BACA rally ‘For the Kids’
The Guardian-Journal photos/Michelle Bates
Bikers from all over the Ark-La-Tex gathered at
Valhalla MC LLC in Homer this past Saturday for the Abuse Needs to Stop (ANTS)
Rally to support the River Cities Chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA).
The funds raised go towards the kids in the local area. BACA is an organization
that helps create a safer environment for abused children, according to its
mission statement. Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) is a 501(c)3, nonprofit
organization dedicated to protecting and empowering abused children.
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Editor’s
Note: For the purposes of this story, the bikers interviewed only gave their
“road names” because of the sensitive nature of what they do. Their real names
will not be used to protect the anonymity of the BACA members and the children
they protect.
Valhalla MC LLC in Homer was the site of the
ANTS (Abuse Needs to Stop) Rally, a fundraiser for Bikers Against Child Abuse
(BACA).
Approximately 100 bikes from all over the
area could be seen for nearly a mile down the Homer Bypass from Highway 2 this last
Saturday, headed to Valhalla to raise money for these kids. The proceeds from
the gate entrance fee, the food, auction and t-shirt sales go straight to BACA.
Tana Nelson, co-owner of Valhalla with her
husband Curtis, said they had a good turnout this year.
“We’re just excited they chose us and it just
keeps getting bigger and bigger every year,” Mrs. Nelson said. “Whatever it
takes for the kids, that’s what we’ll do.”
While they are not BACA members, they are
BACA supporters.
The ANTS rally, an idea of one of the BACA
kids, is an awareness event to raise money for the local River Cities Chapter
of BACA in Shreveport. According to BACA Dalton, the money is utilized for the
kids.
According to a brochure, the purpose of the
organization is to empower abused children and “create a safer environment” for
the child. The group has a protocol they follow in which they work with
different agencies like CASA, Gingerbread House and local law enforcement to
help fill in the gaps while the abused child continues the healing process.
It’s all about empowering the children, Dalton
said, doing whatever it takes within the confines of the law to make sure the
child they adopted feels safe.
Each chapter has a child liaison, who is
contacted by the parent or guardian, and then two primary contacts, also known
as “primaries”, are sent out to visit with the guardian and the child. Dalton
made it clear that the organization does not seek out cases.
“It’s all up to the parent, the guardian, or
whoever has custody of that child to make contact with the chapter’s child
liaison,” Dalton said. “We don’t go out and recruit cases. They come to us.
They make the first contact.”
BACA primaries use a series of steps and
questions to establish the legitimacy of a case.
Once established, an “empowerment ride” is
scheduled where the child becomes an honorary member of the organization. The
child is adopted into the BACA family until the age of 18, and some move on to
become patched BACA members themselves.
“They get a vest and they get to pick out
their own road name,” Dalton said. “We bring teddy bears, blankets and things
of that nature to make that personal connection with that child. During the
empowerment ride, they get to meet some of the local members and supporters of
our chapter, and we become their support and their family in this area.”
Founded by John Paul “Chief” Lilly, a
licensed clinical social worker, BACA is there to protect the children and
create a safer environment for them, even if that means providing a physical
presence at the home of the child to make that child feel safer and more
secure.
Not only do they provide a presence at the
child’s home, but BACA members also escort the child and/or family to
counseling sessions, if needed, and are present in the courtroom if requested
by the child.
“We don’t actually participate in the
counseling sessions, but we sit in the waiting rooms, because we’re supporting
them, we’ve got their back and they know we’re out there,” Dalton said. “It’s
just like when we go to court. In most courtrooms in this area, we’re able to
go into the courtroom and sit in there. That child can sit on the stand, see us
out there in the courtroom and say what they need to say without being afraid,
because they know we’ve got their back.”
Chilly Willy, past president of the River
Cities Chapter, said most of the abused children they deal with have been
victims of sexual abuse.
One in five boys and one in three girls have
been sexually molested in their lives, Chilly Willy said. The average pedophile
will prey approximately 400 times.
And many times, BACA “primaries” will take
the child to do whatever he/she wants to do, like go to the park or even go to
church.
“If they want to go to church, we take them
to church,” he said. “If they feel threatened or scared, we take them wherever
they want to go.”
