Haynesville Man Guilty Growing Marijuana
Another Haynesville Man Arrested For
Drug Possession
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
James Edward Funderburg, 57, of Haynesville was found guilty on all
charges by a jury of his peers on Wednesday, May 18 for the cultivation of
marijuana in his attic, possession of firearms, and possession of marijuana
with intent to distribute. According to
Metro Narcotics Agent James Spillers, an anonymous tip received by agent David
Morgan through the Haynesville Police Department led to the initial
investigation. After several weeks, a search warrant was obtained for Funderburg's residence at 1537 Reed Street in Haynesville.
On March 21,
2002, two Metro agents, three agents from the Louisiana State Police North
District Narcotics, one agent from the Louisiana Sheriff Association Task Force
on Violent Crimes and Narcotics, one investigator and one canine officer from
the Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Office arrived at Funderburg's
residence. A search of the residence resulted in the seizure of a quantity of
marijuana spread out on newspaper drying in the attic as well as numerous other
drug-related items that indicated distribution and cultivation of marijuana.
Also found were 11 loaded guns, 7 long guns and 4 pistols. Funderburg
was arrested the same day.
Assistant
District Attorney Danny Newell, who prosecuted the case, said cultivation of
marijuana carries a sentence of not less than five or more than thirty years at
hard labor, possession of firearm while possessing a controlled dangerous
substance is a felony which carries a minimum ten year sentence, and possession
with intent to distribute carries a sentence of not less than five or more than
thirty years at hard labor.
Problems arising during the 2-day trial led to additional
charges against Funderburg. He was charged with
disturbing the peace, resisting an office and flight of an officer. He is
presently being held at the Claiborne Parish Detention Center until his
sentencing which could come as early as July 5.
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In a separate
incident, Haynesville Police Chief Jim Garner and officer
William Nail were patrolling around midnight, Wednesday, June 1 when they
noticed a vehicle parked in a residential area known for drug activity. Officers
observed some suspicious activity and stopped to investigate. When they
approached the car, Waller got out on the passenger side, and asked,
"What's the matter, officer?" As he passed the passenger side door,
the officer noticed what appeared to be marijuana in the vehicle. When the
officer attempted to arrest Waller, he shoved the officer and ran.
After running a
record check, officers discovered that Dallas County had an outstanding warrant
on Waller for apparently failing to honor provisions of his probation. A
warrant was secured and on Friday, June 3, when Waller showed up for magistrate
court on an unrelated traffic violation, officers placed him under arrest.
He was charged
with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, battery of a police
officer, resisting an officer, and possession of marijuana. He is presently
being held at the Claiborne Parish Detention Center under bond of $101,750.
Four Plead Guilty To Kidnapping
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Four men pleaded
guilty as charged to second degree kidnapping in Second Judicial District Court
on Tuesday, May 31 and were sentenced by District Judge Jenifer
Clason to five years hard labor, with three years
suspended. Jacob Evans, Jared Evans, and Shariston J.
Ford, all of Homer, and Sidric D. Ford of Lisbon,
will each serve two years, followed by three years supervised parole or
probation for the April 2004 kidnapping of a 34-year-old Ruston woman.
At the time of
the offense, Jacob and Sidric were 20 years old and
Jared and Shariston were 19. The four apparently
abducted the woman around 1:30 AM on Saturday, April 23 from the Que Stick located between Ruston and Grambling, then
transported her to Claiborne Parish.
According to
prosecutor Danny Newell, if the case had gone to trial, the four men faced a
possible sentence up to 40 years if convicted.
First Conviction In
Claiborne Under Truancy Laws
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Sheila
Henderson became the first person to be brought before the District Court for
failing to abide by the state's compulsory school attendance laws. Henderson,
who has seven children between grades three and eight who had been excessively
absent during the 2004-2005 school year, was sentenced in District Court on Wednesday
June 1 to 30 days in jail. Her sentence was suspended and she was placed on one
year probation and ordered to pay a fine of $250 by July 5, 2005. If she fails to pay the fine, she would be
required to serve her sentence.
According to
School Board Supervisor and Truancy Officer Mike Blackwelder,
Henderson's children had 302 total unexcused absences. Some of her children had
as many as 77 unexcused absences.
State Law (LRS
17:221A(1) requires parents, tutors, or other persons who have control or charge
of any child from their 7th to 18th birthday, to send such child to school and
assure the attendance of such child in regularly assigned classes during
regular school hours established by the school board.
Last August,
the Claiborne Parish School Board entered into an agreement with District
Attorney Walter May to set up a Truancy Assessment and Service Center at his
Homer office to help reduce problems with truancy in the school district.
Blackwelder said this is a great tool to curtail excessive
absences in our schools. It puts teeth into existing compulsory school
attendance laws and puts pressure on parents to do the
right thing. It is especially needed with the accountability standards our
schools are facing today. Fewer student absences will be a definite step in
improving student test scores as well as our school performance scores.
There are four
levels of intervention. Students who accumulate three unexcused will be
referred to the truancy center by the school. They will start a file on that
child and contact the parent or guardian.
