A riot in Homer again?
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Although a riot did not ensue, an already volatile
situation could have turned ugly.
Homer Police were dispatched to the 1400 block of Pearl Street, on February 10, in reference to a large crowd that was fighting or about to
fight. Officers Van McDaniel and Roger Smith responded to the call, and when
they arrived, they could see a large number of people, approximately 50 to 60
people, gathered at 1433 Pearl Street, where some were drinking alcohol and
others were causing a disturbance.
As McDaniel addressed the crowd, Lurry D. Crew, II, 33 of
Homer, stated loudly that this was his house and inquired as to why the police
were there.
At that time, the officer began to conduct an
investigation into the situation and he explained that his department had
received a disturbance call in that area.
McDaniel then asked Crew to wind the party down, at which
time, Crew refused. Smith radioed for backup.
When Officer Ken Wood arrived on scene, Crew began
cursing towards McDaniel and Wood, making offensive statements to try to rile
up the crowd, according to officers’ statements.
McDaniel then told Crew that he was under arrest for
disturbing the peace, but Crew turned and walked into his residence. After
several verbal commands to stop, McDaniel tried to stop Crew, but several in
the crowd began to hinder the officer’s progress.
Crew went inside the residence to “evade arrest,”
according to reports. Once McDaniel freed himself from those trying to stop
him, he went into the residence to place him under arrest. Also according to
reports, Theresa Crew, Lurry’s sister, grabbed McDaniel on his arm from behind
after entering the residence, at which time the officer moved his arm upwards
to free himself from her grip, when she fell into a wall. While taking Crew to
the patrol car, he again tried to rile up the crowd.
He was taken to the Homer Police Department to begin
processing paperwork.
Crew
was charged with two counts of disturbing the peace and one count of resisting
an officer. Bond was set at $500 each on the disturbing the peace charges and
$1,000 for the resisting an officer charge. In the end, he will either pay a
$225 fine or spend 5 days in jail. He has until March 18 to pay the fine.
In an unrelated case, two men were arrested on Monday,
February 4, when a concerned citizen called police in reference to stolen items
being sold.
Officers McDaniel, Wood and Keith Ferguson responded to
the call. The concerned citizen said the stolen items were being sold in the
Buck Bottom area. McDaniel observed Nicholas Gilbert, of Minden and Marquin
Wright, of Homer, drinking alcohol and loitering at an abandoned house on North 4th Street.
When officers approached, the two fled the scene on foot
to another residence, entering without consent. Wright was found hiding in the
bathroom inside the bathtub and Gilbert was found hiding in a closet in a back
bedroom.
The two were both charged with unauthorized entry of an
inhabited dwelling and criminal mischief. The unauthorized entry charge carries
a bond of $1,000, and criminal mischief carries a bond of $500.
Black History to be celebrated Sunday
with observance program
Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Haynesville will hold its
Black History Observance Program at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24. The special
guests will be the United Zion Baptist Church Choir. Mistress of Ceremonies
will be Sister Jessie McGee. Refreshments will be served.
Possible dog fight leads to drug bust
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
What could have been a dog fight turned into arrests for
drug possession when two men fled from police.
Homer Police were dispatched to the 400 block of North 7th Street in reference to a disturbance.
When Chief Russell Mills arrived at the scene, he observed
several people engaged in some sort of commotion, a fight between people or a
dog fight.
“As I passed the residence, I could see a group of young
males standing in the back yard around what appeared to be a dog fight,” Mills
said. “As we made eye contact, they started running. As I rounded the corner of
the house, Mr. Waterman came towards my patrol car with a pit bull in one hand
and a Frisbee in the other hand.”
Mills gave chase and Erik Waterman, of Homer, ran into
the house, coming straight back out, asking what he needed. He told Waterman he
noticed suspicious behavior, citing the dog and seeing a chicken at the
residence as well.
When asked if he was making the dog fight or if the
chicken was involved, Waterman said he was playing Frisbee with the dog. When
asked why he ran, Waterman admitted to having what’s referred to as “roaches,”
or marijuana, in a cigarette pack.
As Waterman was instructed to retrieve the cigarette
pack, Doyle Renfro, also of Homer, was observed throwing something out of his pocket.
Officers J.D. Faulkner and Mike Rayburn were radioed for
assistance at that time.
