Winn Parish – On November 29, 2020, shortly after 12:00 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a single-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 84, west of Winnfield. This crash claimed the life of 21-year-old Jacob A. Patton, of Many. High speed is a suspected factor in this crash.

The initial investigation revealed a 2001 GMC Sierra pickup, driven by Patton, was traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 84. For reasons still under investigation, Patton lost control of his vehicle, exited the roadway, and struck a tree.

Patton, who was restrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. A toxicology sample was obtained and submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.

Louisiana State Troopers wish to remind motorists to obey all speed limit signs and avoid all distractions. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway, extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle, and increases the distance a vehicle travels while the driver reacts to a situation. Speeding and other aggressive driving behaviors are among the leading causes of highway crashes and fatalities.

In 2020, Troop E Troopers have investigated 48 fatal crashes resulting in 56 fatalities.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health website on November 27, 2020, Winn Parish reported 983 (893 confirmed – 90 probable) total new cases of COVID 19. An increase of 112 cases since 11-19-2020. Two additional deaths were reported in Winn Parish last week bringing the parish total to 26 (25 confirmed – 1 probable). The latest numbers place Winn Parish in the top ten of Louisiana parishes with the most cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days.

Confirmed cases and deaths, which are widely considered to be an undercount of the true toll, are counts of individuals whose coronavirus infections were confirmed by a molecular laboratory test. Probable cases and deaths count individuals who meet criteria for other types of testing, symptoms and exposure, as developed by national and local governments.

The week of 11/5 – 11/18 Winn Parish two week cumulative incidence was 771.19. Placing Winn Parish in the “High” category. 

Winn Correctional Center

According to ICE.GOV as of 11/26/2020 there are 2 detainees with confirmed cases of COVID 19 currently under isolation or monitoring at the Winn Correctional Center (WCC). There have been  no additional deaths keeping the total number of deaths of a detainee who died after testing positive for COVID-19 while in ICE custody at WCC at one. There have been 243 total confirmed COVID-19 cases at WCC since testing began in February 2020. (These numbers have not changed in the last two updates)

There have been no official numbers reported by Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office or LaSalle Management regarding number of positive COVID cases or deaths amongst staff at WCC. 

Winn Parish Long-Term Care Facilities

The latest Nursing Home Report dated  November 24, 2020, reflects 5 new cases among residents, and 5 new case among staff reported for this week at Autumn Leaves Nursing & Rehab Center. Winnfield Nursing & Rehab reported 3 new cases among residents, and 3 new cases among staff.

Facility	Autumn Leaves	Winnfield Nursing & Rehab
Parish	Winn	Winn
Resident Census	84	73
Total COVID-19 Cases Among Residents	31	61
New COVID-19 Cases Among Residents Since Last Report (11-17-20)	5	3
Of Total Resident Cases, Number Whose Infections Began at this Facility	29	57
Total Residents Recovered	23	44
Total COVD-19 Deaths Among Residents	2	10
Total COVID-19 Cases Among Staff	29	37
New COVID-19 Cases Among Staff Since Last Report (11-17-20)	5	3
Total Staff Recovered	26	30

Winn Parish Schools

COVID-19 cases reported to LDH by K-12 Winn Parish Schools as of the 11/15/20 report:

Parish	No. of Schools in Parish	Faculty/ Staff/ Volunteer Total Cases	Student Total Cases	Faculty/ Staff/ Volunteer Cases Reported 11/16 – 11/22	Student Reported 11/16 – 11/22
Winn	6	20	62	Less than 0 Greater than 5	9

WINN PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Name: Nekell Unique Russell
Date: 11-23-2020
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Age: 35
Charge: Probation Violation

Name: Charles Ford
Date: 11-25-2020
Race: Unknown
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Charge: Burglary-Aggravated, Domestic Abuse Battery, Simple Criminal Damage to Property

Name: Dylan D. Harrison
Date: 11-25-2020
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Charge: Attempted Second Degree Murder, Illegal Possession of Stolen Firearms

Winnfield Police Department
Name: Shirley Desadier
Date: 11-26-2020
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Gender: Female
Age: 43
Charge: Theft > $1,000, Criminal Damage to Property, Criminal Trespass, Attempted Theft of Livestock > $15,000, Misrepresentation During Booking, Possession of CDS IV with Intent to Distribute
Bond: Not Listed

Name: Fermario Fobbs
Date: 11-28-2020
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: 33
Charge: Theft, Resisting an Officer by Flight, Simple Battery
Bond: $2,200

 

The Winn Parish School Board meet in special public session Monday, November 30, 2020, at 5:00 PM in the meeting room of the Winn Parish School Board for the purpose of adopting a local declaration of a State of Emergency due to damages caused by Hurricane Laura. WPSB will also conduct committee meetings.