When a student
accumulates five unexcused absences, a parent/child conference will be
scheduled by the truancy center and a second letter is sent to the parents.
Upon reaching eight unexcused absences, a hearing is scheduled
in front of the district judge with the child, parent and truancy officer
present. The child and the parents will be placed under court order to have the
child in school and given certain consequences for further truancy to be
determined by the truancy officer and the judge. The truancy center will
monitor the child each day.
After the 11th
absence and all subsequent absences, another hearing for the child and parent
is scheduled in juvenile court. At this level, the District Judge will determine
the punishment.
Henderson
failed to attend the first meeting set at the DA's office, then failed to
appear at her first court hearing on December 10, 2004 at which time a bench
warrant was issued for her arrest. She
later met with Asst. District Attorney Charlie Bradshaw, then with Blackwelder in February. Blackwelder
explained the consequences to her if the absences continued. Henderson told him
she had never been notified of the absences.
Blackwelder said, "We are taking a very serious view
of this." State law will be enforced. Parents and guardians will be held
accountable if their children are excessively absent.
Police Investigate Altercation
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Homer Police
are investigating an altercation that sent one man to the hospital Monday
afternoon. Sometime around 1:15 PM on June 6, Homer Police were notified of an
altercation at the Town's dump site located on Oil Mill Street where trash
bashes are held.
Public Works
Superintendent Thomas Ridley apparently rode up on a backhoe and discovered
87-year-old town resident, Perry Wolfe, and his grandson loading sawdust from
the Town property. Ridley approached the two and informed them they did not
have authority to be on Town property and asked them to leave. An argument
ensued.
Wolfe
admittedly hit Ridley first with a shovel, on the right shoulder and neck.
According to Homer Mayor Huey Dean, Ridley used the large metal meter base he
was holding to deflect the blow. It glanced off and
struck Wolfe, knocking him to the ground. Wolfe was taken to the hospital where
he was treated for a gash on the left side of his head and released the next
day.
Ridley, 46, had
no visible injuries but according to Dean, was so upset by the incident, he did not show up for work Tuesday. Dean said
Ridley had apologized to Wolfe's son and told him he did not want to see anyone
arrested.
Homer Police
Chief Rodney Hollenshead said his office was still
investigating the incident and, at the present time, had not decided if any charges
would be filed. On Wednesday, June 8, Homer Police turned over the
investigation to the Louisiana State Police due to liability concerns involving
a town employee.
Homer Council Approves Streets, Pay
Raises
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Homer Town
Council approved the low bid to overlay streets, the appointment of Doug Efferson as administrator of Homer Memorial Hospital, and
pay raises for town employees. They voted not to close Pearl Street at this
time as requested by Blake Hemphill on behalf of the school board and voted not to appoint
Rita Mitchell as town clerk.
The Council
approved the low bid of $140,000 by Lincoln Asphalt to overlay the following
streets approved at the April meeting: Sycamore, Brown, Smith, Keener, Bolling, Edgewood, the portion of Pearl from overlay to the
curb, a portion of Beardsley,and the intersection of
Lisbon and East 5th.
Chairman Elmer Poss said the Finance Committee met June 2 and recommended
approving the bid with the understanding the budget would be very tight for the
year. He presented a suggestion on how
to fund the street improvements and address the expected $150,000 deficit in
the street fund. Other street bids received were for $225,590 from Benton &
Brown, $199,925 from Barton, and $163,606.50 from Webster Gravel. Toney Johnson
questioned whether specifications had listed the quality of the asphalt.
Pay raises were
approved effective July 1, 2005 by the Council for six employees in public
works, the town treasurer and temporary clerk, based on town policy which sets
percentages based on the number of years worked. Chairman Poss
said the Finance Committee had met and determined the Town would be able to
afford the raise.
WORK HAS ALREADY BEGUN on property recently purchased by Karl Malone and Malone Properties,
Inc. in the Claiborne Parish Industrial Park located on Hwy. 79 between Homer and Haynesville Dirt is being moved and one water valve is
being moved to allow for the widening of the road. Malone has also erected a
wooden privacy fence to the west of the property next to a private cemetery.
Water Legislation Could Affect Local
Decisions
The 2005 water
legislation and concerns about who will make the decisions for use of the water
resources in Claiborne Parish will be among the agenda items to be discussed at
the quarterly meeting of the Claiborne Parish Watershed District on Thursday,
June 16 at 5:30 PM at the Police Jury Complex. Other agenda items include a
question and answer session with Chris Piehler with
the La. Department of Environmental Quality, economic development ideas for
Claiborne Parish, July 4th Fireworks, lake construction complaint procedure,
and a discussion of the quality of water in Claiborne Parish. Are Claiborne
waters the "best" in Louisiana?
Following the May meeting of the Claiborne Parish Police Jury at
which time the proposed water legislation was discussed, the Jury forwarded to
the Louisiana Police Jury Association a message written by Alice Stewart,
chairman of the Watershed District, asking the association to consider whether
surface water control legislation might be proceeding too rapidly to allow the
evaluation of its potential consequences.