Once Waterman retrieved the cigarette pack, he showed
Mills what was contained inside – several un-smoked marijuana cigarettes, or
roaches. Waterman also admitted that he had more and escorted Mills and Rayburn
into his bedroom where a small amount of marijuana was found between the bed
and the nightstand.
Also, two smoking devices and a set of scales were also
found.
“The reason he wasn’t charged with possession with intent
to distribute was because there was not enough there to charge him with intent
to distribute,” Mills said.
Renfro was charged with simple possession of marijuana,
with bond set at $1,000. Waterman was charged with possession of marijuana,
third offense and possession of drug paraphernalia. A check was run on
Waterman, and it was discovered that he had previous drug charges in Claiborne
and Webster parishes.
Bond was set at $15,000 on the marijuana possession
charge and $500 for the possession of drug paraphernalia. If convicted,
Waterman faces up to 20 years in prison.
Scam artist strikes Homer
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The Homer Police Department received another complaint
about a scam, except this one was the real thing.
A Homer resident recently became the victim of what’s
referred to as the “Nigerian” scam when she went to a website to purchase a
dog. The website, www.puppyfind.com, helps people buy and sell pets from all
over the United States.
According to www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com, the “Nigerian”
scam was named for section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code, in which “the 419
scam combines the threat of impersonation fraud with a variation of an advance
fee scheme in which a letter, email, or fax is received by the potential
victim.
“The scheme relies on convincing a willing victim to send
money to the author of the letter in several installments of increasing amounts
for a variety of reasons,” the website continued.
As a note, Puppy Find is a legitimate business for buying
and selling pets over the internet.
The unnamed victim went to puppyfind.com to buy a dog.
When she found a dog she was interested in, she contacted the seller and began
the process to give the animal a new home.
According to Puppy Find’s support department in an email,
the scam works like this. The interested buyer contacts the seller, “who no
longer has the dog in question, but knows of a ‘reverend’ on a mission in Africa (usually Nigeria), who is looking for a good home for a similar dog.”
The “reverend” will contact the buyer, stating he or she
is happy to find a Christian home for the dog. The “reverend” is so happy to
find a home for the dog that he will give the dog to the buyer, supposedly only
charging for shipping.
“The ‘reverend’ will request the money be sent via Western Union or money order,” the email continued. “The scam continues as more ‘fees’ are
needed to properly ship the dog.”
The victim of this scam indeed contacted the seller,
falling for the “reverend’s” story, hook, line and sinker. The “reverend”
contacted her giving her the reason he cannot keep the dog. The original email
received by the victim states that the dog is 12 weeks old and is American
Kennel Club (AKC) registered. All “her” shots are current, and it’s only $300
with shipping included.
The email goes on to say that the weather in “West Africa” is not conducive to raising a dog there and that’s why he must give her up.
The dog’s name is “Betty,” but the “reverend” never states the breed of the
dog, only that she is brown and white.
After some investigating, The Guardian-Journal received a
response from PuppyFind.com’s support department in the form of an email
stating the scammer had been removed from their website and banned. When asked
about the scammer’s identity, the website’s support department replied,
“Unfortunately, we are unable to tell you who the scammer is because they are
good at hiding, and of course they are in another country. We don’t allow IP
(internet provider) addresses from certain countries onto our site; however,
scammers have a way of finding/creating open proxies on IP addresses that we
have not yet determined to be bad IP addresses.”
The email goes on to say the company uses a flagging
system to locate scammers that use more than just IP addresses. The company
just cannot catch them all, it stated.
Scammers
use false information that appears legitimate. Usually, they have stolen
another person’s credit card and have an IP address that appears to be fine.
“There is no way to track down the scam artist after we
catch the fraudulent account either,” the email stated. “We’ve asked the
authorities who were on a case similar to this and they said if the scam artist
is outside of the country there’s nothing they can do so they have to drop it.
“We feel horrible that (she) was scammed, but we are
doing everything possible to keep this from happening to others,” the email
concluded.
PuppyFind.com
lists some tips on how to protect a buyer. It says to never allow email to be
the only contact. Ask for a phone number to talk to the breeder. If they
refuse, stop the process of the sale immediately.
Another tip is to avoid using Western Union as a way to
pay for the pet, because there is no way to protect buyers from fraud.
Also, never send money to an address other than the one
listed with the account on the website. If a buyer is asked to send money to
another address, stop the purchase immediately and report it to Puppy Find.
