Homer Police Look For Robbery Suspect
The Homer
Police Department have issued an arrest warrant for Venson
Drew, 20, of 1437 Pearl Street in Homer in connection with the armed robbery of
Dixie Mart #1 located at 4093 Hwy. 79 in Homer. Captain Donald Malray and Sgt. Jimmy Hamilton were dispatched to the Dixie
Mart about 10:42 PM Sunday, April 3, where they found store clerk Sonya Carter
locked inside the store.
Carter told
officers a black male came in the store while she was counting the money. He
had a white "Scream" mask over his face, with black cloth hanging
down the sides and back of the mask. She recognized the suspect and called him
by his nickname "Quick" and told him to stop playing several times. He
came behind the counter and pointed a large automatic handgun to her head. She
pleaded with him, "Please don't hurt me. I will give you the money."
The suspect
then reached under the counter, grabbed approximately $3,000, and ran out of
the store. Ms. Carter ran to the side of the store and observed Drew pull off
the mask and stuff it down his pants. At that point,
she was sure it was Venson Drew. She ran outside and
called to him, "Stop and bring the money back. You don't want to do
this." She said he did not stop, but ran away.
Drew was last
seen wearing blue jeans and a blue sweater. He is 6'1" in height and
weighs about 230 lbs. He has long hair, normally braided, a beard and mustache,
and tattoos on both arms. Sgt. Hamilton issued a warrant for the arrest of Venson Drew for armed robbery and use of a firearm.
Anyone with
information on the whereabouts of Venson Drew is
asked to contact the Homer Police Department at 927-4000.
Arrests Made In Burglary Of Summerfield School
Claiborne
Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey announced that several arrests had been made in
regard to the burglary of Summerfield High School on December 18, 2003.
Principal D'Arcy Stevens reported the burglary after arriving at the school and
discovering the school office had been broken into and the safe had been
stolen. The safe contained several hundred dollars in cash and checks, along
with other items and paperwork.
The
investigation initiated the day of the burglary produced a number of leads
which eventually led to the arrest on March 24 of Charles B. Pitts, 19, of 1577
Mt. Sinai Road, Haynesville.
Others who were
arrested the next day, on March 25, in connection with the burglary were Robert
C. Ford, 18, of 1571 Mt. Sinai Road, Haynesville; Bobby Singleton, 19, of 180
Mt. Sinai Road, Haynesville; and Tyrone 0. Cook, 20, of 117 Hay Lane,
Haynesville. Bailey said another arrest is also expected on this case.
Homer Police Make Drug Arrest
Tansay Harper, 19, of 903 Bama
Street in Homer, was arrested Monday, April 4 and charged with possession of
marijuana, two counts of resisting an officer, and resisting arrest. Harper was
pulled over Monday night on North 4th Street by Homer Police Captain Donald Malray and Sgt. Russell Mills regarding another
investigation. While being interviewed, Harper became very irate. According to Malray, he started walking away and refused to obey the
officers' commands. He continued to remain very irate and belligerent and was
initially charged with resisting an officer.
Upon search of
the suspect by officer
Kenneth Wood, a clear plastic bag containing marijuana was discovered. The
suspect was placed under arrest for possession of marijuana. Further search of
the vehicle uncovered a small quantity of marijuana under the right rear
passenger seat.
After arriving
at the Homer Police Department, officers removed the handcuffs from the
suspect. While processing the paperwork, one of Harper's relatives entered the
office and was asked to leave. At that point, Harper became irate once again
and began hollering. He resisted officers attempt to place the handcuffs on him
and had to be physically restrained. Officer Keith Ferguson received minor
injuries to his shoulder and left forearm.
Once officers
review all the evidence, other charges are expected to be filed against Harper.
Haynesville Elects New Mayor, Chief
Homer Mayor Recall Effort Fails For Second Time
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Councilman H.