Chilly Willy talked about the different
levels in which BACA intervenes. In some cases, if a child feels threatened or
scared because the perpetrator is out on the streets, several members will go
to the child’s house and camp out until the child feels safe again.
“We did it in Houston, Texas, for 90 days,”
he said, “whatever it takes for that child to feel comfortable, safe and
secure, we do it.
“Kids just like bikers,” he continued. “They
feel unafraid, they feel un-intimidated. We go to court, and you see 30 ugly
son of a guns like us sitting out there, the kids will sing like canaries. We
put one away the other day in Desoto Parish, and he got life. We call that ‘pay
day’.”
“We want the child to be independent; strong
enough to move on and be a child without having to request our support again,”
Dalton said. “Our job is to go in and make them strong, make them stand up for
themselves. We are the voice for them. Yes, we are bikers, we use the biker
image, but we use it as a tool to help the kids -- show them that there are
adults they can trust.
“Our main objective is to empower kids to
tell the truth and tell what needs to be told so that we can put these scum
bags in jail,” he continued. “They don’t need to be walking the streets and
abusing our kids. When they feel afraid and they need our support, that’s our
mission.”
The BACA rally at Valhalla is held every year
at the end of April.
To find out more about BACA, go to
www.bacaworld.org, or call the River Cities Chapter help line at 318-402-2636
or email them at .
Bridge closure
The bridge over
Coleman Creek (at Port Au Prince and Kel’s Kove), on La. 146 will be closed
beginning May 6, at 8:30 a.m. for piling repairs. All vehicles must detour
using La. 518, La. 9, U.S. 79 and La. 146. DOTD appreciates your patience and
reminds you to please drive with caution through the construction site and be
on the lookout for work crews and their equipment. This work will be performed
weather permitting.
Police budget hearing May 16
The Guardian-Journal
A hearing for the amended petition filed by
Homer Police Chief Russell Mills against the Town of Homer and Mayor Alecia
Smith has been set for Thursday, May 16 at 9:30 a.m., at the Claiborne Parish
Courthouse.
Filed March 4, the suit alleges the town
council attempted to slash Chief Mills’ budget so drastically that the police
department would not be able to operate by introducing an ordinance to amend
the 2013 budget in regards to the police department.
While the council had tabled the introduction
of that ordinance later the same day in its regular meeting, it was completely
rescinded in the monthly meeting on April 4. The town then filed an exception
claiming the issues before the court at that time were moot. Pam Breedlove,
attorney for Chief Mills, filed a memorandum of opposition to the exception,
saying the actions weren’t moot as claimed by the town’s defense.
“Instead of immediately withdrawing the
ordinance, the Town continued its manipulations both before and after it
finally withdrew the ordinance,” she states in the memorandum. “The mayor is
refusing to pay standard police expenses and is attempting to prevent Chief
Mills from properly operating the police department by interfering with his
budget and expenditures in violation of state law effectively altering the
police department appropriations without [formally] amending the budget.”
On Saturday, March 2, the council introduced
Ordinance 13-003, the ordinance aforementioned, and then on March 4, the
evening of the council’s regular meeting, Town Attorney Marcus Patillo said the
ordinance would be tabled. However, the council never made a motion, seconded
or agreed to table the introduced ordinance. It was then in April the council
withdrew and recalled its vote to introduce the ordinance.
This hearing comes on the heels of the last
suit Mills filed when the town improperly tried to do away with term limits for
the mayor and the council. The council previously withdrew its vote to do away
with the term limits in a meeting before the hearing.
The term limit suit was filed March 8, just
days after the court ruled in favor of Chief Mills, effectively stopping the
disbandment of the police department. The council voted in February to disband
the police department, citing budget over runs, concerns of leadership and
numerous pending lawsuits. Within hours, an injunction was filed on Mills
behalf to stop the enforcement of the council’s vote until a hearing could be
held.
National Day of Prayer this Thursday
A short prayer service will be at noon on the
Courthouse Lawn on the Square in Homer Thursday, May 2.
Prayers will be lifted up for our government,
churches, military, family, education, media and businesses.
This year’s theme is “Pray for America.”
