Thanks to Kevin C. Shannahan

Longtime Winn parish civic leaders, the late James Maxwell “Max” Kelley and Carolyn Phillips, were among the seven honorees from throughout the state inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame in its 33rd annual induction ceremony Saturday, April 5, at Winnfield’s Civic Center.

Winnfield’s Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame tells the story of the state’s oftentimes colorful political history with historical artifacts and memorabilia. The Hall of Fame honors those politicians and civic leaders who have made a particularly noteworthy mark on our state’s leadership scene. 

A Winnfield High School and NSU alumnus, “Max” Kelley was tirelessly dedicated to improving his hometown of Winnfield and preserving its unique place in our state’s history. At the age of 29, he became the youngest person to be elected mayor in Louisiana to that time. He was to leave a legacy of service and accomplishment. He played an integral role in founding the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame and Museum, not only celebrating the city’s political heritage, but also preserving the Winnfield train depot. Maxwell co-chaired the 1993 centennial of Huey P. Long, perhaps Winnfield’s most well known resident. His promotion of Winnfield to filmmakers led to the 1988 filming of the movie “Blaze” in Winnfield. 

Much like her fellow inductee Kelley, Carolyn R. Phillips led a life of selfless service to her community that continues to this day. A resident of Winnfield since 1962, she served for 31 years as the 4-H agent and home economist with the LSU Cooperative Extension Service, enriching the lives of generations of young men and women. She also was a driving force behind the revival of the popular Louisiana Forest Festival and served as director of Winnfield’s Main Street Program. 

Phillips was chosen as the first executive director of the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame and museum, a post she held for 28 years. It is no exaggeration to say that her leadership and personal sacrifice were integral to the museum’s survival and growth. 

This pair of community leaders has left an eclectic and lasting legacy to our region. They are eminently deserving of induction into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame.

Their fellow 2025 inductees were: Judge Marion F. Edwards, Jimmy “Jim” Harris, Charles S. “Charlie” Weems, Marsha Shuler, and Don M. Burkett. 

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Josh Brister and Randy Harlan have successfully completed the Rapides Correctional Academy, reported Winn Parish Sheriff Josh McAllister. Over the course of an intensive 11-week program, both deputies demonstrated dedication and skill in their training which covered defensive tactics, firearms, legal protocols, chemical spray techniques, and physical fitness.

Throughout the academy, deputies Brister and Harlan excelled in each phase of the training, achieving the designation of “POST Certified Basic Correctional Peace Officers.” This certification signifies their preparedness to serve and protect, with the necessary expertise to carry out their duties effectively.

McAllister noted that one of his top priorities since taking office has been to quickly certify all deputies. In alignment with this goal, the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office currently has two additional deputies undergoing training at the Alexandria Police Academy, with their graduation scheduled for May of this year.

The sheriff stressed the importance of a trained and qualified law enforcement team. He congratulated Brister and Harlan for their hard work and achievement, saying, “Their dedication to their training sets an outstanding example for us all, and I look forward to seeing them continue to excel, as with the entire department, in their commitment to the citizens of Winn Parish.”

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Central Management Company, Lagniappe Rehabilitation and Lagniappe Homecare have announced their 16th annual Run for Your Life 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run.  

On Saturday, May 3, they will host our annual run at Forts Randolph and Buhlow State Historic Site located at 135 Riverfront Street in Pineville.

Proceeds benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Beginning in 2016, this group of community leaders began raising money and bringing awareness to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.  With last year’s donation, they have raised $101,000 to date for St. Jude and this year is promising to be our best year yet.

They encourage local participation by saying, “We would love for you all to join in our effort to make a difference in the lives of children and their families that are fighting against pediatric cancer!”

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Join us, April 14-18, from 11:30am-12:30pm, at the First United Methodist Church of Winnfield (located at 300 W Main St) to share in the time of reflection, sacrifice, and renewal during our second annual Holy Week event.

Guests can expect to enjoy a soup, salad, dessert and fellowship followed by a different local pastor delivering a daily devotional prayer each day of the week.