U. "Mutt" Slaid narrowly defeated incumbent
Mayor Mickey Mayfield in the general election held Saturday, April 2, while
Haynesville police officer Anthony C. Smith took 60 percent of the votes cast
to oust incumbent Police Chief Jim Garner. Of the 720 votes cast for mayor,
Mayfield received 354, or 49.17% and Slaid received
366, or 50.83%. Smith received 444 (60.08%) of the 739 votes cast for police
chief, while Garner received 131 votes (17.73%) and Keith Klick
received 164 (22.19%).
In the races for Council, incumbent Alvin J. Kendrick in
District 1 will face Monica Beene-Ridley in a runoff
election to be held on Saturday, April 23.
In District 2,
Alvin L. Moss defeated Rudolph Presley by a vote of 66 (57.89%) for Moss to 48
(42.11%) votes for Presley.
Incumbent Otto
Black in District 4 was narrowly defeated by Rene Turner-Lincoln. Lincoln
received 70 votes, or 51.09% while Black received 67
votes, or 48.91%.
In District 5, Carla Frasier Smith defeated John Ware by a vote
of 152 (79.58%) to 39 (20.42%).
Joyce Major
retained her seat in District 3, as she was unopposed in in
the election.
Absentee voting
for the April 23 election will be held April 11-16, from 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday-Friday, and from 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM on Saturday at the Registrar of Voters Office in the
Police Jury Complex in Homer.
While Haynesville
citizens will be getting a new mayor and a new police chief on July 1, it
appears Homer Mayor Huey Dean will remain in office. The Citizens for Human
Rights Committee failed to turn in the recall petition before the March 29,
2005 deadline, thus ending their second attempt to remove Dean from office
Dean has one
year, nine months remaining in his term as mayor. Over the past two years, he
has suggested at times he might step down, but says now he plans to serve out
his full term
THESE LUMINARY BAGS were decorated by second grade students from Homer, Haynesville, and
Claiborne Academy. Candles will be placed inside and they will be lit during
the Luminary Service to be held at 9 PM during the American Cancer Society's
Relay For Life on Friday, April 22. Luminaries can be
purchased in memory or in honor of an individual for $10. Send
check payable to American Cancer Society to Patricia Folts,
329 Coleman Loop, Homer, LA 71040. Names of those purchased will be read
during the ceremony.
Relay For Life Set For
April 22
Luminaries—Heartfelt Remembrances
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
"Help Fight Cancer." These are the words written
by one second grade student as she decorated the small white sack that will be
used during the Luminary Ceremony during this year's American Cancer Society
"Relay for Life". The words sum up the purpose for the fundraising
event, where teams consisting of local individuals sign up to help raise money for cancer
research—money that remain in this area.
The Luminary
Ceremony is one of the highlights of Relay For Life.
Hundreds of bags are placed around the track. Candles in the bags are lighted,
creating a glowing tribute to those we have lost and hope for those who are
currently battling the disease as well as those who have fought it in the past.
The names of those who had a luminary purchased in their honor or memory will
be read during the ceremony.
This year's
luminary bags will add a special touch to the ceremony to be held at 9 PM on
Friday, April 22. More than 200 bags were decorated by second grade students
from Homer, Haynesville, and Claiborne Academy. It is obvious from the
heartfelt messages on the bags, that many of the children in Claiborne Parish
have seen the effect of cancer firsthand.
Some students
drew pictures of the sun, pretty flowers, colorful rainbows, hearts, smiley
faces, birds and butterflies. Some shared stories of family members who had
cancer, some who had survived and some who had not. One child wrote, "My
Dad got cancer and he died." Beneath the words, a picture of herself with tears streaming down her face.
. These messages
remind us how important it is, as a community, to join in the effort to raise
funds that hopefully will one day find a cure for this dreaded disease.
Sandra Griggs
and Nancy Mason, who are heading up this year's event, invite everyone to get
involved. For more information about
Relay for Life, contact Griggs or Mason at Regions Bank at 927-9626, call the
American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 or (318) 398-7248, or visit the
website at www.cancer.org.