“In His name, the nations will put their
hope,” Matthew 12:21.
This year, the Pray for America Challenge is
the E4 Challenge, which is designed to Engage, Equip and Encourage people to
seek and Encounter the Lord through prayer for our nation.
According to a brochure for the National Day
of Prayer, “praying for these Seven Centers of Influence will help us stay
focused and intentional in our daily prayers. Another key to effective, fervent
prayer is knowledge. If we know who we’re praying for then our prayers move
from being general to being specific. We will then find ourselves not ‘shaking
our fists’ at those we pray for, and praying about them, but rather we will be
‘raising up holy hands’ to God, and praying for them.”
When praying for the government, included in
those prayers will be for local, state and national leaders asking God to grant
them wisdom, discernment and hearts that are open to His leading.
When praying for church, prayers will be said
for churches and church leaders throughout our nation and in the local
community.
When praying for the military, prayers will
be said for all branches of our military and its leaders.
When praying for the family, prayers will be
said for families in our nation, in our state and throughout our community.
“God’s model for the family is being
challenged, and we are seeing families fall apart before our very eyes,” the
brochure said. “Pray with passion for the Lord to protect and to strengthen
marriages, encourage parents toward His priorities, heal relationships and
secure His values in their homes.”
In praying for education, prayers will be
said for God’s presence in our schools, colleges and universities.
For media, prayers will be said for Christian
influence in the media industry, from movies, television and radio stations, to
newspaper and magazine publishers.
Businesses will also be prayed for. Prayers
will be lifted for divine intervention in our national, state and local
economies.
The brochure continues:
“As we Pray for America, who’s pledge of
allegiance recounts that we are ‘one nation under God,’ and whose currency
states that it is ‘in God we trust,’ we want Americans to encounter the God who
rules over their country.
“‘He who forms the mountains, creates the wind,
and reveals His thoughts to man, He who turns dawn into darkness, and treads
the high places of the earth -- the LORD God Almighty is His name,’ Amos 4:13
NIV.”
The mission of the National Day of Prayer
Task Force is to mobilize prayer in America and to encourage personal
repentance and righteousness in the culture.
For more information, please go to this
website, www.commit2pray.com
Information for this article was obtained from a
brochure produced by the National Day of Prayer Task Force.
Students honored, encouraged at 2013 Claiborne
Scholastic Banquet
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
Dr. Charlie Roberts, a native of Homer, was the guest
speaker for this year’s Claiborne Parish Scholastic Banquet. He encouraged the
students to continue their education and reach for their dreams.
The Guardian-Journal
More than 70 students were honored at the
2013 Claiborne Parish Scholastic Banquet, some receiving medals for having a
4.0 grade point average or above.
Dr. Charlie Roberts, a former band director
at Homer High School, was the guest speaker for the event. And while he drove
down memory lane, sharing some of his experiences from his high school days, he
also spoke to the students about what it means to have dreams and what to do
once those dreams are attained.
“Be proud of what you’ve accomplished in
Claiborne Parish,” he told the students. “You will carry the name of Claiborne
Parish for the rest of your life. What a great place to grow up and what a
great place to attend school.”
He said while he wasn’t “as smart” as the
students in attendance, he did receive a great education in Claiborne Parish.
“The education here provided me with the
tools and the skills to work and compete at all levels,” he said. “And you may
not think what you’re getting is good -- it’s not, it’s great.”
He also talked about some of the greats from
Claiborne Parish who went on to do great things with their lives. He talked
about Geoffrey Beene, a native of Haynesville, one of the most famous fashion
designers in the United States. He talked about several others who went on to
become educators and high ranking officials in the military.
“At one time, three different people became
vice chancellors at the Louisiana Law School, and they were all from Claiborne
Parish,” he said.
He said he had three dreams: 1.) to play in
the LSU Marching Band, 2.) to become the director of the Homer High School
Band, and 3.) to become the LSU band director.
And he did all three. So, what happens when
all these dreams are achieved? Go back to the basics, back to what was taught
in kindergarten; things like washing your hands before you eat, share, play
fair, put things back where you found them, clean up your own mess, don’t take
things that aren’t yours, say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody, brush your
teeth, warm cookies go well with cold milk, get involved in life, take a nap in
the afternoon if you wish, stick together and look -- open your eyes and look.
