Fontenot to serve 17-years for vehicular homicide

Evangeline Parish resident Michael Fontenot stood before District Judge Chuck West on Monday, January 25, to plead guilty to possession of a schedule IV controlled dangerous substance (Valium) and vehicular homicide.
Fontenot, 48, was accused of causing of a fatal crash, while driving drunk, that claimed the life of 52-year old Ville Platte resident Arleen Yvette Soileau back in January of 2015.
Fontenot's vehicle struck Soileau's vehicle head-on, after Fontenot crossed the center line while driving in a curve on Highway 3402 (Chicot Park Road). Soileau, a former Evangeline Parish Educator, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The wreck, which took place around 5:30 p.m., happened just six hours after Fontenot had bonded out of the Ville Platte City Jail. He had been arrested for driving while intoxicated, careless operation, and open container.
Fontenot pled guilty to two charges five-days shy of the one-year anniversary of the fatal accident. He received 17-years of hard labor for the crime of vehicular homicide and two-years of hard labor for possession of a schedule IV controlled dangerous substance.
Fontenot is set to serve out the two sentences concurrently (at the same time), which gives him a total of 17-years to be served.