always sir or Mr. President, despite having worked for him on and off for 35 years. White House officials who have seen their dynamic say Mr. Klain is expert at keeping discussions with Mr. Biden focused on specific actions, which is not always easy, given the presidents habit of verbal meanderings.

A typical exchange, White House officials say, is for Mr. Klain to suggest something along the lines of, Sir, were recommending that you make these three calls unless Mr. Biden pre-empts him by declaring his own intent to make the same calls.

In other settings, Mr. Klain can rub some as dismissive and distracted. After the president hosted a meeting with a group of Republican senators in March, Senator Susan Collins of Maine called it a great discussion but added that the vibe was disturbed by Mr. Klain shaking his head from the back of the room. Not exactly an encouraging sign, she said. Mr. Klain eventually called Ms. Collins to smooth things over. She declined to comment.

There have also been rough patches. Mr. Klain was an early supporter of Neera Tanden, Mr. Bidens pick to run the Office of Management and Budget, until her nomination was withdrawn over critical tweets about Republican senators that she wrote during the Trump years. The chief of staffs colleagues said he had underestimated how negative Ms. Tandens reception would be on the Hill, a misstep that has kept a crucial office without a permanent director.

Mr. Klain, who appears to get his most vigorous daily exercise by striding through ornate corridors, has few diversions outside work, although he recently identified his prodigious Twitter habit as a hobby. His days typically begin at 6 a.m. or earlier., when he rises to consume volumes of overnight news and pre-dawn briefing papers before being ferried to the White House in a Suburban. By 7:30 a.m., Mr. Klain has settled into the chief of staffs big corner office, a short walk from the Oval Office.

He presides over a series of morning meetings with top White House aides one with the presidents senior advisers, another with the extended senior staff. He sends emails in bursts, with numbered bullet points and capitalization for emphasis. (Colleagues describe his email voice as emphatic.) He tries to be in the Oval Office at 9:30 a.m. or so, when the president receives his intelligence briefings.

Mr. Klain returns home, often after dark, to a verdant power enclave of Chevy Chase, Md., and a large home that he has referred to as the house that OMelveny Built, after his previous lucrative years at the international law firm OMelveny & Myers. His neighbors include Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, across Connecticut Avenue.

Mr. Klain is the oldest of three, the son of an Indianapolis building contractor and a travel agent. He is proud of his Hoosier roots: The 50th birthday invitation was superimposed over a red outline of Indiana, and he tries to make it home over Memorial Day for the Indianapolis 500.

But in fact, Mr. Klain comes off as a purebred swamp creature whose rsum covers the full bingo card of a Beltway superachiever: president of his high school class (79), active in student government and the Brain Game team, summa cum laude from Georgetown, legislative director for then-Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts. He followed up with Harvard Law School (magna cum laude, Law Review), then a clerkship for the Supreme Court justice Byron White.

Mr. Klain was associate counsel to President Bill Clinton, counselor to Attorney General Janet Reno and then chief of staff to Mr. Gore. His stint as Mr. Gores point man during the 2000 election dispute in Florida was immortalized in the 2008 HBO film Recount.

After Mr. Gores defeat, Mr. Klain salved his wounds in classic Washington fashion: by making tons of cash. He was a partner at OMelveny, worked mostly as a litigator and also registered as a lobbyist for Fannie Mae, among other clients. In 2004, he became involved with Revolution LLC, a technology investment firm started by AOLs billionaire co-founder Steve Case.

In 2015, Mr. Klain signed on to work for Hillary Clintons presidential campaign and did not wait until Mr. Biden announced he was not running. This was taken as a breach of the Biden loyalty protocol and became a sore spot in the vice presidents ecosystem, especially with Jill Biden, at least temporarily, according to people familiar with the episode.