“You go to school to learn to be civilized,
you go to school to learn about the world,” he said. “That’s why you’re there.
What you learn in kindergarten will come up again and again in a more complex
form.”
The students who were honored are as follows:
Sean Bailey, a senior at Haynesville High School, Sean
Bailey, a senior at Summerfield High School, Ordecia Beene, a junior at
Haynesville High School, Royale Bush, a junior at Homer High School, Madison
Butler, a junior at Claiborne Academy, Shakayla Butler, a junior at Homer High
School, Lacy Camp, a senior at Homer High School, Kennedy Carey, a senior at
Summerfield High School, Mary Laura Clark, a senior at Claiborne Academy, Jesse
Clements, a senior at Haynesville High School, Kristin Cooper, a senior at
Homer High School, Brianna Cotton, a junior at Homer High School, Miguel
DeLeon, a junior at Haynesville High School, Skye Dettenheim, a senior at
Claiborne Academy, Kelsey Denise Ellis, a junior at Mount Olive Christian
School, Marshall Faulk, a junior at Homer High School, Kadeazsha Ferguson, a senior
at Homer High School, Katie Glover, a senior at Junction City, Selina Gonzalez,
a senior at Claiborne Academy, Aubrey Goodson, a junior at Homer High School,
Taylor Grafton, a junior at Summerfield High School, Fernando Grider Jr., a
senior at Haynesville High School, Jon Harris, a senior at Homer High School,
Jacob Harvey, a junior at Summerfield High School, Alexis Hildreth, a senior at
Haynesville High School, John Robert Holloway, a senior at Homer High School,
A’Shanti Holyfield, a senior at Summerfield High School, Beau Hux, a junior at
Junction City High School, Naeisha Jackson, a junior at Haynesville High
School, Jasmine Jenkins, a senior at Homer High School, David Jones, a senior
at Claiborne Academy, Courtney Kidd, a junior at Mount Olive Christian School,
Zack Alonzo Kidd, a senior at Mount Olive Christian School, Haider Laghari, a
senior at Claiborne Academy, Bailee Lunsford, a senior at Junction City High
School, Mark Lyons, a senior at Homer High School, Kyle McDonald, a junior at
Claiborne Academy, Jessica McGowen, a senior at Homer High School, Mya Manuel,
a junior at Homer High School, Norman Meadors, a junior at Homer High School,
Ashley Mitchell, a senior at Homer High School, Kai’Andrea Mitchell, a junior
at Homer High School, Domonique Montgomery, a junior at Haynesville High
School, JerMontez Moore, a junior at Homer High School, Tre’Various Moore, a
senior at Homer High School, Shelby Pace, a senior at Claiborne Academy, Tyler
Pitson, a junior at Claiborne Academy, Danielle Punch, a junior at Haynesville
High School, Briannia Ramey, a senior at Summerfield High School, Delaney
Roberts, a senior at Claiborne Academy, Mackenzie Scriber, a junior at
Summerfield High School, Tony Sepulvado, a senior at Homer High School, Kameron
Simpson, a senior at Claiborne Academy, Ke’Yon Smith, a senior at Summerfield
High School, Savannah Smith, a junior at Junction City High School, Hunter
Soileau, a senior at Claiborne Academy, Kionna Tate, a junior at Homer High
School, Alexandria Taunton, a senior at Claiborne Academy, Tinisha Taylor, a
senior at Haynesville High School, Alyssa Tew, a senior at Homer High School,
Dekeveon Thomas, a senior at Haynesville High School, Ramona Thomas, a junior
at Homer High School, Bryce Turner, a senior at Homer High School, Trent
Verdin, a junior at Claiborne Academy, Americana Walker, a senior at Homer High
School, Shametrashun Walker, a junior at Homer High School, Justin Ware, a
junior at Homer High School, DeMarcus Warren, a senior at Homer High School,
Ciaira Washington, a senior at Homer High School, Ariel Webb, a junior at Homer
High School, Janescia Webb, a senior at Haynesville High School, Chad Williams,
a senior at Mount Olive Christian School, Leondre Williams, a senior at Homer
High School, Zachary Wilson a senior at Summerfield High School and Essie
Winzer, a senior at Homer High School.
