Deville pleads guilty to lesser arson charge

After having been accused of playing a part in the burning of the Rendezvous Dinner Club, the former owner of the restaurant John Deville finally had his day in court.
The historic restaurant, that is better known as the Jungle, burned to the ground back in July of 2013 after Eric Johnson, an employee at the time, set the Ville Platte structure on fire. Johnson claimed that he had done this at the request of the Rendezvous owner, who was out of town at the time of the burning.
The prosecution in Deville’s case, which was led by Assistant District Attorney Timmy Fontenot, had Deville’s former charge of aggravated arson amended. Therefore, Deville, who was being represented by Attorney Jonathan Vidrine, entered District Judge Chuck West’s courtroom on Monday facing the lesser charge of simple arson over $500.00.
As Deville stood before Judge West, the judge asked, “How do you plead to the charge of simple arson over $500.00?”
Deville said, “Guilty.”
Following court room procedure, Deville’s guilty plea was followed by Judge West asking, “Are you pleading guilty because you are in fact guilty of the crime?” Deville responded to the judge’s question with a “yes.”
With a plea of guilty, Deville was then sentenced to five years of hard labor, four of which have been suspended, leaving Deville to serve a total of one year for his crime. Deville will also be on probation for five years, and will be required to pay fines and fees, which consist of: $1,000.00 fine, $127.50 court cost, $250.00 to the district attorney’s cost of prosecution, $100.00 warrant fee, and $50.00 to the victim fund.
Following the reading of Deville’s sentence, Vidrine asked that his client’s sentence be deferred because he will be filing a motion concerning Article 894.2, which deals with house arrest. Judge West ordered the sentence to be deferred until Deville’s motion hearing, which has been set for February 1, 2016.
In connection with this crime, Johnson, who was accused of starting the fire intentionally, had his day in court back in March of this year.
However, unlike Deville, Johnson left his fate in the hands of an Evangeline Parish jury. The jury found Johnson guilty of aggravated arson and obstruction to justice.
Johnson’s sentencing date has been set for December 17, 2015.