Sewer Plant Tops Homer Council Agenda
Public Hearing Set For
Closing Pearl And Bonner Streets,
Juvenile Problem Worsening
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Marios Papadopoulos, general manager for
American Wastewater Management, reported to the Homer Town Council during their
work session before their regular meeting on April 4. He said AWM was moving
ahead with plans to renovate the influent pump station and north basin, and to
refurbish the propellers. They started removing sludge from the north basin
Monday and hoped to have it back in operation by the end of the month. They
have been in compliance since September, but most violations have been with
ammonia, which are normally worse in summer months. These improvements to the
north basin will allow them to treat the ammonia better.
They were out
of compliance in ammonia last summer because of the amount of sludge generated
at the plant. The sludge is composed of different components, organic matter,
silt and sand. They have no control over the sand and silt, or the oil and
grease. Johnson said the Town probably needs to look at upgrading the piping.
In a letter
received in the last few weeks, DEQ recommended the Town move forward with the
grant to refurbish the facility. AWM had not moved ahead with maintenance plans
because they understood Balar was going ahead with
renovations under the grant. He found out today, the grant was still up in the
air.
AWM runs 1200
tests each year, which includes tests for PH, total residual chlorine,
biochemical oxygen, fecal coliforms, total suspended,
ammonia, fenal, several metals (aluminum, copper,
zinc, and iron), and toxicity. "In
the last six months, we have had no violations," he said. "We want to
be in compliance." They also have been adding lime to the sludge and
spraying deodorizer to eliminate the smell.
Papadopoulos
said it was his business to see that facility operates in perfect condition and
the contract with the Town specifies that fines are paid by AWM. Johnson said
the important thing is we know you have a plan and it is being communicated
with DEQ. The Town understands they may have to pay for some repairs. He said,
"You have our support, but keep us informed."
Dean said,
according to Balar, some government agencies want the
Town to raise water and sewer rates. He will meet with them Tuesday to explain
some of the cuts that have been made to the workforce and how the $5 charge
recently added to utility bills is expected to generate approximately $10,000
per month.
Former mayor
David Aubrey said the rate increase in 2002 was expected to generate $150,000
to offset the $137,000 loss in the enterprise fund. This loss was due in part
to the loss of revenue from LP&L payments.
Johnson said he
understood Farmers Home had the right to make sure the town is financially
stable and can pay the bonds back. They could require the town to increase
water rates if they feel it is in jeopardy. The sewer plant is wearing out and
we need to do what is necessary to keep this $800,000 grant.
Ronnie Anderson
suggested the Town consider recirculating water at
the wastewater treatment plant. They were using about 50,000 gallons a day or
1.5 million gallons per month. Papadopoulos said they were using potable water
for chlorination purposes and recommended to the council two years ago to
install a pump to recycle the water.at an estimated
cost of around $8,000 with AWM providing the labor This
is being done at a number of other plants. Anderson said the Town could recover
the money spent in about two months.
Johnson said he
was all for saving money but he asked last month for a plan of how to get the
plant in compliance and avoid being fined by DEQ. Papadopoulos said they are
not consistently out of compliance.
NORTHWEST TECH LPN STUDENTS will be conducting free blood pressure checks during the Open House to
be held Friday, April 8 at Claiborne Parish Health Unit, from1:00-3:30 P.M.
Above, Toshia
Williams, RN, checks Helen Washington's blood pressure.
Free Blood Pressure Offered At Health
Unit Friday
The Claiborne Parish Health Unit is
celebrating National Public Health Week this week by hosting an open house on
Friday, April 8, 2005 from 1:00-3:30 P.M. The public is invited to come by and
learn more about what services are available to citizens in the area.
Representatives from more than ten local organizations are participating with
educational and safety displays. The Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Office will be available
for fingerprinting for children and Northwest Tech LPN students will conduct blood
pressure screenings at no charge.
Organizations
participating include the Claiborne Boys and Girls Club, the Claiborne Parish
Sheriff's Office (D.A.R.E. program), Office of Family Support, Homer Hospital,
Homer Police Department, Medicaid, Claiborne Parish School Board Special
Services, D.A.R.T. (Domestic Abuse Resistance Team), the LSU AgCenter, Northwest Louisiana Technical College, and the
Healthy Start Program.
The staff of
the Claiborne Parish Health Unit would like to encourage the public to please
come by for an educational and fun afternoon. Refreshments will be served.