Its been a little hard for me to play such a role in the Biden demise and I am definitely dead to them, Mr. Klain wrote to John Podesta, Mrs. Clintons campaign chairman, in an October 2015 email revealed by WikiLeaks. Friends of Mr. Klain said he had been considered for at least two of the Obama chief of staff openings but was passed over each time. He was brought back to lead the Obama administrations response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and was also viewed as a front-runner for the chief of staff job if Mrs. Clinton had prevailed in the 2016 election.

Mr. Klain spent the Trump years critiquing the White House on television, writing columns for The Washington Post and doing more work for Mr. Case at Revolution, where he received a $2 million salary in 2020, according to financial disclosure forms.

After Mr. Biden was elected, Mr. Klain was viewed as the obvious choice for the corner office. He often points out that he served under nine White House chiefs of staff during his time in the Clinton and Obama administrations. I have worked for more White House chiefs of staff than any other White House chief of staff, Mr. Klain boasted to Ms. Swisher.

He has three grown children with his wife, Monica Medina, a lawyer, whom Mr. Biden has nominated to be the assistant secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the State Department.

Mr. Klain has grown increasingly sentimental and emotional about his work, friends say, especially after the Trump era, which he took hard and personally. He choked up during a Zoom meeting with the White House staff to commemorate the end of the first 100 days of Mr. Bidens administration.

Party details for his 60th birthday on Aug. 8 remain elusive, although there has been talk that Mr. Klain might skip a big gala this summer and do a small family celebration instead on the big day. There was a major bash at the Klain house over July 4, with S.U.V.s parked in front and traffic snaked around the corner past Chief Justice Robertss house.

Guests in attendance said it was not a birthday celebration but an engagement party for Mr. Klains daughter Hannah Klain, which included a screening of Father of the Bride in the backyard.

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The Ascension of Ron Klain - The New York Times

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--One of the most decorated American gymnasts in history is sharing her inspiring health journey in a new Ascension marketing campaign on the importance of womens health and not delaying care.

Shannon Miller won seven Olympic medals and was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame twice, as an individual in 2006 and as part of the U.S. team in 2008. She was a member of the U.S. women's gymnastics team dubbed The Magnificent Seven that won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. After retiring from gymnastics competition, she earned an undergraduate degree in marketing and entrepreneurship, a law degree, and became an advocate for health and wellness.

In 2011, at age 33, after a routine screening that she almost delayed, Miller was diagnosed with a malignant germ cell tumor, a form of ovarian cancer.

Getting to my routine doctors appointment, one that I almost canceled, likely saved my life. I was suddenly in surgery at Ascension. And it was when I woke up from that surgery that I found out that it was a rare form of ovarian cancer, but they had caught it early, Miller said. So often we find reasons to focus on everything but our own health. But its important. Weve got to make sure we get in and get those preventive exams and screenings, because it really does matter and it really can save lives. She said that, while a cancer diagnosis is never easy, she always knew she had support and great care along the way from her care team.

Now 10 years cancer-free, Miller has teamed up with Ascension, one of the nations largest and leading nonprofit health systems, on a new marketing and consumer engagement campaign to encourage women to put their health at the top of their to-do list and start a conversation with a doctor who listens. And as a wife and mother, she makes sure her husband and her children all born at Ascension St. Vincents in Jacksonville, Florida also get the care they need without delay.

Shannon Miller is on a mission to make sure women pay attention to their health and avoid delaying care for themselves and those they love. Were blessed to be able to help her share her story in our communities, said Nick Ragone, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ascension.

The fully integrated marketing launch will include television ads across Ascension communities along with social media ads through the Tokyo summer games and beyond, and an email campaign focused on important health screenings including mammograms later this summer.

Take a look at Ascensions new 60-second TV ad featuring Shannon Miller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxq670WR0rA

Take a look at Ascensions new 30-second commercial featuring Shannon Miller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ3ZcNftUY0

About Ascension

Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2020, Ascension provided $2.4 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Ascension includes more than 160,000 associates and 40,000 aligned providers. The national health system operates more than 2,600 sites of care including 146 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities in 19 states and the District of Columbia, while providing a variety of services including clinical and network services, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, facilities management, risk management, and contracting through Ascensions own group purchasing organization.