By: Kelby Ouchley

Unique in the United States, police juries are elected political bodies that govern most parishes in the state of Louisiana. Police juries comprise the legislative and executive branches of parish governments. Not all parishes are governed by police juries, as twenty-three of the state’s sixty-four parishes have home rule charters that allow other forms of administration, including council-president, council-manager, and consolidated parish/city. Modern police juries have broad authority to enact and enforce ordinances and regulations, maintain public works, and levy taxes. However, the origin of police juries has a dark side, as regulating slavery was one of the initial purposes of their establishment.

History
Police juries predate Louisiana statehood in 1812. The present state of Louisiana was called the Orleans Territory at the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Soon afterwards, the Orleans Territory was divided into twelve counties that roughly coincided with the existing parishes that had been delineated by the Catholic Church during the French colonial period and the Spanish colonial period. These counties were further divided into nineteen parishes by the territorial legislature in 1807. As the population of the state increased, the nineteen parishes continued to be divided, which resulted in the sixty-four parishes of today.

The original law that established police juries was passed at the Second Session of the Third Legislature of the Territory of Orleans 1811. The act reads in part, “Be it enacted, by the Legislative Council and House of Representative of the Territory of Orleans, in General Assembly convened, That the Parish Juries summoned in the manner and form hereafter prescribed be and that the same are hereby authorized to establish, each in their respective parishes, if they deem it necessary for the police of said parish, a gendarmerie whose duty it shall be specially to go after runaway negroes and to maintain good order among the slaves. . . . And be it further enacted, That the parish juries who shall think proper to establish bodies of gendarmerie in their respective parishes, shall have power to lay on the slaves of their said parishes a tax for the keeping of said gendarmerie. And be it further enacted, That the parish meeting, or police jury . . . shall be composed for the future of a jury of twelve inhabitants presided by the parish judge, or in his absence by one of the members of the jury, elected by ballots.” Various amendments were added after statehood, including dividing parishes into wards from which police jurors would be elected. Others removed the requirement of twelve jurors per parish and permitted each parish to determine the number of jurors needed based on population. The presiding parish judge was also replaced by a police jury president elected from within the body of jurors. Parish elections for jurors are usually held in odd-numbered years using the open primary system.

In parishes where voters have replaced police juries with other forms of government in recent years, proponents of the switch have cited the efficiency of an administrative branch working separately from a legislative body, as opposed to the somewhat antiquated system of police jurors serving both the legislative and executive functions. Police juries still hold sway in the state’s rural regions, while parishes containing large municipalities or expanding suburban regions have tended to convert to other forms of government.

Activities
In general, police juries are restricted in their actions to those powers authorized by law or the state constitution. The constitution, though, grants broad authority to police juries if the actions are otherwise legal and approved by the parish voters. The Police Jury Association of Louisiana was established in 1924 to improve parish government through advocacy and education. The organization states that police juries “exercise over fifty different functions and powers, including road and bridge construction and maintenance, drainage, sewerage, solid waste disposal, fire protection, recreations and parks, parish prison construction and maintenance, road lighting and marking, many water works, health units and hospitals, etc. They also house and maintain the Courts and the offices of the Assessor, Coroner, Clerk of Court, Registrar of Voters, District Attorney and the Sheriff. They promote economic development and tourism in their parishes, regulate various business activities, and administer numerous state and federal programs on the parish level.” Police juries also have authority to enforce ordinances with fines through civil court processes.

