Julius Patrick

Who was Julius Patrick?

Julius Patrick, Jr., was the African-American Democratic mayor of Boyce, in northern Rapides Parish, who died in a head-on collision in a chain-reaction accident on Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish near Gramercy in south Louisiana. Patrick was first elected mayor of Boyce, a community of 1,200, in 1978. He served for twenty-eight consecutive years, while he was simultaneously a full-time educator until his retirement from the Rapides Parish School Board, based in Alexandria.

Motorist Mercuria J. S. Colomb of St. Rose in St. Charles Parish allegedly started the chain-reaction accident. She first eluded state police but later turned herself in to authorities. Colomb was driving a car that turned into an eastbound Sports Utility Vehicle. The impact cause her vehicle to cross the interstate median, to sideswipe a westbound oncoming car, and then to crash head-on into the car driven by Patrick. The mayor was killed instantly, according to police. Colomb was charged with negligent homicide, negligent injury, and improper lane usage. She left the crash scene headed east on Interstate 10.