Wednesday, November 24, 2012

Thanksgiving is more than turkey and wonderful homemade foods, though we hope you get your fill. This special day of thanks gives us time to think about the lessons we have learned in life, how we can help others and spread a little kindness as we go, and to look back at all the great memories and good people who have come into our lives. Of course, the day is made complete first and foremost by thanking God above who makes it all possible. We appreciate each one of you so much, and we thank you for faithfully reading. Happy Thanksgiving Day to you and your loved ones.                                                                                    

We’ve been scratching our heads trying to figure out why all three Sabine tax renewals on the ballot on Nov. 13 failed. The renewal for a 5.5 mill tax for the Library failed miserably, but it had open opposition in the form of businessman and former Tax Assessor Conrad Cathey and his group. He is not against the Library, but in fact is in favor. What he opposed was the Library receiving more taxes than it needs to operate.

It was a surprise that the Health Unit tax failed and also the tax for a road district. Are these results an indication of what other government agencies have in store for them when they have tax renewals? We don’t know, but let’s look at a couple of things.

Of the three taxes that failed, none of governmental agencies made any attempt to inform the public about their operations or needs. In the past, such taxes just automatically were renewed by the voter.

What made the difference this time? Did Cathey’s opposition to the Library tax spill over? With the shambles our national government is going through in Washington, could it be that people are just tired of seeing their tax dollars wasted? What will be the status of future tax votes? Will they all fail because people have lost confidence in the government’s prudent use of funds?

Another complaint from the general public is that governmental agencies call tax elections when there is little else on the ballot, assuring low voter turnout. This has been going on for years. What a waste to hold so many unnecessary elections when those issues could be added to regular election schedule ballots, and a further waste is to have to staff and operate so many tiny voting precincts for those special elections. It makes special elections even more costly to the hardworking taxpayers.

Regarding future taxes, it will be interesting to keep an eye out to see what happens.

WE GET LETTERS:  This one from Carl Derrick, Converse native who now lives in Bossier City:  “Thank you, Mr. Gentry, for publishing Observations. I love the read as it allows me to be more informed of what’s happening in Sabine Parish. Even though I now live in Bossier, as they say ‘home is where the heart is’ and my ‘home’ remains in Converse, Sabine Parish.”

It was a pleasure to run into retired Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Victor Jones in Natchitoches Monday. He has always been a top-notch gentleman and law enforcement officer. He seems to be enjoying his retirement, but stays busy on his farm down around Derry.

We’ve been informed of a “See Ya Later” Gathering in celebration of “Our Hometown Hero for Deployment” at Robeline City Park on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 3 p.m. There will be food and music. Sounds like a great event.

 

Dillon James Merritt, 54, of Many, a man with a violent criminal history against women and children, will spend the rest of his life in federal prison for the brutal beating, rape and kidnapping of a Natchitoches woman four years ago. U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter handed down the sentence Wednesday of last week in Shreveport. In addition to the life sentence, he added 50 more years.

The sentence was for two separate cases where Merritt was convicted of kidnapping, interstate domestic violence and firearm charges. During the sentencing phase, Judge Walter heard from some of Merritt’s other victims whom he had brutalized over the years.

“The severe brutality and sexual abuse which this defendant has inflicted upon others has finally ended, and the life sentence he received ensures that he will never be a threat to society again,” acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook said. “He preyed upon helpless children and women who were vulnerable and unknowing and scarred each of them for the rest of their lives. We hope this sentence can bring some form of healing to the eight victims – three children and five women – who suffered at the hands of such an evil and despicable person.”

In the first case, Merritt was charged in December 2019 with two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Officers with the Sabine Sheriff’s Office learned that Merritt, who had several felony convictions, had firearms in his possession. He was convicted by a federal jury in April.

In the second case, Merritt was charged in September 2020 with one count of Kidnapping two counts of Interstate domestic violence, and one count of Possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was convicted on all four counts by a federal jury in July.