Parishes using the police jury system: Acadia, Allen, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, DeSoto, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, La Salle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, Tensas, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn

Parishes using the council-president system: Ascension, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge

Parishes using the consolidated parish/city system: Orleans Parish and New Orleans, East Baton Rouge Parish and Baton Rouge; Lafayette Parish and Lafayette; Terrebonne Parish and Houma

Parishes using council-manager system: Caddo

<FURTHER READING>
Hancock, Harry J., ed. Your Louisiana Government: An Owner’s Manual. Baton Rouge: Public
Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, 1998.

Louisiana Police Jury Association. Police Jury Manual – A Compilation of the Laws Concerning the Authority and Responsibility of Parish Governing Authorities. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Police Jury Association, 1996.
The Encyclopedia of Louisiana. St. Clair Shores: Somerset Publishers, 1999.
Wall, Bennett H., John C. Rodrique, and L.T. Cummins, eds. Louisiana: A History. Hoboken:
Wiley-Blackwell, 2014.

This article is courtesy of 64 Parishes’ online encyclopedia of Louisiana history and culture.

The Winn Chamber of Commerce and Tourism is excited to announce The Winn Chamber Tree Lot!

The Christmas tree lot is located in the empty lot across the street from the post office!!

The Lot will be open Monday – Thursday 4 PM – 7 PM and Friday – Saturday 1 PM – 7 PM.

5 Ft. Tree	$40
6 Ft. Tree	$50
7 Ft. Tree	$60
8 Ft. Tree	$70

12 Inch Wreath	$20
14 Inch Wreath	$25

Small Tree Stand	$15
Medium Tree Stand	$20
Large Tree Stand	$30

The following positions are currently open at the Winn Parish Police Jury. Applications may be picked up at the Winn Parish Police Jury office.

Job Title: Dump Truck Driver:
Department: Highway Department
Description: Under direct supervision of Road Superintendent, operates trucks and other light equipment used in construction and maintenance; performs a variety of manual tasks in connection with such operations; and performs other duties as required. This is an entry-level job.
Examples of Work: Equipment Operation-Drive or operate such equipment as 5 yard dump, stake, and flatbed trucks, small farm type tractors with blade or bush hog. Provides routine maintenance on equipment, assists in mechanical repairs, performs physical labor as required; maintains simple records of equipment operations; may operate less complex equipment as needed; and services assigned equipment daily. 
Minimum Qualifications: Training and Experience -Three (3) months of experience operating one or more kinds of equipment specified for the class, OR six ( 6) months to one (1) year of experience in general labor or maintenance work.
Licenses and Certificates: Must Possess CDL license. 

Job Title: Utility Workers
Department: Highway Department
Description: Works under supervision of Road Superintendent. Must have the knowledge of operating a variety of complex and specialized equipment. Must be able to perform work as required and perform any duty as required.
Examples of Work: Drive or operate equipment such as pot hole patching truck, small farm type tractors with blade or bush hog. Provides routine maintenance on equipment, assist in mechanical repairs, performs physical labor as required; maintain simple records of equipment operations and services assigned equipment daily. 
Minimum Qualifications: Training and Experience -Three (3) months of experience operating one or more kinds of equipment specified for the class, or six ( 6) months to one (1) year of experience in general labor or maintenance work.
Licenses and Certificates: Must possess CDL license.

Job Title: Custodian
Department: Courthouse and Health Unit Maintenance
Description: Performs all janitorial services including sweeping and waxing floors, vacuuming all carpet, dusting furniture, emptying trash receptacles, moving furniture, baseboards, etc. Tends to lighting in building, and performs over-all cleaning and maintenance of building and grounds. Operates and maintains cleaning supplies and equipment. Experience in plumbing and electrical work is a plus. Must be willing, and have no problem, working with parish trustees. Must be available to be on twenty-four (24) hour call. Works directly under the supervision of the Secretary/Treasurer.

COVID-19 testing is provided every Monday, by the National Guard at the Winn Parish Health Unit located at 301 W Main St #101, Winnfield, LA 71483. The testing hours are 8am-12pm. This is a free service for our community.

