One of the new Henderson welcome signs lasted just two weeks before it was destroyed.
“I saw it at 6 o’clock in the morning, so I was pretty surprised to see the damage,” said Henderson resident Seth Dubose. “I actually contacted the guy that did it and he was pretty shocked about it cause they did a roundabout in Youngsville and that same situation happened.”
Dubose drove through the northern roundabout Monday morning on his way to work not knowing what had occurred just a few hours before.
“At first it started on the interstate a high speed chase, chasing two people and they came off the exit right here and actually hit it,” Mayor Sherbin Collette said. “The approximate speed was about 60 miles an hour I think when they hit.”
Collette received the email at 4:30 a.m that this welcome sign, meant to beautify the city, was in shambles.
“I was pretty shocked,” Collette said. “I mean its only two weeks that. The only thing that I got the ability to do was cut the grass on top of the roundabouts.”
According to the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s office, the suspect was arrested and charged with six charges speeding; flight from an officer - aggravated, reckless operation of a vehicle, simple criminal property damage valued $1,000 to $50,000, schedule I narcotics (all other), possession firearm committing/ attempt crime.
“Probably what saved those two girls lives were those pilings,” Collette said. “The pilings are put especially for that.”
St. Martin Economic Development Authority Director Jennifer Stelly said the beautification was part of St. Martin Parish’s “Roundabout Beautification Project.” she said this project has been years in the making.
As for Mayor Collette’s visions for the future of the roundabout..
“I’d like to put on one of them a 12-foot alligator standing up on its tale and he’s gonna be playing the fiddle,” Collette said. “And on the opposite side of him I’m gonna put a 12-foot crawfish that’s gonna actually be playing the accordion.”
Collette said he is working with St. Martin Parish Economic Development Authority to clean up the roundabout.
