Posted on 12/31/2006 12:04:59 PM PST by LdSentinal
Just days before he was to take office, the body of Westlake Mayor-Elect Gerald Washington was found outside the old Mossville High School on Old Spanish Trail. According to authorities with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office, the 9-1-1 call came in at 9:49 p.m. from a motorist passing the school who said they saw a body on the ground of the parking lot.
Calcasieu Sheriff's crime scene investigators arrived and found the body of a black male with a single gun shot wound. The body was later identified as Washington. The Calcasieu Coronor's Office is performing an autospy to determine the cause of death.
Westlake City Councilmen Bob Hardey and Danny Cupit were notified and came to the scene. Both say they had spoken to Washington the day before and recall him being excited about taking office.
"It was a total shock to everyone. We are a newly-elected bunch and "Wash" was going to be taking office on Tuesday," said Hardey. "We're missing a good friend and hopefully we'll get through this."
"It's Really hard to believe. It's a tremendous shock. We were looking forward to the next four years. I think we all had a good chemistry between the city council and the new mayor," said Cupit.
The City Council is now looking at the next step to appoint a new mayor. They say they have three options: Elect a mayor pro-temp; Governor Kathleen Blanco could appoint one; or outgoing Mayor Dudley Dixon could remain in office until a special election could be held. Hardey says they plan to have a meeting on Tuesday to discuss all options.
We'll have the latest on the investigation and reaction from Westlake residents Sunday night at 10:30 immediately following the NFL match-up on NBC.
Oh, for Christ's sake. I suppose you're just making a joke, but JFK Jr died in the sort of accident that claims at least 100 lives a year or the 500 that die in small planes annually.
He wasn't running for anything; and there's never been any convincing proof that Hillary has murdered anybody. I suspect that she and her staff hindered the Foster investigation, but that's as far as that goes. I wouldn't be surprized if he capped himself. He was that kind of loser.
This guy, Mr Washington, was no threat to anybody as far as I can see, he just seems like a decent guy who held a job, retired, and had some not-very-deep ideas about making his small town better. I bet most of us would have liked him if we ever met him. I'm sorry he's dead and I hope they catch the doer.
Yeah, even if it's Hillary (and yeah, that was a joke).
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
"I still can't believe that I had voted for him for assessor."
Well, I will take a second look at your endoressments for political office after that statement (just kidding).
I have actually met Charlotte Burkes at the state legislature in Nashville. She has done a fine job and as far as I know is still holding Tommy's seat (I am not in her district).
I have traveled the now Tommy Burkes dedicated stretch of I-40 often, and everytime I do I think of him. From what I understand he was a great public servant and man. It's a shame that a nutcase took his life so young. But I read everything I can about Charlotte, a little country girl (and housewife) who was thrust into the limelight by this tragedy.
Hey! No fish, just had the big motor overhauled. Hope you've had a chance to catch some! Happy and safe New Year to you!
Go read MiaT's info on the toon's. I don't know who got Mr. Washington I don't think it was the toons. They just have too many "accidental" dead bodies connected to them. Look up the clinton body count on google and see how many had plane "accidents".
Westlake isn't large, it's near Lake Charles. I've never ever heard anything bad about Westlake. It's a fairly nice quiet place, good schools, etc. (I know their football team beat the snot out of ours for several years, lol!) From the article I read, this new Mayor was a very nice guy, had attended a retirement party for the previous mayor the week before and was in good spirits and looking forward to the future. Just really, really sad.
Fishergirl, I received a 14-foot jonboat with a 25 HP-Evinrude motor, trailer and trolling motor on it for Christmas.
This fact alone indicates I am going to have a good year in 2007. I might not be freeping as much, as I'll be fishing. That's the plan for now.
Sorry about your motor overhaul.
I'll be down to Westlake at some point this coming year to visit my relatives. If you need a ride fishing I'll take you.
I wouldn't mind catching some more of those redfish down that way again, in the shallows. I'd be willing to drag my boat down there to do so. I've heard the fishing is good despite Hurricane Rita.
Happy New Year.
Aww, poor man, rest in peace, Mr. Mayor. Someone mentioned that he was also a Viet Nam vet. Is there any more information about what happened?
JFK Jr had just announced he was running for the NY senate seat she wanted.
You are wrong. JFK Jr. never announced for that seat. Indeed, at the time of his death, no one had (not even Hillary). Influential Dems approached not JFK Jr, but moonbat environmental lawyer and off-and-on heroin addict RFK Jr to run, according to this WAPO story from 1999.
He was a good pilot
Not good enough. He was in no-horizon overwater haze conditions, functionally equivalent to instrument meteorological conditions, and he didn't have an instrument rating. He had only 300 hours (not much) and he had only 3 hours solo time in the airplane he flew to his death (not enough to be flying it at night). Indeed, he had only 70 hours of instructorless pilot in command. That suggests that he might have been insecure about his skills.
the weather was clear.
Wasn't. It was hazy, and there was no visible horizon.
Something caused catastrophic failure in the aircraft < Bomb IMO >
There was no bomb in the aircraft. The aircraft did not break up until it hit the water at very high speed (probably around 230 kt). All the parts that were recovered, including parts that are normally lost in inflight breakups, like control surfaces, wingtips, and tail, were found on the seabed close alongside the other wreckage by Navy divers and ROVs.
Here's the official NTSB report, which is probably wasted if you're not a pilot or accident investigator.
Here is a more explanatory posting. It's by an author who is also a licensed pilot, so it's worth reading, even though it is in the far-left Salon.com.
May God save us from conspiracy loons. Yes, sometimes a plane crashes because a pilot screws up.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
An autopsy is typically performed anytime there is an "unattended death".
Don't remember his first name, but his nickname was "low tax Looper". That happened in Monteray(sp)
As does, apparently, your ignorance.
Wooo hooo!! Sounds like Santa was really good to you! The fishing has been really good despite Rita, from reports we've heard. Seas offshore have been rough and bad fog at times, but inland in the cuts have been good and shrimping and crabbing in the marsh! Happy New Year!!
May the Mayor-elect rest in peace. Prayers for his family.
Wasn't JFK Jr. flying in terribly bad weather? Perhaps Hillary borrowed Rove's Hurricane machine?
Wasn't JFK Jr. flying in terribly bad weather? Perhaps Hillary borrowed Rove's Hurricane machine?
He was a novice pilot. He had flown a Cessna 182 until he bought the high performance airplane.
He had very little time in the new airplane. It was dark and he had little experience flying by instruments.
When you fly over water, the stars reflect from the water and so you cannot see a horizon. It is hard to see the horizon at night, and impossible if over water.
A headrest was among the parts washed up on the shore. The airplane hit the water upside down and the water sheared off the top of the cabin, including the head rest. If it sheared off the head rest, what do you think it did to the head that was in front of it?
The airplane fuselage was found upside down on the bottom with the bodies still strapped in the seats. I am sure they had no heads, and that is why the bodies were buried at sea.
I am a pilot and have a lot of time in a similar airplane.
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