Homer Council Fails To Appoint Police
Chief
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Homer Town Council failed to
appoint an interim police chief to fill the unexpired term of retired Police
Chief Rodney Hollenshead at their regular meeting Monday night. The Council had
ten days to make the appointment after Hollenshead's retirement date of
December 31, 2005. It is now up to Governor Kathleen Blanco to fill the
vacancy.
Homer Mayor
Huey Dean had called a special meeting of the Council on Tuesday, January 3 to
allow potential candidates for the position of police chief to make 3-minute
presentations to the council. Notices were sent to Donald Malray, Russell
Mills, Jimmy Hamilton, Steve Williams, Ben Booth, Willie Burns, James Willis,
and Freddie Jenkins. The only ones who did not address the Council were Burns,
Willis, and Jenkins.
Prior to the
vote Monday night, Billy Kirk Jenkins commented Town Attorney David Newell
should have been present to answer any legal questions they might have. Dean
said he was going to be late, so suggested the Council take a short break to
allow him time to arrive. After about ten minutes, they reconvened. Toney
Johnson immediately made a motion to appoint Ben Booth. Before a second could
be made, Jesse Ford suggested Acting Police Chief Donald Malray read the state
law.
Malray read
Statute 18:604, which states, "When a marshal of a city or municipal court
is temporarily absent or unable to act, the judge of that court may appoint a
person to serve as marshal during the period of temporary absence or inability.
When a vacancy occurs in the office of constable or marshal of a city or
municipal court and the unexpired term of the office is one year or less, the
chief deputy shall assume such duties and position and shall serve for the
remainder of the expired term."
J. C. Moore
said the law is clear, the next person in the chain of command should assume
the position. Dean told the Council the latest ruling on appointing a
police chief, according to the Secretary of State office, is that any appointee
must meet the same requirements as a person who qualifies for the election.
They must reside and be domiciled in the corporate limits of the Town of Homer.
The only one of the five potential candidates who does not live in town is
Donald Malray.
The motion made
by Johnson to appoint Ben Booth failed for lack of a second. Ford then made a
motion, seconded by J. C. Moore, to appoint Donald Malray as interim police
chief. This motion when
Johnson and Carlette Sanford voted against the motion, and Billy
Kirk Jenkins and Mayor Huey Dean failed to break the deadlock by abstaining.
Johnson said he was not sure if the law presented by Malray would apply to
the Town of Homer, since he was told the Council was to appoint Ford suggested allowing Malray to continue as
interim chief, it would keep the playing field level for the other candidates
until an election could be held.
CLAIBORNE PARISH SHERIFF Ken Bailey and District Attorney Walter May (l.-r., seated), along with
Asst. District Attorneys Danny Newell and Jim Hatch (standing), review the list
of arrest warrants for persons wanted for issuing worthless checks. Names will
be published in the newspaper beginning next week. Bailey and May are uniting
forces and will aggressively pursue the arrest of any person who has not taken
care of their "hot check." Anyone who thinks their name may be on
this list can contact the DA's office in Homer at 927-4862.
Sheriff, DA Crack Down On Worthless
Checks
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Claiborne
Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey and District Attorney Walter May are teaming up to
reduce the number of "hot checks" being written to area businesses.
The District Attorney's office has compiled a list of the names of several
hundred individuals who have written worthless checks in Claiborne Parish. Although
arrest warrants have been issued, these individuals have failed to pick up the
bad checks. Beginning next week, the DA's office will publish names of the top
ten worst offenders on the list. Then, each week after that, a new list of
names will be published in the newspaper until all the outstanding warrants
have been satisfied.
Bailey said
they have been working on this joint effort for the past several months.
"Businesses have to wait too long for their money," he said.
"Now we are going to do our part to get these bad checks resolved."
May said in
years past it was considered inappropriate for the district attorney's office
to pursue these individuals; felt it was mixing civil with criminal offenses.
Then the law changed which allowed the DA's office to pursue an individual once
a merchant had sent a certified demand letter asking for payment and submitted
the proof of receipt of that letter to the DA's office. Today the district
attorney's office mails the certified demand letters. By law, a $25 fee is
added for every check for the merchant. The Worthless Check Fee Act was passed
by the State Legislature to help defray some of the cost to prosecute these
cases by requiring the worthless check writer to help bear the cost of the misdeed.
In 2005 alone,
the magnitude of the problem is apparent in the total amount of money collected
by the district attorney's office for worthless checks_$80,396.74. The office collected $33,601.17 in Claiborne
Parish, $26,992.04 in Jackson Parish, and $19,803.53 in Bienville Parish. May
said, "Without the support of the sheriff's office, however, this program would not be
possible." The sheriff must be willing to make the arrest for the district
attorney to prosecute the case.