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Gold Medal Gymnast Shannon Miller Promotes Importance of Women's Health in New Ascension Campaign - Business Wire

The Ascension Catholic High School volleyball team lost in the Division V semifinals to Country Day, of Metairie, last fall, but heading into this season, the team's confidence is high.

One of my goals each season is to give my team confidence to be a competitive team," said coach Janelle Leonard. "I want them to feel like they can compete with anyone."

Leonard heads into her 10th year as a head coach and her fourth season as the Bulldogs leader.

Leonard understands what it takes to be a state champ. Her Central Catholic team won it in 2003, and she played for Hall of Fame coach Sandy Fussell at Assumption High.

The Bulldogs beat several upper-classification teams last season, including Division II power Assumption on its way to the semifinals of Division V.

The Bulldogs have some good players to replace, including net players Mackenzie Marroy and Amelie Husers, plus the school's all-time leader in assists, Miranda Landry, and libero Maddie Tripode.

We have to work a little harder this year as we have many new and inexperienced players. They will have to step up in the roles we lost from last season, Leonard said.

Seniors Ella Lemann and Madisyn Cassard return as outside hitters; they have experience on the varsity level and will be counted on to be leaders. Junior defensive specialist/libero Raegan Tripode returns after getting some valuable court time last season.

Junior middle hitter Kaitlyn Brooks returns and is a talented player at the net. Junior Alyse Ourso will be counted on as a middle and outside hitter. The Bulldogs also return sophomore Allie Griffin; she is an outside hitter and is one of the top servers for ACHS.

Newcomers include Junior Emmie Lambert and sophomore Karlie Chaney.

Karlie and Emmie will fill the setters positions. I have not decided if we run a one setter or two; both have been working hard and have done a tremendous job this summer. Emmie could be a defensive specialist for us, Leonard said.

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The Bulldogs were dominant at the net last season. The leaders with kills have graduated, so new faces must step up.

Overall, we may not be as dominant at the net, but the girls will work and compete, Leonard said.

The Bulldogs have a large freshman class coming in and Leonard said she is excited about their potential.

This freshmen group is passionate, they work hard, and many are natural athletes. The future looks bright for our program, Leonard said.

As always, the Bulldogs will play upper-classification teams as they prepare for district and the playoffs.

I believe it is safe to say that most of our teams in district will be rebuilding with experienced players moving on," Leonard said. "Our matches with St. John are always great, as well as Ascension Christian in district. In our division, Country Day will be a power as well as McGehee. Catholic of Pointe Coupee will likely be in the same boat as us, losing their most dominant players."

ACHS finished 19-11 last season and will be looking for that elusive state championship.

We are working hard this summer with weights and conditioning and games at the Wellness Center in Thibodaux. We are attending two team camps coming up," Leonard said.

With the season approaching, you can tell the excitement is ramping up for volleyball.

Some of our opponents may beat us, but they wont outwork us. We wont go down without a fight," Leonard said.

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Ascension Catholic volleyball poised for 2021 season - The Advocate

Calling artists for Red Hot Night art exhibit

River Region Art Association invites all adult artists in the River Parishes area to participate in its Red Hot Night art exhibit. Submission should have the colors of the hot summer, red, orange and yellow or anything else representing hot. Art should be able to be hung or sit on a table or pedestal. Art should be delivered from noon to 4 p.m. July 30-31 at the Depot Gallery, 320 East Ascension St., Suite C, Gonzales.

The association's Red Hot Night party will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 7. A Best of Show rosette will be presented to the art selected by the attendees during the evening. Admission is free and the evening will also include refreshments and silly games, a door prize raffle and live musical entertainment. This adults only party is a great time to see the art by local artists, so come and bring your friends and neighbors.