The message
expressed concern that the legislation could set a precedent for the erosion of
powers that have traditionally belonged to the police jury. It cited one bill,
proposed by Bossier Parish Rep. Montgomery, that, if successful, would create a
three parish water district. The police jury from each of the three parishes
would appoint three board members. This would allow two parishes to decide the
use of the third parish's water.
Two other bills
(creating Lincoln and Jackson Reservoir Districts), if successful as originally
written, would create parishwide districts that are
state agencies under DOTD. Only a minority of commissioners for those districts
would be appointed by police juries. The message suggested that the purpose of
these bills might be accomplished better if there were a police jury-appointed
watershed district in each parish. Parish commissions could then enter into
cooperative relationships with other parishes on common water matters and with
the state on state prioritized projects. This model would provide more
responsiveness to the public, accountability, flexibility, efficiency, and
uniformity in accomplishing local, regional state and water use goals.
JOHNTAVIOUS HAMPTON injects his pig's foot with simulated anesthetic in preparation for
suture.
Students Having "A-HEC" Of
Time Suturing Pigs
Nine Claiborne
Parish students are exploring health careers at Homer Memorial Hospital and
Claiborne Manor Nursing Home during Louisiana "A-HEC of a Summer" Health Careers Volunteer Program from May 23 to
June 13, 2005. Johntavious Hampton, Carlee Hughes, Sarah Watson, and Susanna Watson from Homer;
Kasundra Beene, Lakesha Manning, and Darneshia Sturges of Haynesville; and Kourtney
Keith of Bernice are volunteering approximately 100 hours of their time and
energy to explore a variety of health occupations.
The goal of
"A-HEC of a Summer" is to expose high school
students to career opportunities with a hands-on approach so that they may
determine for themselves whether or not a health career is a good choice for
them. By gaining a greater understanding of the relationships between the
knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom and the practical application of
those skills in a medical environment, they can make that important career
decision based on their experiences in "A-HEC of a Summer."
Upon completion of the program, students will earn 1/2 unit of high school
credit and may apply for NLAHEC's M*A*S*H* (Medical
Application of Science for Health) program.
The Claiborne
Parish Program Supervisors are Gaye Brunson, MT, ASCP, at Homer Memorial Hospital
and Wanda Compton, LPN, at Claiborne Manor Nursing Home, Willa Hatter, a
teacher at Homer High School, will serve as the educator.
For more
information, please contact Diane Haslag, Director of
Youth Career Development, North Louisiana AHEC, (318) 330-7700.
Judge Revokes Probation
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Judge Jenifer Clason last week revoked
the probation for Patsy Critton Jackson, 62, of
Haynesville, after she failed to complete the terms of her sentence which
included repayment of $34,356 stolen from her step grandmother, Mattie Askew, in 2001. Jackson
pleaded guilty and was sentenced in May 2003 to eight years
hard labor, which the judge suspended. She was then placed on five years active
probation and ordered to pay restitution of the stolen amount within 54 months.
The initial
investigation of the case was conducted by the Governor's Office of Elderly
Affairs. In February 2002, the case was turned over to the office of District
Attorney Walter May for prosecution under Louisiana State Law for the
exploitation of the infirm. Robin Smith, Social Services Specialist and
investigator for Elderly Protective Services, submitted the information to May's office.
Supporting
evidence showed Jackson was questioned in February 2002 about the missing money
that had been awarded to Askew in settlement of a lawsuit filed against the
nursing home by Jackson in May 2001. Jackson admitted spending all the money on
herself and her own bills. When Askew was questioned, she knew only a little
about some money but did not know where the money went or who spent it.
When Medicaid
discovered the settlement had been paid to Askew yet the money could not be
accounted for, they cut off the elder's benefits, forcing the nursing home to
evict her. In February, 2002, Askew, who was 91 years
old at the time and needed constant care, was moved out of the nursing home
into Jackson's home. She has since passed away.
In July 2004,
when Jackson failed to meet the monthly restitution payments, a hearing to revoke her probation was
called by Caroll Holmes, probation and parole
officer. Jackson was allowed to continue under the probation agreement.
After almost
two years, Jackson had made only three payments. Another revocation hearing was
held last week. Jackson's probation was revoked and her original sentence was
reinstated.
July 4th Fireworks & Patriotic
Parade Set July 2
The 2005
Patriotic Boat Parade and July 4th Fireworks Display will be held Saturday,
July 2 at the Lake Claiborne dam off Hwy. 518. The Boat Parade will begin at
7:30 PM at Pleasure Point and the Fireworks Display will begin at dark, or
about 9:00 PM. Thanks to the efforts of Fred Lewis and the Claiborne Parish
Police Jury, additional parking will be available this year at the Lake
Claiborne dam. Tax deductible donations are needed to help pay for this year's
fireworks display. Please mail your check today to Claiborne Fireworks, Inc.,
180 Post Oak Road, Homer, LA 71040. For more
information, call Fred Lewis at 927-9180.
