By Tim Binnall
A mysterious flood that erupted during the renovation of a purportedly haunted Louisiana courthouse has left some wondering if the weird event was caused by the ghosts of prisoners who were housed where the building once stood. According to a local media report, the site at the center of the strange case is the St Landry Parish courthouse in the city of Opelousas. The building, which was constructed in 1939, is actually the fifth iteration of the courthouse with the first facility dating back to 1805. As such, the spot boasts a rather rich history which may be making its presence felt by way of possible paranormal activity reported during recent renovations.
Although aware of the many tales of eerie incidents said to have occurred in the building over the years, Parish President Jessie Bellard revealed that he has begun "seeing it myself" ever since the renovation project got underway. Among the spooky events to have recently happened are decommissioned elevators suddenly and inexplicably springing 'back to life' as well as the sound of a judge's gavel emanating from an empty courtroom. However, the most unnerving and peculiar incident to date was undoubtedly a flood that mysteriously came about in a clerk's office on the second floor of the building at the start of the month.
"No rhyme or reason of why it did it. We’ve got plumbers over here to come look at it, and they ran cameras through all the lines and nothing," Bellard said, "there’s nothing that can happen. Nothing that made any sense." His mystification over the flood was compounded when he discovered that, long ago in a previous incarnation of the courthouse, the room had served as a bathroom for prisoners. We went on to note that a 'popular' form of disobedience among inmates throughout the ages is to disrupt the sewer system where they are housed, leading to the suggestion that the puzzling incident could have been one last act of defiance from the prisoners who once occupied the room.