 

Monday, April 14th: Father Louis Sklar-Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church

Tuesday, April 15th: Brother Shaun Garner-Winnfield First Assembly of God

Wednesday, April 16th: Brother Russell Jones-Christ Wesleyan Fellowship Church

Thursday, April 17th: Brother Mike Carpenter-Yankee Springs Baptist Church

Friday, April 18th: Brother Bruce Weatherford-New Jerusalem Baptist Church

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The Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office continues to receive reports from residents regarding scams targeting this community. Recently, there has been an uptick in scammers using a method that the office warned about last year. 

These scammers are posing as law enforcement officers and demanding that victims send money to avoid being arrested. In some cases, the scammers are utilizing caller ID spoofing to make it appear as though the call is coming from WPSO or other law enforcement agencies.

“Please be aware that the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office will never call and demand that someone pay money over the phone,” officials advise. “If you receive a phone call from a number that appears to be from the local office and are suspicious about the nature of the call, we strongly encourage you to take the following precautions.”

1. Ask for the caller’s name and their department.

2. Inform the caller that you will call them back.

3. Hang up and call the WPSO number to speak directly with the employee in question.

Officials urge you to remain skeptical when dealing with anyone who demands money from you over the phone. This is a common tactic used by scammers to pressure victims into paying money quickly.

Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office has received reports of scammers requesting payment via cryptocurrency or electronic funds transfers, such as Walmart or Western Union. These payment methods are highly irregular and would not be accepted by law enforcement offices. If anyone—whether an agency or debt collector—asks you to pay through these means, it is likely a scam.

If you suspect that you have been targeted by a scam or have received a suspicious phone call, you are encouraged to contact the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office immediately to report the incident. Your vigilance is vital in helping the Sheriff’s Office protect the residents of Winn Parish from fraud and deception.

Stay informed, stay skeptical, and stay safe.

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Goldonna Elementary Junior High School is proud to announce their Spring Honor Roll

Principal’s List

Layla Desadier

Saydee Flack

Piper Killingsworth

Amy Lee

Paul Zalien

Brinley Sampey

Awnah Schmidt

Devin Smith

Dillon Tebbetts

A Honor Roll

Haiden Black

Levi Brown

Silas Collinsworth

Anna Cotton

Jase Cotton

Brentlee Desadier

Willis Freeman

Zayden Marshall

Jaxon Martin

Shelby Persilver

Hunter Quinn

Stella Roseburg

Charles Sharrow

Ayden Smith

Victoria Stewart

Todd Lani

Karsyn Winn 

B Honor Roll

Alyssa Barbo

Henry Barnum

Kayden Bedgood

Siegen Bedgood

Nathan Black

Bryson Carter

Branson Choate

Daisy Choate

Eli Coker

Mackenzie Dodge

Brookelyn Garner

John Johnson 

Jace Lee Johnson

Aiden Leone

Carlee Martin

David Quick

Posey Riddle

Johnny Stewart

Waylon Tyler 

 

If you have news to share please email Reba Phelps at jreba.phelps@gmail.com

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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.

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No deaths to report for this current edition.

The Winnfield Police Department, in collaboration with the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office, successfully apprehended a suspect in connection with a recent gas theft at Murphy’s USA. The incident, which involved a theft of $150 worth of fuel, occurred when a suspect in a pickup truck left the station without paying.

Following the employee’s report, law enforcement began an investigation, reviewing security footage from the gas station. This led to the identification of both the suspect and the vehicle involved. A tip directed authorities to Poole Street in Calvin, where the suspect’s vehicle was located. Officers from both the Sheriff’s Office and Winnfield Police quickly responded to the scene.

Upon approaching the vehicle, the male occupant, later identified as Jefferson Hastings of Goldonna, fled on foot. After a brief foot chase, officers successfully apprehended Hastings. He was charged with Theft, Resisting Arrest, and Fugitive from Grant Parish. Hastings was booked into the Winnfield City Jail, where additional holds have been placed.

