LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / October 20, 1999

GRAMERCY – Town and parish officials are stunned by the sudden death of Chief of Police Michael Kahl in a traffic accident Monday.

Kahl, 44, 403 E. 13th St., Gramercy, died when his unmarked unit struck aflatbed truck from behind on Airline Highway near Marathon Ashland, outside of Garyville.

He had served slightly less than 11 months in office.

Capt. Clayton “Bubby” Deslatte said Kahl and officer Derek Washingtonwere returning to Gramercy after a court appearance on a case in LaPlace.

Deslatte added the two were in separate vehicles. They had just finishedlunch at Wendy’s and were separated in the heavy traffic. Washington hadreturned all the way to the police headquarters when Kahl’s absence was noted.

At that time, St. John Sheriff’s investigators notified them of theaccident.

“St. John called us and told us it was a unit, but we didn’t know who itwas. I jumped in a unit and we went down there,” Deslatte added.Trooper Kevin Cannatella, spokesman for Louisiana State Police Troop B, said a truck for Southern Chem Industries Inc. of LaPlace, driven byThomas C. Brumfield, 49, of Baton Rouge, had either slowed or stopped inthe inside northbound lane, preparing to make a left turn onto Terre Haute Road, near Marathon Ashland, at 12:40 p.m. He was driving a 1984 Ford1800 flatbed truck, hauling empty oil drums.

The white 1993 Ford Crown Victoria unmarked police unit driven by Kahl rear-ended the truck and burst into flame. Kahl was pronounced dead atthe scene at 3:15 p.m. by St. John Parish Coroner Dr. Christy Montegut. A third vehicle, a 1999 Ford Escort driven by Mary Domino of Gramercy, was damaged in the same accident from glass flying from the impact.

Neither Domino nor Brumfield were injured.

Kahl was transported to Jefferson Parish for an autopsy. Funeralarrangements were incomplete at press time.

“He was a young man with a bunch of new ideas and procedures he wanted to put in place,” Deslatte commented of his boss, including street interdictions to cut drug trafficking in the town.

“He was just starting to get into it,” Deslatte added.

Also tough on the eight-man department and the town is the fact that this is the second sudden loss of their police chief. Carl Spizale, who served asGramercy chief for more than 20 years, died in January 1998.

“It’s hard to believe it’s happened two times in two years,” Deslatte said.

Gramercy Mayor Ronald St. Pierre, who also took office at the same timeas Kahl, has 10 days to appoint a temporary chief, to hold the position until a special election is called in the spring, according to Deslatte who, as a resident of Hester, is ineligible to serve in that position himself.

In a Jan. 20 interview with L’Observateur, Kahl said he was targeting gangactivity and drug trafficking, taking a pro-active approach with better trained and better-paid officers and improved relations with the community, especially with the young people.

St. James Parish Sheriff Willy Martin Jr. observed, “It feels like a cloud isfollowing our parish with tragedy after tragedy.”He added they were good friends since high school and were active as firefighters together, and said, “We had a really good relationship.”Kahl had worked five years with the St. James Sheriff’s Office, including ayear and a half under Martin in narcotics, until Kahl became assistant police chief in Lutcher.

“It’s a tough loss here,” Martin said, adding: “He was very well liked and had a lot of good things going. What we can do is try to keep those thingsalive.”

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