Sheriff Bailey
said, "Our main objective is to get back the money for the merchants, and
to stop the problem from reoccurring."
Anyone who
receives an insufficient fund check can bring it by the district attorney's
office and fill out the appropriate form to begin the process. A certified demand
letter with a return receipt requested will be mailed out to the person at the
address provided by the merchant or individual. May said,
"It is important for the merchant to get accurate information."
Store clerks should always ask to see a driver's license to verify the address
and identity of the person writing the check by comparing the photo on the
license, then record the information and driver's license number on the front
of the check so bank stamps won't cover up the valuable information. This gives
an accurate address to mail a demand letter if needed, and verifies the
identity of the person who writes the check.
For more
information on how to handle a worthless check or if you think your name may be
on the worthless check list, contact District Attorney Walter May's office in
Homer at 927-4862.
Area Burglaries Investigated By Sheriff’s Office
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Claiborne
Parish Sheriff's Office is investigating burglaries that occurred sometime
between late afternoon on Saturday, January 7 and the early morning hours of
Sunday, January 8 in southern Claiborne Parish. According to Chief Detective
Chuck Talley, a resident of Hwy. 519 south of Marsalis contacted their office
around 7 AM Sunday to report the theft of a new John Deere riding lawn mower
and a Honda 4-wheeler that had been parked under a shed beside his house. There
was evidence two items had been pushed to the road sometime during the night
and stolen.
About the same
time, another individual who lives on Barns Road, east of Athens and south of
Hwy. 518, reported his camouflage-colored Kaboda
tracker (mule) had also been stolen.
The Claiborne
Parish Sheriff's Office is looking for information on this or any other crime.
Anyone with information is asked to call 318-927-2011 or your local law
enforcement agency.
Disturbance Leads To Arrest
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Homer Police
officers responded to a disturbance call at 910 Coleman Street at approximately
3 AM on Sunday, January 1. Upon arrival, officers found an elderly lady, Mrs.
Beatrice Nellams, inside the residence, extremely upset. LaTonya Thomas flagged
down the officers and told them Vernecia Bender had vandalized Ms. Nellams residence and Kenneth
Mann's car. All four front windows were broken in the home and the window on
the storm door was knocked out. All four side windows were busted out in a
vehicle parked next to the house. The back window was broken and the front
windshield was busted.
Officer Ken
Wood called Claiborne Ambulance to have Ms. Nellams' medical condition checked.
Officers attempted to question Kenneth Mann Jr. to ask him what he had seen, if
anything. He refused to cooperate, yelling expletives at the officers and
warning them not to come in his yard. When medical personnel arrived, Wood
followed them into the house. Mann blocked the door, refusing to allow Officer
Thomas Davis to enter the residence. Davis advised Mann to step aside or face
arrest. He continued to block the door until Wood came out to assist in placing
Mann under arrest. He was handcuffed, advised of his Miranda Rights and
transported to the Claiborne Detention Center where he was charged with disturbing
the peace and 2 counts of resisting arrest.
Officers Davis
and Wood then proceeded to 1420 Lawhorn Street in Homer to arrest Vernecia F.
Bender. She refused to comply with the
officers and pushed Davis as he was attempting to handcuff her. The Sheriff's
Office was called for back up and deputies Randy Smith and Paul Brazzel arrived
to assist. Bender was charged with aggravated criminal damage to property,
disturbing the peace, battery of a police officer, and 2 counts resisting an
officer.
Burn Ban Still In Effect
The Burn Ban
issued in Claiborne Parish last week is still in effect according to Homer
Fire Chief Dennis Butcher. The small amount of rainfall received this week is
not sufficient enough to lift the burn ban. Parish residents are warned to
refrain from all outside burning until further notice. Butcher said a wildfire
educational program has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 24 at 6:30 PM at
the Homer Fire Station in conjunction with Trailblazer in Ruston.
Karl Malone To Speak At Banquet
Karl Malone
will be the guest speaker at the 41st Annual Claiborne Chamber of Commerce
Banquet to be held Monday, January 30 at 6:30 PM at the Claiborne Parish Fair
Barn in Haynesville. Reservations are $30 per person and must be paid in
advance. Seating is limited to 300 persons. For more information or to make
reservations, call 927-3271.