Sheriff Josh McAllister praised the successful collaboration between the Sheriff’s Office and the Winnfield Police Department, emphasizing the importance of coordinated efforts in keeping the community safe. “It’s rewarding to see our agencies working together to ensure the safety of our community,” he said. “We will continue to strengthen our partnerships to make Winn Parish a safer place for everyone.”

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District 6 Winn Parish School Board member Michael Riffe has tendered his resignation with the Secretary of State’s Office, citing health reasons, it was revealed at the board’s committee session Monday night.

Supt. Al Simmons presented a plaque from the board to Riffe for his service to the district during that March 31 session.  He noted that Riffe had submitted the required paperwork to Secretary of State by mail a week earlier but when no confirmation had been received, he re-submitted his notification online.

A Tuesday afternoon notice from the School Board Office indicated that communication has been received and the vacancy declared for the District 6 School Board seat.  “Residents of that district who have an interest in being appointed to fill that vacancy until a special election may be held should submit a letter of interest and resume’ to Superintendent of Schools Al Simmons no later than the close of business Thursday, April 10, 2025,” the board’s notice reads.

Based on discussion, with the Secretary of State’s confirmation, the board now has a 20-day period during which to name an interim District 6 member who would serve until a special election is held.  If that is the case, Simmons said a special-called meeting of the board may be in order.  

That determination and an election date to fill the vacancy will be up to the Secretary of State’s Office.

In other action, Dr. Bob Jordan gave an update on the school district’s efforts against truancy.  He advised members that truancy figures have improved over the past 12 months as the Winn district has coordinated efforts with the FINS program in the District Judge’s Office, with officer Aleta Hoffman.

FINS (Families in Need of Services), he said that he’s come to understand by working with them through these months, is not a program to punish children and families for nonattendance but rather a “stopgap measure to help keep children and families from getting into the court system in the first place.  When students stay in school, they are more likely to become productive members of society.”

Jordan told members that Winn schools have about a 90% attendance rate.  Truancy rates (compared to a year ago) have improved monthly since a marked improvement of 19.1% in August.  The only downturn in absenteeism came in November (29.1% worse) but the board was reminded that was when flu hit the school system.

Local efforts to improve school attendance have included designating an attendance liaison at each school, not necessarily the guidance counselor since not all schools have one.  They coordinate with the affected families and the FINS office.  Meetings twice a semester bring together these liaisons, principals, central office, FINS and the Sheriff’s Office.  There have been regional virtual training sessions.

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Winnfield’s Assistant Police Chief Chuck Curry and Jessie Phillips, WPD public liaison officer, brought the program for Winnfield’s Rotary Club on March 12. The topic of greatest interest was the photo enforcement of the speed limit in the town of Winnfield.

Asst. Chief Curry, a veteran on the WPD force for the past 24 years, along with a term of five years before he took another job, emphasized that photo enforcement of the speed limit has been legal for a long time. Many cities have cameras on their traffic signal intersections, but Winnfield does not. The monitors one sees at intersections with traffic signals are sensors which detect the presence of vehicles stopped at the intersection, but have no capability to measure the speed of a vehicle.

One of the two photo enforcement cameras in Winnfield is located on Highway 167 North beside the intersection with Cotton Street. The camera is triggered after the vehicle is well past the camera. A letter-ticket is issued only on vehicles going at least 11 miles per hour over the speed limit. The camera is positioned after two 35-mile per hour speed limit signs on the highway.

The location of the camera is intended to prevent accidents at the Y-intersection with Highway 84, and has been successful. According to Asst. Chief Curry, City Police worked three accidents a month at the Highway 167-Highway 84 intersection before the camera was placed on Highway 167 near the intersection. Since the placement of the camera, they have worked no accidents at the intersection.

The other speed camera is on Grove Street going toward Winnfield’s Recreation Center. The purpose is to slow down traffic for the safety of children engaging in recreational programs at the Rec.