For more information, call (225) 644-8496 and leave a message and gallery volunteers will call you back. The Depot Gallery is open from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The LSU AgCenter and Ascension Parish Master Gardener Association will host a Louisiana Master Gardener training class, beginning Aug. 18. Designed to recruit and train volunteers, the Louisiana Master Gardener Program is open to anyone with a willingness to learn and a desire to help others. For more information or to receive a copy of the application, contact the Ascension Parish LSU AgCenter Office at (225) 621-5799 or email Horticulture Agent Mariah Simoneaux at mjsimoneaux@agcenter.lsu.edu. The application deadline is July 30.

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Author Nathan J. Rabalais is set to visit the Ascension Parish Library in Gonzales at 2 p.m. July 24 to discuss his recent book, "Folklore Figures of French and Creole Louisiana." In this book, Rabalais examines the impact of Louisianas diverse cultural and ethnic groups on folklore characters and motifs during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Born in Eunice, Rabalais is the Joseph P. Montiel Assistant Professor of Francophone Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He earned a Ph.D. in French studies at Tulane University and a Doctorat en lettres et langues from the Universit de Poitiers. Rabalais also directed "Finding Cajun," a documentary film on cultural identity in Louisiana.

A book signing will follow the discussion. Registration is required. To register or for more information, call (225) 647-3955.

Take off Pounds Sensibly meets starting with weigh-in at 9:15 a.m. and meeting at 10 a.m. every Thursday at the fellowship hall at Carpenter's Chapel Church, 41181 La. 933, in Prairieville. Dues are $5 a month. For information, call Miriam Sanchez at (225) 202-8521.

The Recycling Center is at the Department of Public Works headquarters, 42077 Churchpoint Road in Gonzales. Operating hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

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Around Ascension for July 21, 2021 | Ascension | theadvocate.com - The Advocate

Twin brothers and Geismar natives Thurman and Torrence Thomas returned home last week to check in on their Tank Proof swim session at the Gonzales Municipal Pool.

The brothers got the idea several years ago to team with local business and agencies provide free swim lessons for children.

The Dutchtown High grads established their successful musical career before deciding to give back to the community that supported them. The two knew that drowning was one of the leading causes of death in children under 5. They thought it was sad that so many children did not know how to swim and might never have the opportunity to learn, so they formed a nonprofit organization, Tank Proof, to teach children how to swim.

The success of Tank Proof was immediate, spreading across the nation and being featured on national news reports.

Registration for last week's Gonzales program filled up quickly.

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The Ascension Parish Department of Recreation is looking at the event to gauge whether something like this could be added to the parishs recreation mix.

We want to expand the number and types of recreational programs in the parish, said Parish President Clint Cointment. A public/private partnership like this one would go one step further, involving more people and spreading the word farther and faster.

Cointment attended the Friday session to cheer on the participants.

To learn more about Tank Proof, visit their website: https://www.tankproof.org/ or their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tankproofswim.

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Ascension Recreation, area businesses support Tank Proof Swimming program - The Advocate

During the week of July 12 July 16, 2021, the following defendants pled guilty to various charges and were sentenced in the 23rd Judicial District Court, parishes of Ascension, Assumption, and St. James.

Ascension Parish:

The above cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Phil Maples, and presiding over these matters was the Honorable Judge Cody Martin.

The above cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Leila Braswell and Maeghen Kling. Presiding over these matters was the Honorable Judge Jason Verdigets.

Assumption Parish:

The above case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Lana Chaney, and presiding over these matters was the Honorable Judge Tess Stromberg.

St. James Parish:

The above case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Adam Koenig, and presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Steven Tureau.

Submitted by Public Information Officer Tyler Cavalier for 23rd Judicial District Attorney Ricky L. Babin.

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Ascension, Assumption and St. James guilty pleas 7/12 to 7/16 - L'Observateur - L'Observateur

GONZALES A former Ascension Parish sheriff's detective fired earlier this year after he was accused ofstalking and committing battery against his ex-girlfriend has entered a pretrial diversion program and, if completed, could see his charges dropped and possibly expunged, his defense attorney said.

