FEDS INVESTIGATE DRUG, CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS IN EBR

Federal prosecutors have started a preliminary review of allegations
of political corruption and drug trafficking involving four people
from East Baton Rouge Parish.

The review of material compiled by the FBI, Drug Enforcement
Administration and Sheriff's Office deals with "specific allegations"
against "specific people," U.S. Attorney Brian Jackson said Thursday.

"This is not a broad or widespread review of actions of legislators
and lobbyists," Jackson said.

The review comes one day after House Speaker Charles DeWitt, D-
LeCompte, hired a defense attorney and denied any wrongdoing in the
probe.

DeWitt's attorney, Mike Small of Alexandria, contacted Jackson on
Thursday and offered DeWitt's cooperation with any investigation.

"I know essentially what evidence has been turned over," Small said.
"I'm absolutely confident that the U.S. Attorney's Office will not
file criminal charges in this case."

Jackson would not confirm DeWitt's involvement, saying only that the
drug trafficking allegations deal with four people arrested recently
in Baton Rouge.

Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Darrell O'Neal said the Sheriff's
Office does not have a warrant for DeWitt's arrest "at this time."

"The investigation is continuing," he said.

The probe started with the arrests of four people -- a Baton Rouge
business owner, a radio station ad executive, an exotic dancer and a
suspected drug dealer -- in a case Sheriff's Office records say
involves "prostitution, drug trafficking and political corruption
within East Baton Rouge Parish."

Kenneth Breitenbach, owner of Digital Press & Graphics, was arrested
July 19 on an obstruction of justice count.

Breitenbach was accused of asking an unnamed co-defendant "to lie
about his having paid a prostitute for sex, as well as the defendant
having provided cocaine to that prostitute," according to a sheriff's
affidavit.

Breitenbach was arrested again July 27 on counts of conspiracy to
distribute cocaine and Ecstasy.

Lisa Carr Yaegle, an account executive at Guaranty Broadcasting,
which includes radio stations WDGL-FM and WTGE-FM, was arrested July
25 on the same drug counts.

Warrants say both Breitenbach and Yaegle admitted to buying cocaine
from Henry Marshall at Marshall's Fairway View Apartment on College
Drive.

Marshall, the suspected dealer, was arrested July 23 on the same drug
counts as Breitenbach and Yaegle.

Sybil Ann Truss, a former Gold Club dancer, was arrested Tuesday on a
count of conspiracy to distribute crack and powder cocaine in the
same investigation.

Truss' husband, John Gonzales Jr., is wanted on the same counts as
his wife, O'Neal said.

No one has been arrested so far on prostitution or political corruption counts.

So far, there has been no substantiation of the drug trafficking and
political corruption allegations, Jackson said.

Editor's note: Advocate Staff Writer Melissa Moore contributed to this report.