School Projects Top Board Agenda
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
The Claiborne
Parish School Board discussed what could be done about purchasing the
Hollenshead property located next to the new Homer Junior High building during
their regular meeting Thursday, January 5. The Board agreed a decision would
have to be made soon_whether to continue to try to purchase the property or to
use funds to do necessary dirt work and construct the new gym and library
behind the school instead.
Attorney Jim
Hatch suggested they first try to get a commitment in the next 30 days on an
amount lien holders would be willing to settle for. Those holding liens on the
property include the IRS, the State of Louisiana, First Guaranty Bank, and
Homer Memorial Hospital. The IRS and State have indicated they would be willing
to negotiate a settlement.
School
Superintendent James Scriber told the Board they were looking at a $1 million
deficit this year in the budget and expects a $1.5 million deficit next year, with increasing costs
for utilities, diesel and other expenses. The audit report should be ready by
next meeting, but he reminded board members the bottom line can sometimes be
misleading since many of these funds are obligated.
The Homer Hayride will have its Grand Opening March 4. Located on the
north side of the Square in space that was formerly Claiborne Cleaners, the
Hayride will be operated by Tommy and Edna Wyant.
Homer Hayride To
Open
BY JIMMY DEAN, Feature Writer, The Guardian-Journal
"Homer
Hayride" signs completely cover the windows. One cannot see what's going on
inside to get ready for the March 4 Grand Opening.
Edna and Tommy
Wyant are busily preparing to offer what they describe as "a
family-oriented establishment with no smoking, no drinking, no
profanity." The Saturday night program will run from 7-10 and feature live
country bands and dancing. The Homer Hayride will also sell snacks and
refreshments. Local well-known bands "Stormy Weather" and "Lost
Prairie" are booked for the Grand Opening.
White Lightning Series #13:
Nick Ramsey Trial Moved to Minden
NOTE: This is another in our series of articles reprinting prior
published information on the White Lightning Feuds.
* * * * *
(continued from last week)
Mr. J.W.
Clingman was in town the past week for the first time in several years. We
understand that he will work for the Clingman Nursery this year.
— Guardian-Journal, page 3
April 12, 1899
(NOTE: Part 4 of this series included an item from the New York
Times dated August 19, 1891, reporting that several people, one of whom was Joe
Clingman, had left the parish following the killings of J.D. Tuggle, I.N.
Glover, and John Ramsey. Joe Clingman was the brother of A.K. Clingman whom Tom
Kinder had sought to kill. We note that eight years later, Joe W. Clingman is
moving back to Claiborne Parish.)
* * * * *
District Court Notes
A change of
venue was granted in the Nick Ramsey case and the case transferred to Webster
Parish.
— Guardian-Journal, page 3
April 19, 1899
(NOTE: The January 11, 1899, issue of the Guardian-Journal
reported Ramsey's case might be moved to Bienville Parish. The case was instead
transferred to Webster Parish. The intransigence of even one juror in earlier
trials shows the rigid views of Ramsey's guilt or innocence that prevailed. This led to doubts
about getting a unanimous verdict of guilt or innocence from a Claiborne Parish jury.)
* * * * *
The Nick Ramsey
case, which was transferred from this parish to Webster Parish, is fixed for
trial at Minden today......
NOTE: The final chapters in the White Lightning Series in
their entirety will be available only in the book being published by The
Guardian-Journal.
Year In Review
- 2005
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Top stories
over the past year began with the deaths of Perry Allen Hammontree, his
daughter Melissa Robertson, and Melissa's husband, Michael Robertson during an
early morning house fire in Homer on Christmas Day 2004. Other major events
during the year included the January 12, 2005 tornado, the hiring of a new
administrator at Homer Memorial Hospital, the possibility of constructing a new
hospital, the resignation of the Homer town clerk and two councilmen, reports
on the choice for I-69, construction of new schools, and the resentencing of
former town clerk Marilyn Bush.
Over the next
few weeks, the Guardian-Journal will provide a month by month recap of events
that made headlines in Claiborne Parish last year, beginning this week with
January, 2005.
JANUARY
The top story
of January 6, 2005 was the tragic death of three persons on Christmas Day
2004—Perry Allen Hammontree, his daughter Melissa and her
husband Michael Robertson. Perry's wife Patricia Hammontree, Marlene Sanders,
and Melissa and Michael's three children escaped injury.
Tires were
slashed on several vehicles located at the Homer Post Office, the
Guardian-Journal, and Claiborne Community Services between January 1 and 2. The
U.S. flag in front of the post office was also cut down.
Homer Memorial
Hospital Administrator James McClung resigned his position as administrator of
Homer Memorial Hospital to accept a position as Administrator of the Green
Clinic Surgical Hospital in Ruston.....