In response to the claim that a speed camera must be a certain distance from a speed limit sign, AC Curry noted that the state law cited by persons opposed to the cameras applies only to hand-held radar units and does not apply to the stationary cameras in Winnfield.

The tickets issued by Meditraffic which administers Winnfield’s photo enforcement system are civil tickets and do not go on a person’s record. The fine is $165, Meditraffic keeps 40% of the fines and the City gets 60%. The City uses the money to improve the tools it uses for law enforcement.

The letter sent to inform a person of the infraction and fine has a questionnaire on the back which gives an opportunity for the registered owner of the vehicle to deny being the driver at the time of the infraction and to give other information. 

Curry also explained that the statement by the Louisiana Attorney General advising citizens not to pay tickets was not applicable to the photo enforcement.

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District Attorney Chris Nevils reports the following action was taken in Eighth Judicial District Court on March 13, 2025 

GLENN J. DUPREE, JR.: Defendant entered guilty plea battery of a police officer. Sentence – serve 90 days in the custody of the Winn Parish Sheriff, credit for time served. 

JOHN F. ISRAEL, III: Defendant entered guilty plea criminal trespass. Sentence – serve 30 days in custody of Winn Parish Sheriff, credit for time served.  

SAMMY D. SMITH: Defendant entered guilty plea no drivers license on person and contempt of court. Sentence – serve 30 days after that get credit for time served.  

TYLER ZACHARY ETHRIDGE: Defendant entered guilty plea DWI 1st offense. Imposition of sentence suspended, 2 years supervised probation with Winn Parish Probation Office, pay court cost, fine, fee to Office of Public Defender, probation fee, complete 16 hours community service, drug and substance abuse and driver improvement programs.  

ASHLEY ROCHELLE HEAROLD: Defendant entered guilty plea DWI 1st offense. Defendant placed on 2 years probation with Winn Parish Probation Office. Sentence deferred, pay court cost, fine, fee to Office of Public Defender, probation fee, complete 16 hours community service, drug and substance abuse and driver improvement programs.  

MICHAEL L. SMITH: Defendant entered guilty plea DWI 1st offense. Sentence – Suspended imposition of sentence, placed on 24 months probation with Winn Parish Probation Office, pay court cost, fine, fee to Office of Public Defender, probation fee, complete 16 hours community service, drug and substance and driver improvement programs.  

TIM BRADLEY SPARKS: Defendant entered guilty plea reckless operation first offense. Sentence – Imposition of sentence suspended, placed on 2 years unsupervised probation, pay fine, court cost and probation fee.  

DANILLE LAMOND STARKS: Defendant entered guilty plea DWI 1st offense. Sentence – Suspended imposition of sentence, 2 years probation with Winn Parish Probation Office, pay court cost, fine, probation fee, fee to Office of Public Defender, complete 16 hours community service, drug and substance abuse and driver improvement programs.  

DECORTEZ JQUAN STAVES: Defendant entered guilty plea DWI 1st offense. Defendant placed on 2 years probation with Winn Parish Probation Office, sentence deferred, pay court cost, fine, fee to Office of Public Defender, probation fee, complete 16 hours community service, 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 24, 2025 

BRUCE LEE FLETCHER: Defendant entered guilty plea  expired MVI sticker. Sentence –  serve 30 days in the custody of the sheriff.  

PRINTIS MONTRAL SCOTT: Defendant entered Alford plea to theft under $1,000.00 and pled guilty to criminal trespass first offense. Sentence on criminal trespass first offense serve 30 days, credit for time served. Sentence on theft under $1,000.00 serve 30 days, consecutive to sentence on criminal trespass first offense.  

ETHAN ALAN SMITH: Defendant entered guilty plea resisting an officer. Sentence – serve 6 months in the custody of the Winn Parish Sheriff, credit for time served.  

KEVIN JAMES WRIGHT, JR.: Defendant entered guilty plea simple criminal damage to property. Sentence – suspended imposition of sentence, 2 years probation, pay fine, court cost, probation fee, fee to Office of Public Defender, prosecution fee and restitution.  

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