Timothy G. May, 44, of Prairieville, entered the District Attorney's Probation Program on July 8. He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.

His attorney, Hallye Braud, said prosecutors agreed to the step after May's ex-girlfriend asked Judge Jason Verdigets on April 12 to have the protective order against May removed and then later told the judge that she didn't want to prosecutors to pursue charges against him.

GONZALES The Ascension Parish sheriff fired one of his detectives after the officer's arrest over a domestic dispute with a former girlfriend.

The ex-girlfriend has told Verdigets that she and May were trying to reconcile.

In April, Verdigets told the ex-girlfriend that he was likely to grant her request but wouldn't lift the order unless prosecutors had no objections.

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The judge dismissed the protective order as a condition of May's bail on April 19, a week after ex-girlfriend had requested it.

Prosecutors had been scheduled on July 12 to present their preliminary evidence of the charges against May but Braud told the judge that May had entered the diversion program four days earlier.

Braud said later that she and her client believed it was in his best interests to pursue the program as a step to move forward.

Twenty-third Judicial District Attorney Ricky Babin offers the pretrial diversion program as an alternative to prosecution. The program can require participants to take education classes, submit to drug testing, meet with a probation officer and other steps, the DA's Office website says.

The DA's office declined to comment.

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Former Ascension sheriff's detective accused in domestic incident heads to pretrial diversion - The Advocate

A judge decided Thursday that a former Baton Rouge Police Department narcotics officer who has been arrested four times this year will remain jailed without bail, despite receiving what his lawyer called a favorable psychological evaluation.

Jason Acree's attorney asked state District Judge Christopher Dassau to reconsider his June 1 ruling that Acree is an "imminent threat" to the community and himself, and therefore must be held without bail following his fourth arrest in late May.

A former Baton Rouge police officer arrested for the fourth time this year will remain jailed for the foreseeable future after a judge revoked

"The doctor's report is pretty clear that he's not a danger to anyone else," John McLindon, who represents Acree, told the judge during a hearing Thursday.

McLindon argued that the stress from Acree's three prior arrests by BRPD in a corruption probe focused on the department's narcotics division contributed to his May 27 arrest in Ascension Parish on drug and gun charges stemming from an alleged drag racing incident.

East Baton Rouge Parish First Assistant District Attorney Tracey Barbera deferred to Dassau's discretion on whether Acree, 34, should be granted bail, but she reminded the judge that Acree's latest arrest occurred while he was out on $30,000 bond that Dassau had set in April.

Barbera said she was not asking the judge to treat Acree differently than any other defendant because of his former law enforcement status.

Dassau said in his estimation nothing has changed since June 1 when he ordered Acree held without bail.

"He's going to continue to be held without bond," the judge said.

McLindon said after court that he was very disappointed with the judge's latest ruling.

"I'm very surprised based on what the doctor wrote," he said.

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Dassau had recommended last month that Acree undergo counseling and drug treatment while locked up.

Acree had already been arrested three times by BRPD colleagues in recent months when he was booked into Ascension Parish jail May 27 after state troopers pulled him over for drag racing on Interstate 10 and found illegal painkillers and three guns one an assault-style rifle inside the car, arrest documents say. His bail in Ascension is $45,000.

Former Baton Rouge police officer Jason Acree, who has already been arrested three times by his BRPD colleagues in recent months amid an ongoi

Acree told troopers he was heading to New Orleans to work a private security job, according to his arrest report. He was booked on counts of possession of Schedule II drugs, illegal carrying of weapons with drugs, speeding and reckless driving.

Acree resigned from BRPD in May after his second arrest by the department, which came after internal investigators found evidence he stole marijuana from the narcotics evidence room. He had worked as a narcotics detective for several years.

His third arrest involved allegations he lied on a search warrant application, something investigators concluded during an audit.