Students chosen for these academic awards are
senior students who have achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in
their high school academic work, or juniors attaining a 3.75 average or
attained an ACT score of 25 or higher, along with those qualifying for Rally,
FBLA, or Science Fair competition at the state level, National Merit Finalist
or semi-finalist.
Participating schools were Claiborne Academy,
Homer High School, Mount Olive Christian School, Haynesville High School,
Junction City High School and Summerfield High School.
3rd Annual Team Cade benefit slated for May 4
Poker Run
Registration for the poker run will be at 8 a.m. at the
Courthouse Square with the first bike out at 9 a.m. Riders will return to the
Courthouse Square by noon. The registration fee is $25 per person, with the
grand prize at $250.
Raffle
Raffle items include a $250 gift certificate to Delta
Interiors for $2, a four-gallon fish fryer for $2, a Cajun grill for $5 and a
52” Exmark lawn mower at $10.
Silent
Auction
During the Team Cade Cystic Fibrosis Benefit, a silent
auction will be taking place with lots of great items including autographed
sports memorabilia, a day of golf, gift baskets, kids’ toys and much more!
Items will be on display in the police jury building during the benefit.
Chicken
Plate Lunches
While everyone is out and about looking at all the silent
auction items, or putting their money in the hat for raffle prizes, or returning
from the bike ride or poker run, chicken plate lunches will be served for
everyone! At $7 each, plates will include chicken, baked beans, potato chips,
bread and a cookie. Deliveries to local businesses will be available as well.
For more information, please contact Holly Liles at 318-548-2659 or Tommy
Sanders at 318-548-2681.
Riders for Lupus Parade set for May 4
A “Riders for Lupus Parade” will be at 10
a.m. on Saturday, May 4, in Haynesville.
A $5 donation entry fee will be for all
riders: cars, trucks, four-wheelers, motorcycles and horses. All floats are
welcome.
If you’d like to walk, that’s ok too. We will
line up at First Baptist Church on Highway 534 at 9 a.m. (the big brick church
behind Piggly Wiggly in Haynesville).
For those who’d like to donate to this event,
an account has been set up at Capital One Bank in Haynesville and Homer under
the name “Riders for Lupus.”
All donations are greatly appreciated and
will go to the Lupus Foundation of America, a charitable organization with tax
exempt status under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, Federal ID
1131436.
Barbecued ribs, chicken and fish plates will
be for sale to help raise money for “Life Photographer,” Live D.J., Bouncers
for kids and educational forms about lupus. Raffle tickets are $1.
For more information, please call
318-433-0100 or 318-927-0001.
Potluck @ the Fair May 10
The third annual “Potluck @ the Fair”
fundraiser will be held Friday, May 10, 2013 at the Claiborne Parish Fair
Complex in Haynesville.
Tickets to the event are $20 each. They can
be purchased from any CAC member, at Haynesville City Hall, Killgore’s
Pharmacy, Carla Smith’s Cut and Curl, and from Jackie Roberts at the
Haynesville News Office in Homer.
This year’s event will begin at 6 p.m. with a
“potluck” dinner featuring a wide, delicious variety of foods prepared by the
great cooks of our town and area. During and following the dinner, a silent
auction will be held with many great items to bid on.
The silent auction will start at 6 p.m. and
close at 7:30 p.m. Then starts the evening’s entertainment. We are pleased to
have the talented “Lisemby Family Gospel Group” from New Eddinburg, Ark., as
our guest entertainers this year.
This family-oriented event will be once again
sponsored by the Town of Haynesville’s Citizens Advisory Committee and the
Haynesville Beautification Committee.
Call Keith Killgore at 318-624-1122 for more
information. Food and silent auction inquiries should be made to Linda Knox at
318-624-1606.
All ticket purchases, donations and
contributions are tax deductible and appreciated. You do not have to cook or
bring any kind of food to attend! If you would like to prepare a dish, please
contact Linda Knox at 318-624-1606.
