PARISH WIDE BURN BAN until further notice
Claiborne Parish OEP Director Dennis Butcher and the respective fire chiefs of the Claiborne Parish Fire Protection Districts have issued a PARISH WIDE BURN BAN until further notice. There will be no tolerance given in the enforcement of this parish wide burn ban.
Local ties to international porn ring
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
arrest of a Claiborne Parish man in 2010 sparked an investigation into a
worldwide child pornography network that has led to the arrests of 71 other
individuals.
According
to press releases from the U.S. Justice Department, Edward Oedewaldt, 48, aka
“twelvish”, aka “Legend,” was arrested in April 2010 and charged with one count
of conspiracy to advertise child pornography, one count of conspiracy to
distribute child pornography, 13 counts of advertising child pornography and
two counts of distributing child pornography.
Claiborne
Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey said his office assisted in his arrest with
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) taking the lead on the case. Also
involved were the SWAT team and the Louisiana State Police.
“We
arrested him without incident and they (ICE) took it from there,” he said. “He
was arrested at a residence on Hwy. 519 in the southeast corner of Claiborne
Parish, close to the Bienville/Claiborne line.”
The
investigation stemmed from the seizure of Oedewaldt’s computer, according to
some reports, which allegedly contained child pornography. Oedewaldt was the
last of 26 individuals arrested in Operation Nest Egg – a joint investigation
which included the Southern District of Indiana – which set off Operation
Delego.
In May
2010, Oedewaldt appeared in federal court in Indianapolis, Indiana; however, he
was transported back to the Western District of Louisiana, where his case will
be prosecuted. He is currently incarcerated in the Western District of
Louisiana, awaiting trial.
He has
pled not guilty.
On
Wednesday, August 3, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security
Secretary Janet Napolitano released to the public the indictments on the 72
individuals on these child pornography charges. Operation Delego, as it was
named in December 2009, targeted those charged and more than 500 more
individuals worldwide for their participation in Dreamboard, which was created
to promote child pornography and its distribution in an environment designed to
evade law enforcement.
Oedewaldt allegedly served as an
administrator and played an active role in decisions that affected its
administration, a press release from U.S. Attorney Timothy M. Morrison,
Southern District of Indiana, said.
The
rules of being or becoming a member of Dreamboard were very graphic in nature
and required the members to continue to post child pornography on the site or
distribute other sexually explicit posts of children under the age of 12 in
order to continue access to the website.
“As
alleged in court documents, Dreamboard was a self-described global ‘community’
of pedophiles dedicated to the relentless victimization and exploitation of
children 12 and under,” said Assistant District Attorney General Lanny A.
Breuer, of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Using sophisticated
methods to evade detection by law enforcement, Dreamboard members allegedly
used the power and anonymity of the Internet to motivate each other to commit
their horrific acts of sexual abuse of minors and trading in child
pornography.”
U.S.
Attorney Holder said this operation marks an important step forward in
protecting children across this country and worldwide.
“The members
of this criminal network shared a demented dream to create the preeminent
online community for the promotion of child sexual exploitation but for the
children they victimized, this was nothing short of a nightmare,” Holder said.
ICE
Director John Morton said in the same press conference that the dismantling of
this network is a stark reminder of the challenges they face, and a warning to
would-be child predators who think they can commit these crimes hiding behind
pseudonyms and other technological tricks.
“As
these criminals try new techniques to digitally erase their trail, ICE’s
Homeland Security Investigations along with our U.S. and international law
enforcement partners continue to upgrade our strategies and technologies to
track down the depraved individuals who bring suffering to children,” Morton
said.
According
to a press release from ICE, all 72 of the defendants are charged with
conspiring to advertise and distribute child pornography, and 50 of them are
also charged with engaging in a child pornography enterprise. The charges and
arrests were conducted in three separate phases over the course of the
operation. Twenty-eight (28) defendants were charged and 19 were arrested
during the first phase, 22 defendants were charged and 17 were arrested during
the second phase and 22 defendants were charged and 16 arrested during phase
three.
Thirteen
(13) of the 52 individuals arrested have pleaded guilty.
To
date, 20 of the 72 charged individuals remain at large and are known only by
their online identification.
