Brad Duplechein believes in ghosts. In fact, he hunts them.”I’ve seen all kinds of stuff,” he said of his unique hobby. “I’ve looked down long dark hallways and seen a silhouette form of a young girl, heard strange voices, [seen] objects move, anything other than having someone come up and slap me on the head.”Duplechein is the founder of “Louisiana Spirits,” a non-profit group of paranormal investigators that analyze paranormal activity. The group also teaches a “Ghost Hunting 101” leisure class at the University.This first section of “Ghost Hunting 101” met this past weekend for three nights for an introduction to paranormal investigating, an investigation of the The Myrtles Plantation and an analysis of evidence found.Duplechein grew up in Pineville, La. Though before he became a paranormal investigator, he never had a paranormal experience. He said Louisiana folktales from his grandparents and TV shows such as “Ghost Hunters” gave him an interest in ghosts.He joined “South Louisiana Ghost Hunters,” another local group of paranormal investigators, but he said his experience in law enforcement made him too skeptical for the group.”They followed things thinking the head of the group was psychic, and we would follow what she felt,” Duplechein said. “I approach things with scientific approach. I don’t claim anything; I just try to prove things.”Duplechein decided to form his own group of ghost hunters, which uses equipment in their investigations.”I’d rather have one piece of evidence over 10 people saying they felt weird,” Duplechein said.   Among his ghost hunting tools are an infrared camera used to see orbs and capture energy, electromagnetic field readers, a thermal energy camera and simple video cameras.”I’m a tech nerd,” Duplechein said.Since starting “Louisiana Spirits,” Duplechein and his 25-person crew of ghost hunters have investigated countless haunted sites.Duplechein said many of the cases his group investigates deal with homeowners who have seen or heard something that has led them to believe their houses may be haunted.But he said his group won’t investigate just anything.”First we question them on a phone interview, and we will decide if it validates a preliminary,” Duplechein said. “Then we go in for an hour or two, fill out a questionnaire about the history and experiences in the home.”He said the group then takes pictures, video, audio and energy readings in the house. Duplechein said about 80 percent of what he finds can be explained logically. If he can’t explain the activity, he said he isn’t always positive the house is haunted. “We take what we find and don’t come up with a conclusion to say whether or not it was haunted,” he said. “If it was something logically explained, we explain that. If it is a possible threat or something of activity, we don’t rid the place or anything.”He said his group has worked with Catholic priests in serious situations, but usually his investigations work as consolation for homeowners.”It reaffirms them that they aren’t crazy,” Duplechein said. “They think they are seeing things. [We] verify that they are experiencing something.”Duplechein said the “Louisiana Spirits” group has come in contact with three of the four types of haunting — residual, intelligent, poltergeists and demonic haunting.Duplechein explained residual haunting as “stored energy, but not a spirit,” which is difficult to rid.He said intelligent hauntings are spirits who interact with people and may have lived in a house for a long time.He said a poltergeist is a more intense intelligent haunting that targets an individual, and a demonic haunting is the rarest type of haunting that can cause physical harm.Duplechein said he would be lying if he said he never gets scared.”Once you do it enough you get used to it,” he said. “Every once in a while I get freaked out.”Duplechein’s next leisure class, which will investigate the Old State Capitol, begins Oct. 3.Alana Amaro, who took the class this past weekend, said although she has always had an interest in “spooky places,” she is skeptical as to whether ghosts are real.Amaro said an experience with the death of her stepbrother made her wonder about paranormal activity.”I had a stepbrother who killed himself and when you take a picture of the tree [where he hung himself] or of his graves there are colors [on the film],” Amaro explained. “Coincidental things make you curious about stuff.”She said after taking the class she is still skeptical but believes paranormal activity is possible.”I don’t think I’ll go out ghost hunting,” Amaro said. “But some stuff [Duplechein] said made me very interested.”Duplechein said when he tells people about his hobby, he usually gets a mixed response.”It’s not as weird anymore. It’s becoming more mainstream,” Duplechein said. “Everybody poked fun at first [and] called me a ‘Ghost Buster.'”Duplechein said even when he doesn’t find any evidence of paranormal activity, he enjoys the investigations.”I never would have been able to visit some of these places,” he said. “I may not find ghosts, but I get one hell of a history lesson.”- – – – Contact Blake Stephens at [email protected]