Homer Police Chief Russell Mills said his department gets
reports of fraud or scams on a regular basis and gave some tips of his own for
residents to protect themselves. He said the most important thing to remember
is to NEVER give out personal information over the phone or over the internet
unless the reason is absolutely legitimate. He said to treat personal information
as if protecting a checkbook.
For more information on how to prevent becoming a victim
or to learn more on types of scams, go to www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com. To file
a complaint about an internet scam, go to http://complaint.ic3.gov. To report a
scam or fraud locally, call the Homer Police Department at 927-4000.
Hospital moves into new ER
Submitted photo
Ben Moore and Donnie Patrick install a
new ice machine at the new ER Nurses Station. The new ER was not expected to be
complete and up and running until April, but the hospital has
been given the ‘OK’ to move in early.
The Guardian-Journal
On Monday, February 18th, the State Fire Marshall gave Homer Memorial Hospital a green light to move into the newly constructed emergency room.
Preparations began immediately to complete the move with phones, computers,
furniture, supplies, and all the other things needed to occupy the space being
installed by hospital maintenance personnel and others. Pending any delays,
patients may be seen in the new emergency room by Friday.
This momentous event signals the completion of the first
phase of the Emergency Room / Visiting Physician construction project. Once
the Emergency Room is moved into the new space, the old Emergency Room will be
renovated into a dedicated Visiting Physician Office Area. This second phase
of the construction project is expected to be completed by the end of April.
Plans for a public open house and celebration are already under way so that all
residents of Claiborne Parish will have an opportunity to see the project once
it is completed.
Fire causes significant damage
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
Firefighters received a call late
Wednesday morning, February 13, about a structure fire at 3205 Dutchtown Road
in Homer. The residence of Frank Taylor, the home sustained significant fire,
smoke and water damage throughout the entire house. Officials are still trying
to determine the exact cause, but it is believed to be electrical in nature.
Firefighters spent the better part of four hours at the residence to make sure
any small fires throughout the home were snuffed out. No injuries were
reported.
Construction possible cause of accident
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
The driver of this vehicle rear ended a
Ford pickup truck, and hit the truck hard enough to shatter the back glass of
the cab.
The Guardian-Journal
Construction zones may have played a part in an accident
that happened at the intersection of Hwy. 9 and 2 Monday morning.
The driver of a Pontiac Solstice rear-ended a Ford pickup
on Hwy. 2, claiming that she did not see the truck stopped at the cue of a
construction worker. Both vehicles received minor damage, but the driver of the
Solstice hit the truck hard enough to shatter the back glass of the truck’s
cab, sending small pieces of glass into the highway.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation is in the
process of overlaying – or repaving – Hwy. 2. The project began immediately after
the turn lanes were completed in 2007 on Hwy. 79. Construction is expected to
last for a few more months.
Below are a few safety tips from
www.trafficschoolonline.com for those who must travel Hwy. 2 during
construction frequently.
Do not exceed the posted speed limit. Doing so could
result in a ticket and a trip to an in-class or online defensive driving
course.
Do not ignore the signs indicating dropping speed limits
when entering a construction zone. Once again, not adhering to the changing
speed limit could result in a ticket, which in turn could lead to taking a
defensive driving course.
Be aware that fines may be doubled in a construction zone
when workers are present. Not sure if workers are present? Obey the posted
speed limit.
Do not pass other vehicles while driving in a work zone.
Lanes may be narrowed, there may be too many bumps, and lanes could suddenly
end without warning. Not adhering to the “Do Not Pass” signs is unsafe and
could cause the driver to lose control of his vehicle. Get in an accident and
the driver could be charged with unsafe driving. Or, the driver could end up
seriously injuring or killing a road worker.
Obey any and all traffic signs, including those manually
erected by a road worker. Failing to adhere to a traffic sign could send the
driver swerving out of control.
Do not remove or displace any construction barrier,
barrel, sign or other device used to keep drivers safe just because it’s
inconvenient. These devices are there for a reason. Moving them could result in
a ticket.
Pay attention to what’s out on the road and adhere to
these tips. Doing so could mean the difference between passing safely through a
construction zone and receiving traffic violations.
Schools safe from beef recall
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
A nationwide beef recall has hit school lunch programs
across the country, but Claiborne Parish Schools are not among them.