Register online at health.questdiagnostics.com/stlou

NATCHITOCHES:
Joe Allen
July 01, 1956 – November 25, 2020
Service: Monday, November 30 at 2 pm at St Patrick Catholic Church, located at 624 Rowena St in Montgomery

SABINE:
Michael Alan Rivers
September 9, 1963 – November 26, 2020
Service: Monday, November 30 at 10 am at St. Joseph Catholic Church

RED RIVER:
Gladys “Happy” Friday
March 05, 1956 – November 28, 2020
Service: Tuesday, December 1 at 1 pm at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home Chapel

The Winn Parish School Board meet in special public session Monday, November 30, 2020, at 5:00 PM in the meeting room of the Winn Parish School Board for the purpose of adopting a local declaration of a State of Emergency due to damages caused by Hurricane Laura. WPSB will also conduct committee meetings.

The Winn Chamber of Commerce and Tourism is excited to announce The Winn Chamber Tree Lot!

Live trees and wreaths will be for sale in the empty lot near the post office!!

The Tree Lot will be open Monday – Thursday 4 PM – 7 PM and Friday – Saturday 1 PM – 7 PM.

5 Ft. Tree	$40
6 Ft. Tree	$50
7 Ft. Tree	$60
8 Ft. Tree	$70

12 Inch Wreath	$20
14 Inch Wreath	$25

Small Tree Stand	$15
Medium Tree Stand	$20
Large Tree Stand	$30

The day of March 13, 2020 started out as any other regular ole day. Mostly. But, by the time the sun had set, the whole world started to change a little. Just after dark, as I sat on my porch with my daughters, we were trying to figure out exactly how a two-week shutdown would directly affect us. We watched local and national news from our phones and it appeared that worldwide panic was setting in with the worldwide pandemic.

We thought, we pondered, we joked and then we mildly worried about the COVID19 pandemic. Even though we joked and made light of the situation, we always went back to low-key worrying. Being a woman of faith, I knew better than to let our worry get the best of us. I knew the Lord’s mighty hand could be felt in any grave situation. We sat on our porch and each one of us took turns praying for our nation, praying for our leaders and then each one of us took turns praying individually.

When it came time for my oldest daughter to pray individually, she chose to pray for my friend, Lyn, who would soon be giving birth to her very first child. I was almost embarrassed that I had not considered my friend and what she must be feeling. Giving birth is a miraculous moment mixed with blessings and anxiety on a normal day. But, giving birth during a pandemic had to be accompanied by feelings of fear of the unknown.

As soon as we finished our prayers, I called my friend to let her know that Meredith chose to pray for her during our porch prayers. It made me feel slightly guilty that I had forgotten to include them. As a mom trying to raise thoughtful kids, it truly made my day that she wasn’t just thinking about herself or her own circumstances. She chose my dear friend to ask God to be with her during this uncertain time. After speaking with my friend, I could tell by the tone in her voice that she was calm and reassured.

She was so full of peace and she knew everything would be okay. She is also a praying woman.

Over the next couple of weeks my friend became well-versed in the changes that would accompany a COVID-19 childbirth. She could only have one person in the room with her. That one person could not be interchanged at any time. As soon as the baby was born, there would be no extra lingering around the hospital if there were no complications. There could be no visitors at all. This meant we could not invade her room as soon as he was born and shower them with affection.

As we would soon learn, we could not shower him with kisses at all. We could only admire him from afar. With no fanfare, or pomp and circumstance. Mr. Jalen made his quiet entrance into this world during a pandemic. He was healthy; he was just as beautiful as we imagined he would be; and we could only view him on Facetime. That was perfect for me; we wanted him to stay healthy.

Months had rolled by; I was only able to briefly hold him a couple of times and the anticipation of one-on-one time with him was building. On Halloween day I called my friend to let her know that I had a spooky present for him, it was just my luck they were in town and would be stopping by.

When they pulled in my driveway, I removed him from his car seat and I welcomed him to my home. All of my friends’ children refer to me as, “Auntie Reebs” so I need to start training Jalen of this very important nickname. As I was holding him and telling him where he was, I just became so overwhelmed with gratefulness. I was grateful to be holding him at my home. I was grateful he was healthy and I was grateful that I even had a home to welcome him into. I was grateful that I could afford to buy him a small gift for Halloween. I was grateful that my friend is now a mother. Words almost cannot explain the feeling of gratitude that had engulfed me. And, it was Halloween. It wasn’t even the worldly acceptable time to give thanks.

As we just celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, I encourage you to find something to be grateful for every single day until the next Thanksgiving. Look for the small reasons to give thanks.

Even if you do not feel like you like you have anything to be grateful for, thank God as though you do. Your thankfulness will catch up with your circumstances one day, and when it does, your heart will be overflowing with gratefulness.

“Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and enter his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” – Psalm 100:4-5

Renters and homeowners in parishes designated for FEMA assistance after Hurricane Laura have until Friday, Nov. 27 to register for help.

Here are the parishes approved for Individual Assistance, that is, assistance to individuals and households: Acadia (Parish)Allen (Parish)Beauregard (Parish)Caddo (Parish)Calcasieu (Parish)Cameron (Parish)Grant (Parish)Jackson (Parish)Jefferson Davis (Parish)La Salle (Parish)Lincoln (Parish)Morehouse (Parish)Natchitoches (Parish)Ouachita (Parish)Rapides (Parish)Sabine (Parish)St. Landry (Parish)Union (Parish)Vermilion (Parish)Vernon (Parish)Winn (Parish)

Survivors can register for FEMA assistance by visiting disasterassistance.gov, or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585). Survivors can also register by visiting one of FEMA’s Mobile Registration Intake Centers (MRIC), or download the FEMA Mobile App, by texting 43362 for either ANDROID or APPLE.

Here’s a page of helpful details from FEMA.

Here are some details on how FEMA decides if your home is “habitable”

How FEMA Determines if a Home is Habitable

FEMA considers specific factors when determining if a survivor can return to a safe, sanitary and functional home after a storm such as Hurricane Laura.

Hurricane Laura survivors who received determination letters from FEMA may have questions about how FEMA determines whether their home can be lived in. Some may question the “habitability” or “inhabitability” determination of their home as a result of the disaster damage.

Defining Habitability

FEMA defines a habitable home as one that is safe, sanitary, functional and presents no disaster-caused hazards to the occupants. Under this definition, a house may have hurricane damage but still be occupied while repairs are underway.

FEMA verifies if a home is habitable in several ways, including on-site inspections and use of technology, such as satellite imagery, combined with applicant self-assessments.

A FEMA inspection determines if home repairs are needed to ensure the safety or health of the occupants or to make the home functional.

FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program guidance determines eligibility for the following types of assistance based on a home’s habitability:

• Lodging Expense Reimbursement;
• Rental Assistance;
• Home Repair Assistance and Replacement Assistance;
• Direct Housing Assistance; and,
• Other Needs Assistance like moving and storage costs

FEMA may help when the primary residence has been destroyed, is inhabitable or is inaccessible.

Eligibility for federal assistance

FEMA considers these factors when determining if an applicant is eligible for federal assistance:

An alleged theft call to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday afternoon led to the arrest of a Winn Parish man on drug charges according to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Stuart Wright.

On Tuesday November 24 at approximately 3:20pm, Deputies assigned to the NPSO Patrol Division responded to a theft call in the 100 block of Carter Street in Campti, La.

Deputies arrived on scene.

While deputies were speaking with the complainant, he alleged that a person identified as Fate Bush went to his residence stole a small amount of cash then fled in a green truck.

Responding deputies informed other deputies in the area to BOLO (Be on the Look Out) for the vehicle.

Shortly thereafter, deputies stopped a green 1999 Ford Ranger operated by Bush near the intersections of Lake and Walters Street in Campti.

Deputies say while speaking with Bush they observed a large knife in his front pocket.

During a pat-down for officer safety due to the knife, Bush became fidgety and attempted to get back in the vehicle.

Bush informed deputies all he had in the vehicle was two guns and a marijuana blunt.”

Bush then handed deputies a small bag of suspected synthetic marijuana from his pocket.

Bush was placed under arrest.

A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of a small amount of suspected methamphetamine , suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Two rifles, a Marlin .22 caliber and Savage .22 caliber were discovered in the vehicle.

Fate Bush, 30, of St. Maurice, La. was transported and booked into the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center charged with Possession of CDS Schedule II Methamphetamine, Possession of CDS I Marijuana, Illegal Possession of a Firearm during a Narcotics Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Deputies say while interviewing Bush he stated he didn’t take any money from the complainant’s residence.

Bush remains in the Natchitoches Detention Center awaiting bond.

Deputy D. Rice and Lt. B. Smith made the arrest.