The mounting accusations against Acree come amid a probe into the entire BRPD narcotics unit, which came under scrutiny for several reasons, including his alleged criminal behavior.

A BRPD detective, Cpl. Jacob Cowart, was fired Wednesday amid widening fallout from the probe. He was a relatively new member of the narcotics unit. He was found to have violated department policies.

Acree was one of two narcotics detectives who resigned earlier this year facing criminal charges; the other was Jeremiah Ardoin. BRPD also transferred four narcotics supervisors to street patrol.

After he was arrested twice in recent months and accused of stealing drugs from the evidence room, a narcotics detective resigned Monday from

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Former BRPD narcotics officer with 4 arrests this year again denied bail by judge - The Advocate

After a sprawling criminal investigation that started with a complaint about his behavior in Florida, a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and FBI special agent tasked with investigating crimes against children now faces sex crime charges of his own involving juvenile and adult victims in both Louisiana and Texas.

David Harris, 51, was arrested last month in Ascension Parish, where he lives. During a bond hearing July 1, the court declared him a "threat to the public at large" and ordered him held without bail. The decision came after an investigator testified that Harris had threatened two of his victims with violence in an apparent attempt to keep them quiet.

The allegations date back several years, overlapping with the successful law enforcement and military careers Harris pursued for decades, starting with his 1992 graduation from West Point. His most recent assignment for the FBI involved investigating crimes against children, including child pornography.

His own alleged crimes span three Southern states and involve a handful of victims, both children and adults, according to court records and law enforcement officials.

Harris was arrested in Ascension Parish on counts of indecent behavior with children under 13 and crimes against nature. He has an outstanding warrant in Orleans Parish for sexual battery and attempted third-degree rape and a warrant in East Baton Rouge for aggravated crimes against nature, indecent behavior with juveniles, obscenity and witness intimidation.

In Smith County, Texas, he faces charges of indecency with a child. Harris remains under investigation in Florida, but no warrant has been issued there.

Details about the allegations remain scarce because the Louisiana warrants were filed under seal, and Texas officials have not released theirs.

A New Orleans-based FBI agent arrested last week on numerous sexual misconduct charges involving children is now being held without bond in As

In the meantime, a transcript from the bond hearing reveals the scope of the ongoing investigation and new details about the case.

Sgt. Jay Donaldson, a Louisiana state trooper assigned to the case, testified that Harris had "threatened a juvenile victim and also planned to harm another victim if any problems arose for him."

Donaldson also testified that the two victims in Ascension Parish case are minors.

Ascension Parish Judge Katherine Tess Stromberg concluded Harris posed a danger to the public if released from jail. She deemed him a flight risk after hearing testimony about his close connections to relatives in Alaska, including his father and siblings.

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Harris also had an intimate relationship with a woman in Alaska whom he recently contacted, which "gives us reason to believe that may be an issue upon his release that he goes to Alaska," Donaldson said.

Harris lived with his wife and daughter in Prairieville but sometimes traveled for work and to visit family, officials said. He was assigned to the FBI New Orleans Field Office.

Attorneys for Harris emphasized that he knew about the allegations for months before his arrest and made no moves to evade law enforcement.

He learned about the investigation not long after the complaint was received in February, when he was completing an 18-month assignment to the FBI Internet Crimes Against Children unit based in Baltimore, his attorney said. At that point, he was placed on indefinite suspension from the assignment and sent back to Baton Rouge, his local FBI office.

Months later, he was arrested in Ascension Parish. He had no disciplinary record with the FBI and no known criminal history at the time, investigators testified.

Harris served as an infantry officer in the Army Reserve based in Louisiana, according to a military spokesman. His record includes numerous awards and commendations.

"He has served this country honorably for his entire life," his attorney Craig Mordock said during the hearing. "These allegations are completely out of character."

But prosecutors noted the seriousness and scope of the alleged offenses.