Evidence revealed that in 2017 Merritt kidnapped a woman in Natchitoches and took her across state lines to Texas and held her against her will for four days. He and the woman had briefly dated in the fall of 2017. But after Merritt punched the woman in the stomach following an argument, she severed the relationship with him. He continued calling and harassing her.

During the evening of Dec. 12, 2017, Merritt found the woman walking home from visiting a friend near the Walmart parking lot in Natchitoches. He hit her in the head and put her in his truck and left. She was bound and gagged and hidden under clothing in the vehicle for the next several days. He took her to various locations in Louisiana and remote locations in Texas near Toledo Bend.

Merritt repeatedly raped the victim, doused her with lighter fluid and tried to set her on fire. He severely beat her with his fists, elbows, feet and with a Maglite flashlight over the four-day period causing serious injuries. He also had methamphetamine in his possession.

Before Judge Walter handed down the sentences, he heard from Merritt’s past victims, including three young children and four other women.

A Pleasant Hill man, Keith Holmes, 37, on Friday was found not guilty of second-degree murder after a 10-man and two-woman jury deliberated for 45 minutes. He was accused in the May 2020 shooting death of Anthony Youngblood, 50, of Pleasant Hill. It was the first time in 37 years a person charged with homicide in Sabine Parish has been found not guilty.

Shreveport Attorney Dhu Thompson was Holmes’ attorney. Assistant District Attorney Ronny Brandon prosecuted the case. Thompson argued the shooting was self-defense.

District Attorney Don Burkett said the state argued it was not. Younglood was shot four times – once in the lower leg and three times in the back. A firearms expert testified one of the shots to the back entered the shoulder and was angled downward, matching a witness’ testimony that Youngblood was on his knees at that time. Two more shots were fired into Youngblood’s truck.

Holmes was hosting a crawfish boil in Pleasant Hill when the shooting occurred. Youngblood pulled up and parked his vehicle in the street. Holmes walked to where the vehicle was parked. The state did not determine what provoked the shooting.

Youngblood retrieved a long-handled steel wrench from his truck. Holmes told the jury he pulled a handgun from his waistband and started shooting.

Thompson said he presented a “stand your ground defense.”

Our sympathy to the family of Wesley Fredieu, 85, of Many who passed away Sunday, Nov. 21.

Services will be held Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 10 a.m. at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel. The Rev. Jimmy Speight will officiate. Burial will follow at Fern Park Cemetery in Natchitoches.

He will be remembered as one of the finest fishermen around. As BDC Radio employee Kathy Warmack commented, “I bet he and Garland Anthony are casting in the big lake in the sky.”

WE GET LETTERS: Always great to hear from Ronald Byrd of South Boston, VA. His latest follows.

“Robert, Your column of last week should have been entitled, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.’ The good includes your notes on veterans and on the Choctaw-Apache Tribe that were both timely and interesting and, of course, the news from Sheriff Mitchell’s operation was consistently good and reassuring. In the bad would be Pepper Raines’ passing. She certainly made a difference. Also bad was the apathy of Sabine voters that allows a very small fraction of eligible voters to make decisions that affect everybody. The ugly included the consistent failures of the Biden administration and the corporate media who have no shame in serving as an extension of the worst elements of the Democrat party. As a former registered Democrat who left because of the liberals’ takeover of the party, I think I’m part of a large group who have had a bellyful of Biden-Harris-Schumer-Pelosi and family and will be voting differently in the foreseeable future. Thanks for another fine set of observations. Ronny”

The Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT) and Patrol Deputies arrested Jaci Reshay Craig, age 21, of Florien and John Michael Murphy, age 35, of Many last Tuesday night, Nov. 16.

The vehicle Craig was driving was stopped for a traffic violation on Hwy. 6 east of Many; Murphy was a passenger in the vehicle.

Upon further investigation, TNT Agents and deputies located approximately five ounces of suspected methamphetamine inside Murphy’s pants.

Craig was arrested and booked into the Sabine Parish Women’s Jail for Principal to Possession with intent to distribute schedule II (Meth), