Winn Parish Schools will be closed today, Wednesday, March 30th, in expectation of hazardous weather.

BY DANIEL GREEN

Written for the Louisiana Sports Writer Association

Atlanta’s Princis Goff and Jehovah-Jireh’s John-Paul Ricks carried their respective teams throughout the 2021-22 campaign.

Goff led her squad to the brink of an LHSAA tourney berth. Ricks guided his team to a runner-up finish in Division V.

As a result, Goff and Ricks claimed Outstanding Player honors on the Class C All-State basketball teams selected by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

Goff was the primary scorer and rebounder for an Atlanta team that lost in the Class C quarterfinals to eventual runner-up Gibsland-Coleman. Goff eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier during her senior season, averaging 36 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and four steals per outing. On the season, she registered eight 40-point outings and two games where she scored 50 or more.

Ricks powered Jehovah-Jireh once again. The 6-foot senior averaged 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals as he took his squad to the title game in Division V for the sixth straight year. The Warriors were the runner-up.

Hornbeck’s Matthew Killian and Family Christian’s Isaac Fontenot-Amedee were honored as the Coach of the Year winners. 

Killian guided the Hornet girls team to a 22-12 record and the LHSAA tourney, where they lost to eventual champion Hicks. Killian, a Hornbeck graduate, led the school to its first semifinal berth in over a decade and were led by all-state selection Hannah Dahlhoff.

Fontenot-Amedee coached Family Christian to a Division V championship in his first season with brothers Bryson and Chance Martin, who both made the Class C squad, playing major roles. It was FCA’s first LHSAA title since 2002.

Class C state champions Hicks and Gibsland-Coleman each landed two players on the squads.

LSWA CLASS C ALL-STATE BASKETALL CHARTS

BOYS

First team

Player School Ht. Cl Avg.

John-Paul Ricks Jehovah Jireh 6-0, Sr. 28.0

Terrance James Gibsland-Coleman 6-4 Jr. 21.0

Bryson Martin Family Christian 5-10, Sr. 18.0

Joseph Adams Calvin 5-10 Sr. 28.0

Derwin Ancar Phoenix 6-2 Jr. 20.0

Second team

Player School Ht. Cl Avg.

Chance Martin Family Christian 5-10 Jr. 14.0

Braxton Basco Simpson 5-10 Sr. 16.0

Brady Alexander Hornbeck Jr 6-2 Jr. 18.0

Dontarias Coleman Gibsland-Coleman Sr 6-6 Sr. 15.0

Wayne Curtis Huckaby Calvin 5-10 Sr. 18.0

OUTSTANDING PLAYER: JOHN-PAUL RICKS, JEHOVAH-JIREH

COACH OF THE YEAR: ISAAC FONTENOT-AMEDEE, FAMILY CHRISTIAN

Honorable mention

A.J. Allen, Claiborne Christian; Brayden Cutts, Simpson

Quay Seaberry, St Joseph-Plaucheville; Jaggar Thibodeaux, Northside Christian; Tyren Johnson, Plainview; C.J. Scott, Pleasant Hill; Rondell Battle, Phoenix; Jaren Mitcham, Hornbeck.

GIRLS

First team

Player School Ht. Cl Avg.

Princis Goff Atlanta 5-8 Sr. 36.0

Lauren Quinn Hicks 5-10 Sr, 20.0

Samora Sampson Gibsland-Coleman 6-1 Fr. 22.0

Malaysia Tate Summerfield Sr 5-6 Sr. 24.0

Hannah Dahlhoff Hornbeck Sr 5-10 Sr. 18.0

Second team

Player School Ht. Cl Avg.

Avery Coffman Hicks 5-7 Sr. 15.0

Lexy Robinson Claiborne Christian Jr 5-11 Jr. 12.0

Lauren Rachal Family Christian 5-5 So. 16.0

Zoey Fee Plainview 5-0 Sr. 15.0

Riley Haus Evans 5-6 Jr. 17.0

OUTSTANDING PLAYER: PRINCIS GOFF, ATLANTA

COACH OF THE YEAR: MATT KILLIAN, HORNBECK

Honorable mention

Jamiya Addison, Phoenix; Kennedie Harrison, Starks; Hope Cauthron, Reeves; Olivia Rabalais, St Joseph’s-Plaucheville; Camryn Cartinez, Ebarb; Ke’Honesty Williams, Gibsland-Coleman; Alaysia Combs, Summerfield; Emily Head, Claiborne Christian.

The Winn Parish School Board posted the redistricting map at the end of February in order to get the community’s feedback, suggestions and comments. According to Al Simmons WPSB Superintendent, the school board has received no input from the community whatsoever. Therefore at Monday’s WPSB Committees meeting approval of the new redistricting map has been added to the April regular meeting agenda for approval by the WPSB.

Board members got their first look at the proposed map at the WPSB Committee meeting held on Monday, February 28th. The Board then “tabled” approving the proposed map until April’s meeting to give the community time to review the proposed changes to the districts, comment, or suggest changes to the Board.

The Board posted the map on their website for review. There has also been an email address available comments@winnpsb.us for citizens to submit comments or suggestions. You may also contact your school board member to discuss the proposed districts.

To ensure that Winn Parish districts are properly represented the Board employed the services of Strategic Demographics, LLC to assist in redrawing the districts. A representative from the firm met with board members and analyzed data from the 2020 Census to develop the proposed map. Each district must have an equal number of citizens within a +/- 5% margin. Also very important when considering district lines is voting districts may not be split.

Winn Parish School Board Members are elec­ted by voters grouped into districts. But popu­la­tions change. Some districts gain resid­ents, others lose them. Districts also may change demo­graph­ic­ally. That’s why district bound­ar­ies are redrawn every ten years according to Census data to ensure each district has about the same number of people and that districts are reflect­ive and repres­ent­at­ive of the elect­or­ate.

You can find a list of board members here.

The proposed map below outlines the proposed boundaries for each school board district.

Date: 3-22-22
Name: Garland G Walker
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 32
Charge: Aggravated assault 

Date: 3-23-22
Name: James Williams 
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 27
Charge: Failure to appear 

Date: 3-23-22
Name: Alkeem K Rachal 
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 19
Charge: Failure to appear

Date: 3-23-22
Name: Kerrick Jarrod Cain 
Address: Hodge, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male 
Age: 36
Charge: Speeding, Fleeing officer, Obstruction of justice, Possession 

Date: 3-24-22
Name: Lakeshia S Williams-Nash
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 40
Charge: Theft

Date: 3-25-22
Name: Delrose Lee
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Age: 61
Charge: Failure to appear

Date: 3-25-22
Name: Colandra Slate Bell
Address: Natchitoches, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Age: 39
Charge: Failure to appear

Date: 3-26-22
Name: Derrilon L Cunningham
Address: Winnfield, LA 
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 29
Charge: Possession, Possession with intent to sell

Date: 3-26-22
Name: Sammy D Smith
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 48
Charge: Possession of stolen property, Driving under suspension, Resisting an Officer, Operating off-road vehicle on the roadway 

Date: 3-27-22
Name: April J Foster
Address: Natchitoches, LA
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Age: 35
Charge: Failure to appear, Warrant 

Date: 3-28-22
Name: Michael R Walker
Address: Franklin, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 34
Charge: possession of a firearm with a protective order against, Drug Paraphernalia, Possession

Date: 3-28-22
Name: Reese Legrand Spivey
Address: Jonesboro, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 32
Charge: Unlawful communications

Date: 3-28-22
Name: Michael R Gray
Address: Dodson, LA
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: 36
Charge: Cruelty to juveniles 

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

PRESS RELEASE

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on December 7, 2021

GLEN ZELL WADE: Defendant entered guilty plea battery of a dating partner. Defendant sentenced to serve six months, sentence consecutive.

BRADEN MAC AUSTIN: Defendant entered guilty plea possession of drug paraphernalia first offense. Sentence deferred, defendant placed on two years unsupervised probation Defendant ordered to pay fines, court cost and probation fee.

ERIC TREY DAVIDSON: Defendant entered guilty plea possession of drug paraphernalia first offense. Sentence deferred, defendant placed on two years unsupervised probation. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost and probation fee.

JESSICA L MALONE: Defendant entered guilty plea disturbing the peace. Defendant ordered to serve ninety days credit for time served. Sentence concurrent with any other time she has to serve.

PHILLIP HENRY WILLIS: Defendant entered no contest plea improper backing. Imposition sentence suspended, defendant placed on two years unsupervised probation. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court costs and probation fee.

JEREMY SHAWN ROWELL: Defendant entered guilty plea failure to stop at a stop sign. Defendant ordered to pay fine.

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on December 15, 2021

JOE LOUIS ANDERSON, JR.: Defendant entered guilty plea possession of a schedule II controlled dangerous substance. Defendant sentenced to time served.

RICARDO ANTONIO BROWN: Defendant entered guilty plea attempted unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling. Defendant sentenced to serve three years hard labor with Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served.

DAYTON W. COMBS: Defendant entered guilty plea possession of a schedule II controlled dangerous substance. Defendant sentenced to serve one year hard labor with Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served.

JEFFREY CHARLES COUNCIL: Defendant entered guilty plea possession of a schedule II controlled dangerous substance. Defendant sentenced to serve two years hard labor with Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, sentence consecutive.

CHASE BRANDON HOFFPAUIR:  Defendant entered guilty plea possession of a schedule IV controlled dangerous substance. Defendant sentenced to serve two and one-half years hard labor with Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Sentence consecutive will get credit for seventeen months he has served.

 JASHAWN DUANE LATCHIE:  Defendant entered guilty plea introducing or possessing contraband in any municipal or parish prison or jail. Defendant sentenced to serve two years hard labor with Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served.

 LACEY BROOKE MOODY: Defendant entered guilty plea possession of a schedule II controlled dangerous substance. Defendant sentenced to serve three years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Sentence suspended defendant placed on three years supervised probation with Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Defendant ordered to pay a fine, court cost, fee to the Office of Public Defender, monthly supervision fee and CDS offense fee. 

ANDREW D. SMITH: Defendant entered guilty plea possession of a schedule II controlled dangerous substance and illegal possession of stolen things $1000.00 or more but under $5,000.00.  On the first charge defendant sentenced to serve three years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served.  On the second charge defendant sentenced to serve five years hard labor with Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, sentence consecutive to first charge.

KEVIN JAMES WRIGHT:  Defendant entered guilty plea two counts illegal possession of stolen things less than $1000.  On the first count defendant sentenced to serve three months, credit for time served consecutive with any other time he has to serve.  Count two defendant sentenced to serve three months, credit for time served, consecutive with any other time he has to serve.

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on January 11, 2022

ROGER ANTONY JENSEN:  Defendant entered guilty plea expired motor vehicle  inspection.  Imposition sentence suspended, defendant placed on two years unsupervised probation defendant ordered to pay a fine and probation fee.

QUENTINM PEATS:  Defendant entered guilty plea operating a vehicle while intoxicated.  Defendant sentenced to credit for time served.

LANDON GARRETT SMITH:  Defendant entered guilty plea general speed law, possession of alcoholic beverages in motor vehicles first offense and modification of exhaust systems.  On the first two charges imposition sentence suspended defendant placed on two years unsupervised probation.  Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost and probation fee.  On the third charge imposition sentence suspended, defendant placed on two years unsupervised probation. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost and probation fee.

SHANNON D. MERCER:  Defendant entered guilty plea expired motor vehicle inspection < three months.  Imposition sentence suspended, defendant placed on two years unsupervised probation.  Defendant ordered to pay fine and probation fee, court costs waived.

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on January 12, 2022

SHELBY R. DAFFRON: Defendant entered guilty plea possession of schedule II controlled dangerous substance. Imposition sentence deferred defendant placed on three years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost, fee to Office of Public Defender, monthly supervision fee and special controlled substance offense fee. Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service and satisfactorily complete court approved drug and substance abuse program.

ARMON SHAMAR LANCELIN:  Defendant entered guilty plea attempted illegal possession of stolen firearm  Imposition sentence deferred, defendant placed on three years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  Defendant ordered to pay fine, court costs and monthly supervision fee. Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service.

CARLOS A. RAMOS: Defendant entered guilty plea possession of schedule III controlled dangerous substance.  Defendant sentenced to serve three years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  Sentence consecutive.

AUBREY DALE WEATHERFORD;  Defendant entered guilty plea driving while intoxicated third offense. Defendant sentenced to serve one year hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served.

EDEN T. WOMACK:  Defendant entered alford plea simple burglary.  Defendant sentenced to serve six years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Execution jail sentence suspended, defendant placed on three years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  Defendant ordered to pay fine, court costs, restitution, fee to Office of Public Defender and monthly supervision fee.  Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service.

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on January 13, 2022

BILLY L. WISE:  Defendant entered guilty plea possession of schedule II controlled dangerous substance. Defendant sentenced to serve five years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  Sentence consecutive.

RONNIE GLENN MILSTEAD:  Defendant previously found guilty sexual abuse of an animal.  Defendant sentenced to special conditions and serve five years without hard labor custody of local sheriff, credit for time served.

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on February 8, 2022

ANTHONY L. BATES: Defendant entered guilty plea speeding. Defendant ordered to pay fine.

ELIZABETH ANN CROUSE:  Defendant entered guilty plea no drivers license on person. Defendant ordered to pay fine.

TRAVIS TAVARRIS TAYLOR:  Defendant entered guilty plea operating a vehicle without a drivers license.  Defendant ordered to pay fine.

ARTHUR R. BERNSTINE:  Defendant entered guilty plea speeding.  Defendant ordered to pay fine.

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on February 9, 2022

ZACHERY D. GORHAM:  Defendant entered alford plea cruelty to juvenile.  Defendant sentenced to serve ten years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served.

MARK MARTINEZ:  Defendant entered guilty plea simple battery.  Defendant sentenced to serve six months jail.  Sentence suspended, defendant placed on two years probation. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court costs, fee to Office of Public Defender and probation fee.

JAMES MICHAEL ORR:  Defendant entered guilty plea illegal possession of stolen things under $1000. Defendant sentenced to serve six months.  Sentence suspended, defendant placed on one year unsupervised probation with special condition.  Defendant ordered to pay fine.

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action in Eighth Judicial District Court on February 10, 2022

MICHAEL MONTEZ BOOKER:  Defendant entered guilty plea distribution of schedule II controlled dangerous substance.  Defendant ordered to serve six years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Correction, credit for time served.

WILLIE DAVENPORT, JR.:  Defendant entered guilty plea attempted distribution of schedule I controlled dangerous substance. Defendant ordered to serve five years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Execution of five years jail sentence suspended, defendant placed on three years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  Defendant ordered to pay fine, court costs, fee to the Office of Public Defender, monthly supervision fee and CDS offense fee.  Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service and satisfactorily complete drug and substance abuse program.

JESSICA LYNN DAVIS:  Defendant entered guilty plea possession of schedule IV controlled dangerous substance.  Defendant sentenced to serve four years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served, sentence consecutive.

COCA L. EDWARDS, JR.:  Defendant entered alford plea possession with intent to distribute schedule I controlled dangerous substance:  synthentic marijuana.  Defendant sentenced to serve five years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served. 

JANIE NICOLE TULLOS:  Defendant entered guilty plea possession of Schedule II controlled dangerous substance.  Defendant sentenced to serve two years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  Execution two year jail sentence suspended, defendant placed on three years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  Defendant ordered to pay fine, court costs, fee to the Office of Public Defender and monthly supervision fee.  Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service and satisfactorily complete substance and abuse program. 

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on February 11, 2022

 DANIELLE BEDGOOD KILLINGSWORTH:  Defendant entered guilty plea possession of schedule II controlled dangerous substance.  Imposition sentence deferred, defendant placed on one year supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  Defendant ordered to pay fine, court costs, fee to Office of Public Defender, monthly supervision fee and CDS offense fee.  Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service and satisfactorily complete drug and substance abuse program. 

CHRISTOPHER MONTEZ BRYANT:  Defendant entered guilty plea aggravated assault with a firearm.  Defendant ordered to serve five years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  Execution of five years jail sentence suspended, defendant placed on three years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  Defendant ordered to pay fine, court costs and monthly supervision fee.  Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service.

JOHN WAYNE DOOLEY, JR.:  Defendant entered guilty plea unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling.  Defendant sentenced to serve four years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served. 

DANIEL JORDAN NORRIS:  Defendant entered guilty plea possession of firearm or carrying concealed weapon by a person convicted of certain felonies.  Defendant sentenced to serve eleven years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served.  Any weapon and ammunition seized forfeited. 

LINDA M. LAMKIN:  Defendant entered guilty plea identity theft.  Defendant sentenced to serve eighteen months hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served. 

ROBERT LEE JUREK, JR.:  Defendant entered guilty plea domestic abuse battery.  Defendant given credit for time served. 

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on February 14, 2022

JAMES QUINCY COCKERHAM:  Defendant entered guilty plea  indecent behavior with a juvenile.  Defendant sentenced to serve seven years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served.

DESMOND DEMON DUNCAN:  Defendant entered guilty plea possession with intent to distribute schedule I controlled dangerous substance.  Defendant sentenced to serve five years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served. 

ROBERT RAY WILLIAMS, JR.:  Defendant entered guilty plea pornography involving juveniles.  Defendant sentenced to serve six years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served. 

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on March 8, 2022

PAUL GREZAFFI III:  Defendant entered guilty plea unlawful purchase and/or public possession of alcoholic beverages.  Imposition sentence suspended, defendant placed on two years unsupervised probation.  Defendant ordered to pay fine, probation fee and court costs.

JUSTIN WILLIAM BAUM:  Defendant entered guilty plea operating a vehicle while intoxicated.  Imposition sentence deferred, defendant placed on twenty-four months supervised probation.  Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost and probation fee.  Defendant ordered to perform sixteen hours community service and satisfactorily complete court approved drug and substance abuse and driver improvement program. 

JUSTUS ALEXANDER COLLINS:  Defendant entered guilty plea possession of schedule I controlled dangerous substance. Imposition sentence suspended, defendant placed on two years unsupervised probation.  Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost and probation fee. 

MICHELLE L. DEMATTIE:  Defendant entered guilty plea to no drivers license on person.  Imposition sentence suspended, defendant placed on two years unsupervised probation.  Defendant ordered to pay fine and probation fee, court cost waived. 

SHAWN A. NELSON:  Defendant entered guilty plea driving while intoxicated second offense. Six months jail sentence suspended, defendant placed on twenty-four months supervised probation.  Defendant ordered to perform two hundred forty hours community service with one hundred twenty hours with litter abatement. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost, probation fee and fee to Office of Public Defender.  Defendant ordered to satisfactorily complete court approved drug and substance abuse and driver improvement programs.

DAMIEN L. SIMMONS:  Defendant entered guilty plea speeding. Imposition sentence suspended, defendant placed on two years supervised probation. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court costs and probation fee.

ADRIANNA MICHELLE TAYLOR:  Defendant entered guilty plea no drivers license on person. Imposition sentence suspended, defendant placed on two years unsupervised probation.  Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost and probation fee. 

JEREMY WAYNE JOHNSON:  Defendant entered guilty plea operating a vehicle while intoxicated first offense. Imposition sentence deferred, defendant placed on twenty-four months supervised probation. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost, probation fee and fee to Office of Public Defender. Defendant ordered to perform sixteen hours community service and satisfactorily complete court approved drug and substance abuse and driver improvement programs.

SARA MARIE TURNER:  Defendant entered guilty plea operating a vehicle while intoxicated first offense. Imposition sentence suspended, defendant placed on twenty-four months supervised probation. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost, fee to Office of Public Defender and probation fee. Defendant ordered to perform sixteen hours community service and satisfactorily complete court approved drug and substance abuse and driver improvement programs. 

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on March 9, 2022

CLARENCE MERAL BARTON:  Defendant entered guilty plea to indecent behavior with a juvenile. Defendant sentenced to serve fifteen years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served.

ORYON QUANTAVIOUS ATKINS:  Defendant entered guilty plea aggravated flight from an officer. Defendant sentenced to serve three years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Sentence suspended, defendant placed on three years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost, fee to Office of Public Defender, monthly supervision fee and CDS offense fee. Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service.

CASSIE ELIZABETH FREDIEU:  Defendant entered guilty plea possession of schedule I  controlled dangerous substance. Imposition sentence deferred, defendant placed on two years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost, fee to Office of Public Defender, monthly supervision fee and CDS offense fee. Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service and satisfactorily complete court approved drug and substance abuse program.

DYLAN SHANE HOWELL:  Defendant entered guilty plea criminal conspiracy to introducing or possession contraband in any municipal or parish prison or jail and flight from an officer. On the first charge defendant sentenced to serve two and one-half years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, sentence consecutive. On the second charge defendant sentenced to serve six months in custody of Winn Parish Sheriff, credit for time served if you have been there six months, sentence consecutive.

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on March 10, 2022

SHURMICHAEL M. McDONALD:  Defendant entered guilty plea second degree battery-domestic violence. Defendant sentenced to serve eight years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Sentence suspended, defendant placed on three years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Defendant ordered to pay fine,  court cost, restitution, fee to Office of Public Defender and monthly supervision fee.  Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service.

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on March 12, 2022

ROBERT DEWAYNE CASKEY:  Defendant entered alford plea indecent behavior with a juvenile. Defendant sentenced to serve two years without hard labor with credit for time served. Defendant must register as a sex offender.

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on March 14, 2022

DAMION DEWAYNE FOSTER: Defendant entered guilty plea aggravated battery. Defendant sentenced to serve ten years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Sentence suspended, defendant placed on three years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost, fee to Office of Public Defender and monthly supervision fee. Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service. 

DESIREE SHIANE JAMES:  Defendant entered guilty plea possession of schedule II controlled dangerous substance. Imposition sentence deferred, defendant placed on two years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost, fee to Office of Public Defender, monthly supervision fee and CDS offense fee.  Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service and satisfactorily complete court approved drug and substance abuse program. 

BYRON O. LUC:  Defendant entered guilty plea possession of drug paraphernalia second offense. Defendant sentenced to serve six months in the parish jail. 

DAVID W. BROWN;  Defendant entered guilty plea possession with intent to distribute a counterfeit schedule I controlled dangerous substance. Defendant sentenced to serve ten years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, credit for time served. 

DREW LAYTON PURVIS: Defendant entered guilty plea theft of $1,000.00 or more but less than $5,000.00. Defendant sentenced to serve five years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Sentence suspended, defendant placed on three years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost, monthly supervision fee and restitution. Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service. Any firearms seized are forfeited.

XAVIER DANDRIE WYATT:  Defendant entered guilty plea stalking. Defendant sentenced to serve one year, sentence suspended, defendant placed on two years supervised probation. Defendant ordered to pay fine, court cost, fee to Office of Public Defender and probation fee. 

District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on March 15, 2022

 JAY LOYD HENNIGAN:  Defendant previously entered guilty plea domestic abuse battery-strangulation. Defendant sentenced to serve three years hard labor Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  Sentence suspended, defendant placed on three years supervised probation Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Defendant ordered  to pay fine, court cost, fee to Office of Public Defender and monthly supervision fee. Defendant ordered to perform fifty hours community service and have no contact with victim. 

Story Courtesy of the Jackson Parish Journal

On Sunday evening a call was received by Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO) about several disturbances and fights taking place during a large gathering at Pierre Park in Jonesboro. Deputies quickly responded. A few minutes later another call, this time to 911, was made indicating that shots had been fired at the same location. More JPSO Deputies arrived.

The question then arose about why were no Jonesboro Police Department (JPD) Officers on the scene? Here it was a gathering of roughly 500 people at a public location within the city limits of Jonesboro, yet there was not a single Officer from the JPD on site. Not before the disturbances took place. Not after. How could this be? The answer is simple. There were no JPD Officers on duty. 

When Jonesboro Police Chief, James “Spike” Harris, was questioned about this, he gave a simple explanation.

“We didn’t have anybody on duty because my Officers refused to work without being paid,” said Harris. “I don’t blame them either.” 

Harris then expounded further. 

“Now I am being questioned about why there were no Officers on site. My reply to that is who would go to work if they knew they weren’t going to get compensated for their time? I certainly wouldn’t and don’t know of anyone who would.”

“Our Officers are supposed to be paid for their service but now the JPD is in the spotlight and it shouldn’t be. What should be happening is the Mayor being brought to the table for not paying employees their due wages.”

To get a perspective on this you must backtrack to the Board of Aldermen meeting that was held in January where Mayor Thompson indicated that the Town of Jonesboro was in dire financial condition and that harsh changes had to be made. Of particular importance was the decision to change the wage scale for all town employees to a compensatory time schedule. 

Compensatory time is an arrangement by which eligible employees are entitled to take time off in lieu of overtime pay. Yet in this instance, this was not something the JPD Officers had an option of considering but instead had forced on them. 

Immediately after the new payment plan was instituted Chief Harris balked at signing the agreement on behalf of the JPD. His objection was two-fold.

“First of all, what Mayor Thompson did is highly illegal as he has no right to refuse to pay the Jonesboro Police Officers their due wages without the consent of the Chief of Police. Per Louisiana Revised Code 33:2213.1 (B) subsection (b) an agreement or understanding about wages must arrive between the employer and employee before the performance of work.”

“The Police Department does not report directly to the mayor’s office. The Chief of Police in this municipality is an elected official who controls the budget set forth by the Board of Aldermen and handles day to day operations of the police department. So in effect, the JPD Officers don’t work for the Town of Jonesboro but for the Jonesboro Police Department. In my capacity as the head of this department or their employer, no agreement or understanding has been reached with the Officers, who are the employees other than the original agreement they signed when they were hired.”

“Secondly, the original agreement stated that employees who did not take their compensatory time within a 30-day period would lose it. This would require officers to be forced to miss work, which would cause serious manpower shortage problems or work without getting paid for their time.”

At the Board of Aldermen meeting in February, this was brought up again by Assistant Police Chief, Ciera Murphy. After hearing her objection, Mayor Thompson stated that he would look into this and make adjustments as necessary. 

When the JPD Officers received their pay this past week there was no overtime pay included. According to what Harris was told by his Officers when they questioned why their check was “short” they were told by the City Payroll Clerk that the Mayor said not to include overtime pay in their checks.

Chief Harris said that this is just another ploy of Mayor Thompson in his long-going vendetta against him and the Police Department. He also added that sadly, it not only hurts the people who are trying to keep Jonesboro safe but puts the public at risk. 

“In Mayor Thompson’s previous administration, he had the police department defunded,” recalled Harris. “Since Mayor Thompson was re-elected, he has tried time and again to take money and resources away from the JPD, but this time the town council has been wise enough to not vote to do so. He even went so far as to say in a public forum that He will have the Jonesboro Police walking or riding bicycles.”

Harris concluded by saying enough is enough and he will no longer sit idly by and see his department be subjected to this type of action anymore. 

“I am in contact with the necessary authorities about what is going on and am in the process of seeking not only criminal charges against Mayor Thompson and his staff but also filing for civil litigation in this matter.”

KNOE-TV, Channel 8 does feature about the dispute

On Monday a feature was done on the dispute by KNOE-TV, Channel 8 where Harris and Thompson were both interviewed. To see the news piece entitled Police chief in Jonesboro seeking legal action against Mayor click here.

By: Brad Dison

Kansas is a 4.5-points favorite against Villanova Saturday in the first of two NCAA Tournament semifinal games. Duke and North Carolina will follow at approximately 7:49; the Blue Devils are a 4-points favorite.

Hello, Awesome Saturday Night. Except …

If you see a Kansas fan between now and then, and if he or she is gnawing on tree bark and unable to mumble a complete sentence, move along. Yes, the Jayhawks are favorites. Yes, Kansas has a basketball tradition as rich as anyone’s.

But yes, Kansas come Tournament time is a heartache waiting to happen.

East Coast. West Coast. Midwest. Deep South. Historically, the Kansas basketball program has arguably left more hoop-loving hearts broken all over this great land and on the Final Four Road than any other program that’s ever dared nail up a peach basket.

They’ve got the awesome old-school gym. The simple, bright, cheerful uniforms you could probably wear to church and get away with. That happy-go-lucky Jayhawk mascot.

