A New Iberia man convicted in connection with a July 2016 road rage incident has been sentenced to prison.
A release from the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced that Donald Broussard, who had previously been convicted of negligent homicide in the incident, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
The sentence is for the death of twenty-four-year-old Rakeem Blakes of Bossier City. On July 8, 2016, following
an alleged hit-and-run by Blakes at the intersection of Highway 90 and Ambassador Caffery in Lafayette Parish, Broussard engaged in “road rage” that ultimately resulted in Blakes’ death, the release states.
Despite directions from 9-1-1 dispatchers to return to the scene of the accident, Broussard pursued Blakes’ vehicle for almost eleven miles—going through ditches, riding on the shoulder and traveling at excessive speeds—until Blakes lost control of his vehicle and struck an 18-wheeler head-on at the Jefferson Hwy exit in Iberia Parish, the release states. Blakes died at the scene as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.
Broussard faced up to five years at hard labor and a fine of up to five thousand dollars as a result of his negligent homicide conviction.
According to the release, at today’s sentencing hearing before Judge Curtis Sigur, Judge Sigur sentenced Broussard to four years at hard labor for negligent homicide. Additionally, Judge Sigur held Broussard in contempt of court for his repeated refusal to answer questions by the State.
The Court sentenced Broussard to an additional thirty days in the parish jail for contempt, to run concurrently (at the same time) with the negligent homicide sentence.
Broussard was remanded into custody, and an appeal bond was set at $100,000.