Paula Becker, Child Nutrition Supervisor with the
Claiborne Parish School Board, said all meat served in Claiborne Parish schools
is bought locally.
“We do not get any meat from these companies for fresh
meat or processed products, like beef fingers,” she said. “Our fresh meat comes
locally and it is inspected by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture.”
All meat comes locally except what comes through the
commodity program, and they do not have any beef on hand through the commodity
program, she said. The school board gets its beef from Louisiana Food Services
in Shreveport, or Gerlach.
The nationwide scare came over the weekend when a company
in California, Westland/Hallmark Meat Company voluntarily recalled millions of
pounds of raw and frozen beef that was “determined to be unfit for human”
consumption, according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a
division of the USDA.
According to reports, the USDA had found evidence against
the company for slaughtering what’s referred to as “downer” cows, which is
against federal food safety regulations. Video by the National Humane Society
showed employees of the company abusing “downer” cows to make them stand up.
“Downer” cows are cattle that are either disabled or
non-ambulatory.
“Through evidence obtained by FSIS, the establishment did
not consistently contact the FSIS public health veterinarian in situations in
which cattle became non-ambulatory after passing ante-mortem inspection, which
is not compliant with FSIS regulations,” stated a press release from the USDA.
“This noncompliant activity occurred occasionally over the past two years and
therefore all beef product produced during the time for which evidence
indicates such activity occurred has been determined by FSIS to be unfit for
human consumption, and is, therefore, adulterated.”
According to the press release, the recall is classified
as a Class II recall, which means the health risk is low.
Westland/Hallmark Meat Company’s president Steve Mendell
wrote a letter in response to the recall, stating he himself was “shocked and
horrified” by the video, and has since taken measures to correct the situation.
His company, he said, is taking “aggressive” measures to make sure his
employees are following all humane handling procedures and policies.
In fact, the plant has been shut down to allow USDA
investigators to examine the company’s process from beginning to end.
“We have voluntarily suspended our operations pending the
completion of the USDA investigation,” Mendell said. “We are dedicating our
full efforts and resources to fully cooperate with the USDA investigative team
that has been assigned to our plant.”
Although the schools in Claiborne Parish have not been
affected by this meat recall, all grocery stores, restaurants and consumers in
the parish who serve beef, need to be aware of the products that have been
recalled.
For the safety of consumers, and as a courtesy to the public,
The Guardian-Journal is publishing a list of the beef and beef products that
have been recalled.
For more information about the recall, go to the USDA’s
website at www.fsis.usda.gov.
KCB gearing up for Great American Cleanup
The Guardian-Journal
Keep Claiborne Beautiful President Doug Efferson,
Secretary Susan Herring, and Vista Volunteer Lauren Tichenor traveled to Alexandria on Wednesday, February 13 to attend the quarterly meeting of Keep Louisiana
Beautiful affiliates.
Keep Louisiana Beautiful Director Leigh Harris and Keep
America Beautiful National Trainer Cecile Carson presented information on
various grant and award programs available through KLB and KAB to the
more than 40 affiliate members who attended the meeting held in Alexandria City Hall. Both Harris and Carson encouraged members to keep up the good
work and to work to inspire their local communities to develop and implement
programs for litter prevention, beautification projects, and waste
reduction.
Efferson, Herring, and Tichenor gathered information for
Keep Claiborne Beautiful’s entry into the Great American Cleanup and the statewide KLB Clean City competition.
Keep Claiborne Beautiful has designated the week of April
19-27 for the Great American Cleanup in Claiborne Parish. KCB is looking
for team leaders in every community throughout the parish who will volunteer to
contact their neighbors and organize efforts in preparation for the state
judging. KCB is also planning to offer awards for the cleanest city in
Claiborne Parish as well as awards for team participation.
KCB would like to challenge all area schools, civic
organizations, churches, and other groups to adopt a section of the designated
clean up areas.
For more information, please contact Lauren Tichenor at
927-7129 or Doug Efferson at 927-2024.
Lions Club celebrates Valentine’s Day
The Guardian-Journal photos/Michelle
Bates
The Homer Lions Club celebrated
Valentine’s Day last Thursday with a special dinner and entertainment. Lions
club members invited their spouses to enjoy a good catered meal complete with
all the trimmings. Entertainment was provided by Joey White, Pat Gladney and
Dick Dorrell. Members and their spouses enjoyed good, fun entertainment by the
trio.