It’s a program that’s strung together a ridiculous 31 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, the most ever. All the Jayhawks do is win.

Until it’s time to finish. Kansas has only three NCAA Tournament titles in its illustrious history.

Which is three more than lots of programs, for sure. Most anyone would trade for what Kansas has been able to do, generation after generation.

And still, their reputation is that of a Bracket Buster. Kansas giveth, and Kansas taketh away. Saturday will mark the program’s 16^th trip to the Final Four, which means that for all their trips to the mountaintop, the Jayhawks have left as King of the Hill only once every five times.

They’ve been runners-up six times, college basketball’s equivalent of baseball’s 1950s’ Brooklyn Dodgers and 1990s’ Atlanta Braves.

Bridesmaids City.

Recent history:

In 2010, Northern Iowa, historically one of the finest programs in all of the great state of Iowa, bounced them out.

In 2011 as the Tournament’s No.1-seed, Kansas was dismissed by VCU in the Elite Eight. (Time flies; Shaka Smart seems like last week.)

2014, they got Stanford-ed, although it’s important to remember that Kansas was Joel Embiid-less thanks to an unfortunate injury.

2016 and 2018, well, we’ll come back to that in a sec.

In 2020, the Jayhawks were ranked No. 1 in some polls and … The Ultimate Indignity … the Tournament was pandemically canceled.

So here they are again with head-scratching Kansas, never ranked No. 1 this season, yet champions of the Midwest Regional and the only No.1 Regional seed left in the ballgame. If you are a Kansas fan, you are probably preparing for a dagger where it hurts.

But who knows? Bill Self could become just the 16^th guy in the college game to win multiple national titles. Kansas could do what the 1952 and Self’s 2008 teams did and win it all.

Very un-Kansas-like, they’ve even won it when they weren’t supposed to. I happened to be there hanging around in Kemper Arena in Kansas City in 1988 when “Danny Manning and the Miracles,” a 6-seed, upset No.1 Oklahoma, 34-3 and winners of 21 of its last 22 games, 83-79. The game was tied 50-50 at the half, the small (for a Final Four) arena was an explosion of cheers and colors and gasps and drama, and the whole thing was more fun than a little bit.

And maybe the same will be true this weekend. Maybe. With Kansas being a favorite over Villanova in the Saturday semis, that’s a step in the right direction.

Except … remember we mentioned 2016 and 2018? Kansas played Villanova in the tournament both those years. And lost. First, in 2016 when the Jayhawks were the top-seeded team in the tournament.

And then in 2018, when Kansas lost to the underdog Wildcats … in the semifinals.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

By: Royal Alexander

In the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, historic inflation, record high gas prices and the inexplicable confusion some people have regarding whether men should be allowed to compete against girls in sports, it would be easy to have overlooked the report a few weeks ago of special prosecutor, John Durham.  It also doesn’t help that the national so-called media, once again, was slow to cover the story and did so only cursorily when it did.

 What did we learn from the first installation of these startling court filings?

The crux of the filing is that an internet services company and its owner, Rodney Joffe, “exploited his access to non-public and/or proprietary Internet data” including “Internet traffic pertaining to the Executive Office of the President of the United States.”  Joffe was not only monitoring internet traffic to the White House during the Trump presidency but also internet traffic to Trump Tower and President Trump’s apartment on Central Park West.

I note that every time a government website is accessed the individual accessing it has to acknowledge they have the right to do so, or they will be subject to prosecution, so hacking the White House servers is certainly an indictable offense.  However, what happened here is a classic insider attack because a system can never be secure from people who are authorized to access it and who are unethical or crooked.  Joffe’s company had the technical authorization, if not the legal authority, to access the server under the contract but of course only for the legitimate purpose of the contract.  (Joffe’s scheme was to monitor Trump’s servers using access to internet traffic granted to him and his company under a DOD cybersecurity contract).

 In perhaps the understatement of the year, the Wall Street Journal noted that “White House communications are supposed to be secure, and the notion that any contractor—much less one with ties to a presidential campaign—could access them is alarming enough.  The implication that the data was exploited for a political purpose is a scandal that requires investigation under oath.” (WSJ, 2-15-22).  Will that ever happen at a time when the Deep State in D.C. holds so much power? Probably not.

Many of us have believed this for years but national “media” and social media further underscored their obvious double standard in the way they ignored and actively suppressed the Clinton corruption story which is demonstrably true—versus their saturation coverage of the purely speculative Trump/Russia collusion story—which is demonstrably false, as Robert Mueller and his team made clear after $32 million dollars and 18 months of investigation.

As Fox News Contributor, Jason Chaffetz, explains the bombshell revelations contained in the Durham filings “could have profound implications on Americans’ ability to trust our institutions.”   The Durham filings confirm what so many Americans already suspected—that President Donald Trump was right about his opponents infiltrating his private information—including during the time he was president and in the White House—and that Hillary Clinton’s campaign consistently lied to the American people about it.  

