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published Apr 28, 2005

Judge lowers 'boom' on loud-music violator

By Mandy M. Goodnight
mgoodnight@thetowntalk.com
(318) 487-6465

Music will no longer be booming from Calvin Bennett Jr.'s vehicle, at
least for a while.

Ninth Judicial District Judge Thomas Yeager ordered the 18-year-old to
have his Ford Ranger stripped of all stereo equipment except what was
factory-installed as a condition of his probation. Bennett's failure to
comply would have been a violation of his probation, which would result
in three months in jail.

Bennett, who got a loud-music ticket, showed up Wednesday at the
Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office with his $500 equipment and handed it
over.

"It sucks," Bennett said.

The Pineville teen laughed at the mention of turning his radio down
while driving.

Yeager said he ordered the sentence to try to deter young adults from
disturbing their communities. "It (loud music) is a big problem but one
that has a solution," he said.

The Pineville and Alexandria police departments stay busy fielding
loud-music complaints. Both cities have ordinances addressing loud
noise, including drivers playing their radios too loudly.

Alexandria police Chief Daren Coutee estimates his officers respond to
50 or 60 loud-noise complaints per month. He said there are other
residents bothered by loud music who do not call in to complain.

Pineville police Chief Jay Barber is reviewing his city's loud-noise
ordinance to possibly change it. Yeager provided Barber with ordinances
from other communities. One of the ordinances makes any music that is
audible outside a vehicle illegal.

The current Pineville ordinance depends on decibel levels that officers
must measure in determining if the music or noise violates the law.

Barber has sent Yeager's research information to the city's attorney
for review. Barber said he is continuing to do research, and there is
no time frame on when the noise ordinance may be addressed.

Barber worries that some Pineville drivers have their music so loud
that they cannot hear oncoming trains. The city has a number of
railroad crossings.

Rapides Parish Assistant District Attorney Tom Searcy handles most of
the noise violations brought to the DA's office. He averages 10
citations a week. Searcy said the majority of violators are teens.

This isn't the first time Yeager has taken an unique approach to
sentencing. At one time, he ordered loud-music violators to sit for an
hour and listen to loud classic country music.

Bennett seemed to shrug off Yeager's sentencing with an attitude of "I
am going to do what I want."

The 18-year-old got the loud-music ticket in 2004 but missed his
initial court appearance. He said he moved to Texas and did not have
his court date.

On Monday, he was arrested for contempt of court and spent the night in
jail. He appeared Tuesday before Yeager on the loud-music citation.

Yeager asked him why he felt the need to play music so loudly and roll
down his windows while doing do. To which Bennett answered that he
wanted people to hear him coming.

The teen pleaded guilty, got his 90-day sentence suspended and was
given probation.

Except his sentence wasn't over.

Yeager told the teen he had to turn in his driver's license for 30 days
and forfeit his stereo equipment as conditions of his probation. If it
wasn't done, then Bennett would have to serve the 90 days in jail.

Bennett was shocked by the sentence. "I actually wondered if he could
really do that," he said.

The teen brought his vehicle to have the amps and other equipment
removed, but the Sheriff's Office didn't know what to do. He was told
to return Wednesday, so the night before, Bennett took out the
equipment, which he had worked two years to get.

"The sentence isn't going to stop me playing music," Bennett said. "I
love my music."

Yeager said teens don't realize that their actions impact others. He
said he hopes young people learn that there are boundaries, and they do
have obligations to their community.

"I hope this can deter them from doing this," the judge said.

Lacola Washington is hopeful. She happened to be in court when Yeager
sentenced Bennett. The Alexandria woman was shocked with the sentence
but understands why it was done.

She lives in the Oil Mill Quarters and is often awakened by vehicles
pounding music as they go down the street. Washington said the windows
and walls seem to shake when some drivers go by her house.

"There is no reason for that," she said.