ICE
reports that as part of the operation, 19 Dreamboard members across five
continents and 13 countries have been arrested to date outside the U.S.
Arrests have been made in Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Hungary,
Kenya, The Netherlands, the Philippines, Qatar, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland.
Operation
Delego is a spinoff investigation from Operation Nest Egg, which was launched
in February 2008. Press releases also say that Operation Nest Egg is also a
spinoff of another international investigation which targeted transnational
rings of child pornography trafficking.
The
investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to
identify, investigate and arrest those who prey on children, including human
traffickers, international sex tourists, Internet pornographers and
foreign-national predators whose crimes make them deportable.
This
case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John “Luke” Walker, Western
District of Louisiana, and trial attorneys Keith Becker and Anitha Ibrahim of
the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Justice Department’s
Criminal Division.
“We
take our responsibility to protect our children seriously,” said Secretary
Napolitano, “and this case is a prime example of how cooperation can bring real
results.”
Burn ban reinstated
Burn bans have been reinstated in the Town of
Haynesville, Claiborne Parish Fire Districts #3 and #6. Fire Chiefs Mark Furlow
and Larry Greer said the ban will begin immediately and will remain in effect
until they feel it is safe to lift it.
For more information, please call your local fire
department.
Grambling fugitive in custody
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
A Homer
man accused of attempted second degree murder is now in custody.
Daniel
D. Champ (aka “Knucklehead”), was arrested in Minden on Tuesday, August 2,
around 2 p.m., said Grambling Police Chief Tommy Clark Jr.
According
to Clark, Champ was wanted in connection with an incident that occurred on
Saturday, July 23, in which one Monroe man was wounded and another nearly
killed. Grambling Police say Champ reportedly beat up one man and shot another
three to five times in a parking lot at 119 Gus Lane at approximately 2 a.m.
that morning.
Several
people were at a party with four men from Monroe in the parking lot. Also, 12
to 15 boys from Homer were at the
party as well, Clark said. The altercation ensued with two of the four Monroe
men fleeing the scene. The other two, Charles Hudson and Frank Goodin, were
unable to flee. A witness at the scene confirmed that the four men from Monroe
were standing in the parking lot talking when they were separated by the
individuals from Homer. At that point, Champ apparently assaulted Hudson by
striking him in the head with a handgun and then shot Goodin in the torso area
three to five times, unarmed, while he was on the ground.
Hudson
also received other injuries when he was kicked about the head and body several
times.
Homer
Police Department records show that Champ has a long criminal history,
including charges for robbery, violent crimes and aggravated battery.
Champ
was arrested without incident in the 900 block of East Street in Minden. Minden
Police Chief Steve Cropper said they’d received information that he was in
Minden.
“We had
information that this guy was being seen around town for a couple of days prior
to Tuesday,” Cropper said. “Tuesday morning, Chief Clark called and said he’d
received information that Daniel was staying at his sister’s.”
Officers
from the Minden Police Department and deputies from the Webster Parish
Sheriff’s Office surrounded the apartment complex believed to be where he was,
and were able to gain entry into the apartment with consent.
“Once
inside the apartment, we took him into custody without incident,” Cropper said.
Champ
is charged with attempted second degree murder with bond set at $250,000,
aggravated second degree battery with bond set at $20,000, and possession of a
firearm by a convicted felon with bond set at $50,000. Champ was later
transferred from Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center in Webster Parish to the
Lincoln Parish Detention facility.
Crash injures one
A
rollover accident sent one man to the hospital after he was ejected from his
vehicle.
According
to Louisiana State Police, on Friday, August 5, at 11:39 p.m., state police
responded to a single-vehicle crash on La. 2, 12 miles east of U.S. 79. The
crash left a 32-year-old man from Ruston with critical injuries.
According
to investigating troopers, Michael D. Jones was traveling east on La. 2 in a
1989 Oldsmobile Delta when the vehicle entered a curve to the left. For unknown
reasons, the vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway.
Jones
attempted to steer the vehicle back into the eastbound lane of travel but
overcorrected to the left. The vehicle re-entered the roadway as it rotated
sideways and crossed both lanes of travel. Thereafter, the vehicle ran off the
left side of the road, struck a tree and overturned onto its roof.
Jones,
who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected during the crash. He was subsequently
airlifted to Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) in
Shreveport with critical injuries.
Routine
toxicology tests results are pending and the crash remains under investigation.
In
2010, approximately 59 percent of the fatalities experienced on Louisiana
highways were unrestrained at the time of the crash. While not all crashes are
survivable, seat belts can greatly decrease the occupant’s chance of death and
may greatly reduce the extent of injury. Louisiana law requires every vehicle
occupant, front seat and back seat, to be properly restrained day or night.
Taking
the time to buckle up every trip and every time is the single most effective
thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash.
Fires plague Claiborne Parish
The Guardian-Journal photos/Michelle
Bates
Pictured above, this fire nearly burned
out of control on Hwy. 2. Smoke could be seen for quite a ways as firefighters
from Claiborne Parish District #6 fought to extinguish the flame. With winds
picking up speed, and the grass being extremely dry, the flames spread quickly
through this field. No injuries were reported. Below, firefighters work quickly
to keep the fire from spreading throughout the field.
Home saved from fire
The Guardian-Journal photos/Michelle
Bates
A fire on Kidd Drive could have cost one
homeowner thousands of dollars’ worth of damage had it not been for the hard
work of Claiborne Parish Fire District #6 firefighters. As personnel fought to
keep the fire from spreading into the woods, firefighters also sprayed a
perimeter of water around this house to keep the fire at bay. Burning several
acres, the Department of Forestry was brought in to build an earth perimeter
around the flames to keep them from spreading. No injuries were reported, and
the home on Kidd Drive was saved from the fire.
Ford Museum to Host Workshop
Now is
your chance to try the art of woodcarving.
On
September 19, 21, and 23 from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm, the Ford Museum is hosting a
woodcarving workshop for beginning to intermediate level woodcarvers. No
experience is required.
David
Hood, a local and gifted woodcarver himself, will be the instructor for the
class.
He will
teach the class on the techniques of carving a bird, a brown thrasher or a
mocking bird. All materials and tools will be provided.
Registration
fee for the class is $20.00.
The fee
can be turned in at the museum or mailed to Ford Museum, P.O. Box 157, Homer,
LA 71040.
For
more information call 927-9190 or at .
West 4th Street project complete
A message from the mayor
The Mayor and the local citizens of the
Town of Homer are pleased with the progress of the West 4th and Edgewood (540
Hwy) project. It’s been a long trying process, but with the help of John
Sanders, Ron Watts and Elmer T. Jones with DOTD and Claiborne Parish Police
Jury’s Superintendent, Tommy Durrett; Public Works Supervisor, Lee Wells, the
project was finally completed. Mayor Alecia Smith would personally like to
thank everyone who helped make this project possible. The West 4th and Edgewood
(540 Hwy) is now successfully completed and safe to travel.
Hunters Ed slated for August 24-27
The
Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office, along with David Wade Correctional Center,
will be sponsoring the Hunter Education courses for 2011.
The
Hunter Education course will be conducted at the Homer Fire Station, located at
411 West Main Street, on August 24, 25, and 27.
Class
schedule is as follows:
August 24, from 6 until 9 p.m.
August 25, from 6 until 9 p.m.
August 27, from 8 a.m. until noon.
Anyone
interested in this Hunter Education class must pre-register with the Claiborne
Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-927-2011 or by contacting Colonel Brad Rogers at
318-927-0400, extension 455.
In
1985, hunter education became mandatory in Louisiana. Anyone born on or after
September 1, 1969, is required by law to complete the Louisiana Hunter
Education course before purchasing a hunting license. The minimum age for
certification is 10.
Older
hunters who plan to hunt outside the state should check the state regulations
where they plan to hunt. All 50 states now require some form of mandatory
hunter education certification prior to issuing a license.
Hunter
education programs have always taught young hunters the practice of firearm and
hunting safety. Today, hunter education programs are about more than safety.
They have been expanded to produce knowledgeable, responsible and involved
hunters -- hunters who understand the importance of complying with hunting laws
and behaving ethically. These programs give beginners a good foundation, and
they provide a refresher for veteran hunters.
Ultimately,
the mission of hunter education programs is to ensure the continuation of the
hunting tradition.