Mills confronts mayor about budget, hiring issues
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
In a special called meeting of the Town of
Homer, Police Chief Russell Mills brought back before the council the fact that
repair bills to his patrol units still have not been paid in full.
Matt Simmons, owner of Gordon’s Service
Center, asked the mayor and council members about an investigation into his
account of which the town still owes about $200 on repair work done to one of
the police department’s patrol units. While Simmons still has the car and the
repair work has been done, the town still has not paid him in full. In March,
he approached the council about the matter, saying the town owed him about
$1,400, and since then, the town has paid all but that approximate $200.
Simmons received the letter in early April stating
that until an investigation had been completed the town would no longer be
using his business for repairs to town vehicles or patrol units.
Town Attorney Marcus Patillo said that
investigation is still ongoing.
“With continued public records requests for
certain records, it’s stemming from something, so we would like to get to the
bottom of it and figure that out,” he said.
He said he was “advised” by the legal
department with the state auditors, those questions were asked, and everything
seemed to be fine.
Simmons said he wanted to make it known that
he was overpaid, because an invoice was paid twice, but instead of depositing
the check and putting the overage toward the balance owed him, he let the town
office know about the situation to make sure it was corrected.
Also during the public comments portion of
the meeting, Chief Mills spoke to the mayor and council about a couple of
things, including hiring a part time officer and the fact the mayor is
continuing to not pay for services rendered for the police department.
He responded to Simmons’ comments, saying he
was aware of the investigation, and in that letter, he felt it suggested that
the council met without public knowledge and did not meet with a quorum, which
is called a walking quorum.
Mills said Attorney General’s Opinion 03-245,
citing R.S. 33:423 says that the chief has the authority to operate the day to
day business.
“Once the council approves my budget, by
ordinance makes it law,” he said. “It also states at the end of this, that there’s
no authority by the mayor or aldermen to interfere with the expenditures of the
property that I deem necessary.”
He addressed the mayor then, saying, “Mayor,
what you’re doing when you don’t pay my invoices, you’re still controlling my
budget. We’ve been to court twice on some issues, and both times, it’s been
negligent on the council and the town attorney. Please be advised that you need
to listen to what he’s telling you. I have no problem filing another petition,
whatsoever.
“Next, I received a letter from the mayor,
and I’m trying to hire a part-time guy,” he continued. “Ms. Mozeke, you were
the one who told me I needed to hire part time people. I [gave] you this young
man’s application and all his credentials about 13 weeks ago. Maybe the mayor
didn’t know I gave it to you; I came to the school and talked to you. You
requested some more information; I gave that to you. Now, Mayor, you tell me
that I have to go through Shenovia (Harris -- the town treasurer). I find it
strange that any time I try to hire somebody or try to get something done,
things seem to change. It almost appears that you’re trying to pick and choose.
I’ve been to council meetings for the last several years. I’ve never seen
public works people come before the council to get hired, I’ve never seen the
girls in the office come before you to get hired. Now, all of a sudden, I have
to go through Shenovia to get personnel something -- never been done.
“Now, what I ask from you Mayor, and I will
oblige, that you put something in writing what you request from me, outside
policy and procedures for me to hire or terminate a police officer, I will be
obliged to your command. However, to just send me a memo stating that I need to
do it this way, interferes with my daily operations. I’ve got 17 to 23 days of
vacation coming up (from other officers) and I’ve got to cover those shifts.
You gave everybody 200 hours of vacation. We didn’t factor that in. The lady
that you paid to do the budget didn’t figure out the vacation. It’s going to
put me $19,000 over budget just off vacation. I’m asking you to give me the
opportunity to get with the hiring committee and hire a part-time officer, and
hopefully that would save me some money. However, it’s still going to be an
expense.”
At this point, the mayor tapped the gavel,
and told him to get with the hiring committee.
In other news, the council adopted Resolution
13-004 in regards to authorizing the mayor to execute a cooperative endeavor
agreement for renovations to the town hall for planning and construction. This
resolution is in regards to getting the roof over city hall and the police
department completely redone. In the past, there have been leaks and the roof
has been repaired, but according to the mayor, it’s never been completely
renovated. This project will cost roughly $150,000, which will come from House
Bill 2 approved by the Louisiana Legislature in 2012. The money will come from
general obligation bonds.