Motorcyclist airlifted to LSU after
accident
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
This was where the motorcycle was taken
off the road after John Paranuk wrecked his new Yamaha motorcycle. He was
airlifted to LSU Health Sciences Center for treatment of moderate injuries.
The Guardian-Journal
A Homer man was airlifted to LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport following a motorcycle accident Thursday.
Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s deputies said they were not
sure of the exact cause of the accident, but the driver, John Paranuk, 47, of
Homer, was traveling towards Haynesville on Hwy. 534, when he failed to
negotiate a curve at Dykesville Road.
Deputy Ben Booth said Paranuk was following a dump truck,
according to witnesses. When he came out of the curve, he either came up on the
dump truck too fast or got caught in a crosswind.
When emergency medical services arrived, they checked him
out and found he’d sustained moderate head injuries. The driver said he didn’t
remember leaving his house and didn’t remember being on the motorcycle,
according to Booth.
Paranuk was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
Pafford Ambulance, along with Pafford Air One, responded
to the scene as well as the Haynesville Police Department, Haynesville Fire and
Rescue and the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office. Louisiana State Police
investigated the accident.
It is not yet known if Paranuk will be cited for the
accident, as he was not in a position to be interviewed by Louisiana State
Police at that time.
Lisbon Landing could get a makeover
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
Village of Lisbon Landing is in line to receive a grant to improve
conditions at the site in order to offer the public nicer facilities in which
to fish and spend time with their families.
The grant, which would be applied for under the name of
the Claiborne Parish Police Jury, would go towards updating the facilities for
public use. The projects in mind include adding a 50-foot fishing pier,
addition of an observation pier and bathroom facilities and rebuild the boat
launch pier, with the main focus on the piers.
When the project was brought before the police jury at
February’s meeting, vandalism seemed to be a major concern.
Claiborne Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey said that if this project
goes through, then he would beef up patrol in the area to reduce vandalism. The
sheriff’s department already patrols the area heavily, but patrols would be
increased to keep vandalism or other crimes down in the area. His prisoners
from the women’s facility would also be responsible for cleanup of the
facilities.
“I’m trying to start a program (this year) to allow the
female prisoners go out into the parish and pick up litter,” Bailey said. “They
need to do something and they want to do it. They would take care of cleaning
and mopping those restrooms, whether it was every day or every other day. I
can’t put a guy out there 24 hours a day, but I’m going to do my level best to
watch the facilities.”
Some types of vandalism that are of concern are lights
being shot out, graffiti, and property destruction.
Scott Greeson, a member of the Claiborne Parish
Recreation Committee, said he and Americorps Vista (Volunteers in Service
to America) agent Lauren Tichenor attended a
grant workshop in which the Land and Water Conservation Fund is seeking
entities to apply for grants. The focus of the grant is on Lisbon and the
Arizona Landings, but the primary focus will have to be on Lisbon Landing because
of property issues.
The reason the recreation committee came to the police
jury is because the owner of the property has to apply for the grant. In Lisbon
Landing’s case, the police jury owns the property.
Arizona Landing is owned by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
“The good thing about this grant is we can apply for it
for three consecutive years,” Greeson said, “and we can cover this in phases if
$150,000 is not enough.”
The state is planning to erect an informational kiosk (a
small structure open at one or more sides located in public places for the use
of the general public) at Lisbon Landing, which would include it on Claiborne’s
scenic byway. The idea behind seeking this grant, Greeson said, is to enhance
to what the state is trying to do.
“We wanted to take that and add to it and get proper
fishing structures out there,” he said.
It would be considered an “in-kind” grant, which means
that the police jury would have to match the grant by 50 percent, either with a
monetary match or provide the labor to match the grant. The value of the land
could also be considered towards that match.
District 10 Police Juror Willie Young said he is very
supportive of the project, because he fishes at the landing on a regular basis.
“I’m a ‘fisher’ by trade, and I would love to go out
there and fish,” he said. “It’s just very difficult for the public to find a
place to fish. If you’re going to provide a ramp for the public, then I think
we ought to address it seriously.”
But, because there were still some issues regarding the
grant itself and what it would be used for, the proposed project was tabled
until the grant and buildings and grounds committees could meet to answer those
questions. The committees were expected to meet on February 28 and come back to
the police jury in March with their findings.
This Film by Michael Haynes Productions was created in conjunction with 
