UPDATE-Livingston Parish School Board Member

The man allegedly struck and killed by Livingston Parish School Board President Malcolm Sibley early Saturday had stopped the truck he was driving after arguing with a passenger, a State Police spokesman said Tuesday.

William Iasigi, 21, of Liberty, Miss., and a passenger had been arguing while traveling on La. 43, before Iasigi stopped the 2008 Chevrolet pickup he was driving on a rural road in St. Helena Parish, Trooper First Class Nick Manale said.

One of the passengers, Thomas Bailey, the truck’s owner, exited and began walking down the road, Manale said. Iasigi drove off but returned shortly after and exited the vehicle to speak with Bailey, Manale said.

That’s when Iasigi, who was standing in the roadway, was struck by a 2012 GMC 2500 pickup, allegedly belonging to Sibley, Manale said. He said troopers still have not determined what Sibley was doing in the area at the time.

Sibley, 65, 33176 Weiss Road, Walker, was booked into the St. Helena Parish Jail with one count of felony hit-and-run Sunday, more than a day after Iasigi was killed in the crash just north of Greensburg.

He has since bonded out of jail on a $500 cash bond.

State Police on Monday seized Sibley’s damaged 2012 GMC 2500 pickup. They have said evidence from the scene and tips from the community led to Sibley’s arrest.

St. Helena Parish Jail officials said Tuesday that Sibley has a court date of Aug. 2 in St. Helena in the case. The officials could not clarify what type of proceedings would take place on that date.

Family members of Iasigi could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Family members of Sibley have declined comment, referring all questions to attorney Sherman Mack.

Mack said Monday his client is remorseful over his involvement in the accident and that Sibley has been cooperating with authorities since his arrest.

Mack has declined to say why Sibley drove away from the scene after the fatal crash, or what he was doing driving in the area around 5 a.m. The attorney said the preliminary investigation shows that Sibley “was not intoxicated whatsoever” at the time of the crash.

Manale, the State Police spokesman, said Sibley was not booked with negligent homicide because he was not considered at-fault in the crash. He said Sibley was instead booked with felony hit-and-run because he fled the scene and did not report the accident.

Iasigi is considered the at-fault party in the crash because his vehicle was stopped in the lane of travel, Manale said.

State Police have said troopers’ full crash report would take about four to six weeks to process.

The Livingston School Board’s budget and goals committee met Tuesday night, the first time any of the board members gathered in a public forum since Sibley’s arrest.

Sibley did not attend the committee meeting.

A full board meeting is set for Thursday. It is unsure if Sibley will attend.

Milton Hughes, a Livingston School Board member since 1972 and close friend of Sibley’s, has defended Sibley in interviews since his arrest, saying Tuesday he is “as good as any member we’ve got.”

An obituary for Iasigi says he was born July 25, 1991, in McComb, Miss. He was a 2011 graduate of Amite School Center in Liberty, Miss.

His obituary describes him as an outdoors lover who hunted and fished. He spent his time playing football and baseball and riding motorbikes and four-wheelers.

He was a member of Bethel Baptist Church in Liberty.

Visitation for Iasigi will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at Hartman-Sharkey Funeral Home in McComb, and continues Monday at Gillsburg Baptist Church from 4 p.m. until services at 5 p.m.

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Source:  Theadvocate.com