 We should enumerate the several astounding conclusions that can be drawn from the filings: 

 One, our federal government can’t be trusted to protect our data.  Secondly, our White House communications are not secure. (How is this even possible?).  Thirdly, U.S. Intelligence Agencies like the FBI can be and have been weaponized for partisan politics.  We can no longer trust our law enforcement agencies or federal courts to investigate, prosecute and try people on a non-partisan basis.  The existence of a federal investigation may or may not be rooted in real evidence of criminal actions, depending on whom their subject is.  Fourth, if there was any remaining doubt there is no longer that we cannot trust mainstream news outlets who buried this story. (See also the 2020 Hunter Biden laptop story which the often-dishonest media only now, in March 2022, acknowledges was a major story, one damaging to the Biden presidential campaign).  Fifth, there is simply no justice—no equal protection of the laws—if Hillary Clinton and those around her are not held accountable.  (Jason Chaffetz, 2-16-22, FOX). 

 The point here is that some very bad actors involved in the Hillary for America campaign worked together to manufacture false information to make it look like Trump was conspiring with Russia.  They delivered the false information to the FBI and CIA in order to prompt an investigation which they could then have the media report on, making it look like the Trump-Russia collusion allegations had substance behind them when they clearly did not.

 The conclusion is that Trump was spied on by the FBI later (through illegally obtained FISA warrants) but by Hillary’s campaign initially and the entirety of the Trump-Russia allegations were made up out of whole cloth by the Hillary for America campaign, which paid handsomely for them.

 These filings make painfully clear that we are at a point in American history that a presumption of falsity and untrustworthiness must be made whenever our national media or government institutions make a “statement” regarding the “news.”  There is simply no reason to believe them at face value, and every reason not to.

 The WSJ concludes that the “unfolding information” contained in the Durham filings “underscores that the Russia collusion story was one of the dirtiest tricks in U.S. political history … and Mr. Durham should tell the whole sordid story.”

The views and opinions expressed in the My Opinion article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Winn Parish Journal. Any content provided by the authors is of their opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

March is National Kidney Month – a time to give some thought to just how well you are taking care of these important bean-shaped organs. At Natchitoches Regional Medical Center (NRMC), we want to help increase awareness about the role of the kidneys in your overall health and the early signs of kidney disease.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), millions of people in the United States have chronic kidney disease (CKD). Unfortunately, many people do not even know they have it until the disease progresses. Often considered a silent disease, it is important to diagnosis CKD in its earliest stages. Those in the highest risk group for developing kidney disease are those with diabetes and/or high blood pressure, but there are also many other conditions and illnesses that can affect your kidneys.

What the Kidneys Do

We have two kidneys located just below the rib cage on both sides of the lower back. About the size of a fist, these important organs help filter the blood in our bodies and remove waste. The kidneys also produce Vitamin D, which is essential to good health, help balance fluids within the body, and serve to regulate salt and potassium. The kidneys also produce red blood cells and regulate pH. As a specialized branch of medicine, doctors who specialize in caring for the kidneys are called nephrologists.

Managing CKD

“The kidneys are the body’s filter similar to the filter in a car that helps keep the car engine clean,” explained Board Certified Nephrologist Dr. Alfred Ajise. “The job of the kidneys is to remove waste from the blood and produce urine that carries the waste to the bladder and then out of the body. When the kidneys begin to fail, a person will still produce urine for a while but will begin to lose the ability to filter the blood. Eventually, the ability to produce urine becomes impaired, resulting in severe fluid buildup in the legs and throughout the body, including the lungs.”

Nephrologists help patients by diagnosing and treating the cause of kidney disease with the hope to stabilize the kidney and/or improve kidney function through the management of hypertension, nutrition, exercise, and medication management.

Know the Warning Signs of CKD

• If you notice any changes in the amount or frequency of your urination, you should see your doctor. Watch for changes in color, foamy urine, or any odors.
• Get a routine physical and have your urine checked for blood and protein– both can be signs of kidney disease.
• Many people also experience lower back pain.

Make a Commitment

Talk to your doctor about your kidney health. Watch your diet, limit additional salt, drink enough fluids to stay hydrated, and exercise. If you have other health issues such as high blood pressure, get regular blood pressure checks, take your medicine as prescribed and get enough exercise. For more information about your health, visit NRMChospital.org.

NATCHITOCHES:
Carol Ann Murphy Tynes
April 6, 1935 – March 26, 2022
Service: Thursday March 31 at 2pm at Memory Lawn Cemetery

Patsy LeRoy Longlois
November 19, 1932 – March 24, 2022
Service: Thursday, March 31 at 10 am at Weaver Cemetery in Flora

The Winn Parish Journal has confirmed that Winn Parish Schools will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, March 30th, in expectation of hazardous weather.