IBERIA PARISH — A Jeanerette man was taken into custody following a bond hearing in connection with a weekend incident that injured nearly 20 people at the Lao New Year Festival in Iberia Parish.
Authorities say 52-year-old Todd Landry lost control of his vehicle Saturday and drove into a crowd near the intersection of Melancon and Savannakhet roads.
Investigators allege Landry was impaired at the time of the crash. 19 people were evaluated and treated at area hospitals, officials said.
Landry was arrested at the scene and booked into the Iberia Parish Jail. A breathalyzer test indicated he was over the legal limit, according to authorities. His bond was set at $227,700.
He faces multiple charges, including 18 counts of first-degree negligent vehicular injuring.
The incident unfolded during what is typically a festive annual celebration, leaving attendees shaken.
“I work with Todd—he’s a good guy,” said Bruce Chanhkongsinh, a neighbor from Lanexang Village who has known Landry for more than a decade through their work at the Port of New Iberia and in the oil field industry. “That’s why I say, ‘Oh man, a good guy,’ and it happened and nobody know.”
Chanhkongsinh described Landry as a well-known figure in both the local workforce and the Lao community.
“He come over here every year,” he said. “This year he didn’t come to my house—he went to the side road over there.”
Saturday, authorities responded to the intersection of Melancon and Savannakhet Road, where Landry was given a breathalyzer and found to be over the legal limit.
He faces multiple charges, including 18 counts of first degree negligent vehicular injuring.
Bruce says his tight-knit community plans on helping Landry any way they can.
Despite the charges, Chanhkongsinh said members of the tight-knit community are expressing sympathy for those affected and support for Landry’s family.
“Just tell his family I’m sorry man, in my neighborhood--all the people good over here; but this time the bad, I’m sorry about that. But I know when he go to court, maybe a lotta people could help him out in the court, for sure."