She said the original plan, also is to move
council chambers to the garage area of what used to be the old fire station, so
that where meetings are held now can be returned to its original purposes, a
kitchen area.
The council also adopted policy and
procedures for the La. One Call.
The next regular meeting of the Homer Town
Council will be Monday, May 6, in council chambers inside city hall at 6 p.m.
For more information, or for questions, please call their office at
318-927-3555.
Minor injuries in crash
The Guardian-Journal photos/Michelle Bates
A vehicle crash on Highway 9 in Athens left both
drivers with very minor injuries. According Michael Brown, the driver of the
2000 Freightliner, he didn’t see the other vehicle until it clipped his front
driver’s fender. Both vehicles were headed northbound on Highway 9 towards
Homer, when Brown attempted to turn into the convenience store at Russellville
and Teddy Fincher, the driver of the 1998 Chevy truck, attempted to pass him.
He said Brown had pulled over to the shoulder and thought he’d stopped. At that
time, he attempted to go around him, when Brown pulled back into the roadway
negotiating the turn into the store. At impact, Fincher slid sideways and the
truck rolled at least once. Fincher stopped on the opposite side of the road.
The Homer Fire Department, Pafford Ambulance Services and the Claiborne Parish
Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. Louisiana State Police are
investigating the crash, and as of yet, the cause of the crash is undetermined.
As of press time, no citations had been issued.
DWCC Self-Help Groups observe Crime Victims’ Rights
Week
The Lifer’s Association sponsored its eighth
Victim’s Awareness Program at David Wade Correctional Center last Thursday in
observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, from April 21-27.
The seven self-help organizations utilized
this program to honor their commitment in giving back to communities and
recognizing the impact that crime has on victims and their communities.
Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous
presented check donations to MADD, accepted by Ann Shocklee, March of Dimes,
accepted by Kim Ates, the American Red Cross, accepted by Jodie Quinn and St.
Jude Children’s Hospital, accepted by Nikki McCoy.
The Toastmasters Club presented a check
donation to DART, which was accepted by Chaplain Ray Anderson on behalf of Mary
Ellen Gamble. The Human Relations Club placed a wreath and proclamation at the
Homer Courthouse commemorating Crime Victims’ Rights week, as well as
presenting a check donation to Derek Melancon representing the Fuller Center.
The Lifer’s Association presented a check
donation to The Gingerbread House, accepted by Alexandria Person and Jennifer
Flippo Burns.
All seven of the self-help groups assisted in
a check donation to Grace Camp, accepted by Norma Pickering.
The offender organizations raised a total of
$2,400 in donations. The program ended with refreshments after expressing
gratitude to the charities and to the administration for their continued
support to this very important program.
This year’s theme, “New Challenges, New
Solutions” celebrates the spirit of the many crime victims and their families
who work for justice and understanding. Many corrections and Probation and
Parole employees work as facilitators for victim-offender dialogue sessions and
provide information and assistance to victims who are registered through the
Department’s Crime Victims Services Bureau (CVSB).
“Our public safety mission and goals
specifically address the Department’s commitment to assisting individuals and
communities harmed by crime as well as providing opportunities to offenders to
make amends for the harm they have caused,” said DPS&C Secretary Jimmy Le
Blanc. “If you know someone who is a crime victim, make sure they know about
us.”
The Department’s CVSB registers
victims/survivors of crime (or family members) for notification about the
offender once he or she is sentenced to DOC custody, such as housing assignment
and projected release dates, release from incarceration by any means and
sentence change due to court action. Staff also works with the Pardon Board and
Committee on Parole to provide registered victims notice of parole and pardon
hearings. More information and the registration form can be found on the
Department’s website at www.doc.la.gov (under Victim Services on the left menu)
or by calling 1-888-342-6110.
“It is important to point out that victims
registered through a local DA’s office or through the Louisiana Automated
Victim Notification System (LAVNS) should also register with DOC to receive
post-conviction information (detailed above) about the offender,” according to
Gayle Cothell, director of DPS&C’s CVSB.