"While he does not have a previous record as far as convictions, he does have a history of doing this all over the United States," said Assistant District Attorney Leila Braswell.

Those cases and the one in Texas likely will proceed after the charges in Ascension are resolved.

It was not immediately clear whether Harris had been placed on leave from either the FBI or the Army Reserve. FBI officials have declined to answer questions about his employment status, saying only that the agency is "fully cooperating in this matter."

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'Threat to the public:' Sex crimes case against FBI agent spans three parishes, three states - The Advocate

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

Giannis Antetokounmpo's ascension from a mysterious non-lottery pick in 2013 to a Finals MVP is complete, thanks to the Milwaukee Bucks' 105-98 win over the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 on Tuesday.

In a closeout game that featured Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, no one shined anywhere near as bright as Giannis, whose50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks put him in exceptionally rare company.

The list of ways you can contextualize what Giannis did during this postseason, this Finals and this Game 6 could probably go on a while longer.

The arc of his entire career bears mentioning too. In eight years, he went from an obscure, skinny project who just wanted to be an NBA player to the most physically imposing force the league has had since Shaquille O'Neal.

On Tuesday, he was, in a word, dominant. And he didn't need a bunch of step-back jumpers or a so-called "bag" to do it. This was, in a lot of ways, a throwback game.For decadesfrom Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to Shaqbigs dominated the NBA.

While the advent of the three-point revolution curbed their impact, Giannis just scored a win for the big man with one of the most overwhelming postseason runs we've ever seen. And capping it off with a 50-point performance seals this run's place in history.

Regardless of who was in front of him, Giannis was relentless. He went around Deandre Ayton and over or through Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder. He was unstoppable around the rim, but he also hit four shots around the free-throw line. Perhaps most impressively, he went 17-of-19 from the charity stripe (tied for the fourth-most makes in a single Finals game), after entering Game 6 with a 55.6 free-throw percentage for the playoffs.

With a chance to win the Bucks' first title in 50 years, Giannis was as locked in as he's ever been. And winning a title this way, inthisera, makes it feel even more special.

LeBron James ushered in the player-empowerment era when he took his talents to South Beach in 2010. Since then, he's maneuvered around the league and manufactured title runs for three different organizations. When it looked like it wouldn't happen in Cleveland, he went to Miami. When the Heat started to age out of contention, he returned to Cleveland and brought Kevin Love with him. After that soured, he went to the Los Angeles Lakers and lured Anthony Davis there a year later.

Kevin Durant's move from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Golden State Warriors was similarly critiqued around sports websites and social media platforms.

Kawhi Leonard won what now feels like a hired-gun championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

For Giannis to win multiple MVPs with the smaller-market team that drafted him and not even entertain free agency before winning a title is unusual. But he's just not a usual superstar. Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer explained last offseason:

"Any figure around the Bucks, or who has spent time around Antetokounmpo, has always spoken of the superstar's unwavering loyalty. This is a person who once refused to attend theNBAdraft unless his brother could come along with him. By all accounts, he enjoys the decibel levels of Milwaukee's market. He does not yearn for the lights ofNew Yorkor Los Angeles.

"It's also said that Antetokounmpo values being not just the face but the bedrock of the franchise. That is not to characterize him as brimming with ego, rather pride in carrying himself like an organizational pillar. He relishes the responsibility of leading Milwaukee to a championship, like the stars he grew up watching before a wave of player empowerment swept the league."

He more or less confirmed that description on Tuesday.

"I couldnt leave," Giannis said of the supermax extension he signed prior to this season. "...I wanted to get the job done.

Over the course of his eight-year career, the 26-year-old Antetokounmpo deployed a focus born of adversity toward that job.

Giannis has checked a lot of boxes between "trying to figure out where we were going to get our next meal from" and one of the most historically dominant postseasons in NBA history.

On Tuesday, he got the job done in truly stunning fashion.

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Giannis' Game 6 the Ultimate Exclamation Point on an All-Time Great Finals - Bleacher Report