An Acadia Parish manis now facing two felony charges and 19 misdemeanor charges after being accused of forcing a school bus carrying Rayne High School's basketball team and their coach to stop on Highway 90 in Duson on June 6.
Duson Police Department provided video to KATC on Tuesday showing the moments before the incident when Chief Kip Judice says 64-year-old Kenneth Navarre got out of his blue Ford F-250 pick-up truck waving gestures at the bus near a railroad crossing before proceeding to give chase. Just a little bit later, Judice tells KATC Navarre cut the school bus off on the highway and parked in front of it, leaving the driver unable to move due to oncoming traffic.
According to police, Navarre then approached the bus, yelling threats at the coach driving the bus, insisting he open the door to the bus. When the coach refused, officers say Navarre got in his truck and fled the scene. As for a motive, police tell KATC Navarre claims he was trying to save the children on the bus, claiming the coach was driving erratically near Quarter Pole Road. Multiple surveillance videos of the area from the police department did not corroborate this.
Through what police say was a thorough interview process of the players, coach, and Navarre, it was gathered that players on the bus believed to have seen Navarre angrily waving a handgun at the bus while they were on the road. While police have no evidence of this being the case, they tell KATC the coach involved reported seeing a handgun in the inside door panel of the F-250. Navarre denies having a gun at all during the interactions and says he was trying to get the driver's name to report his actions to school officials, according to the chief.
The ages of the RHS basketball players riding the bus at the time of the incident ranged from 14 to 17. Chief Judice says all 19 of them reported a fear of being battered by Navarre. All, including the coach, said they believed to be a "deranged man" approaching the bus. Judice tells KATC his team does not have any evidence of impairment being the reason for the altercation. KATC reached out to the coach for comment, but he opted not to.
Officers say Navarre turned himself into police Monday evening and was booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. While the investigation into the incident is now complete, the chief says it could be up to six months before PD receives court dates for Navarre from the DA. Police tell KATC Navarre faces multiple charges including reckless operation of a vehicle; aggravated obstruction of a highway; 19 counts of simple assault; and one count of simple assault on an educator by a non-student.
Judice and his department want to remind the public not to intervene in situations that may leave them feeling enraged or aggravated on the road, as it could lead to serious consequences when it comes to safety and the law. If you're in a situation of that sort, you are urged to call 911 and make a report to let the authorities handle it. Important things to include in your report are the color, make, and model of the vehicle involved, a license plate number and the state it belongs to, along with your approximate location and the direction you're traveling.
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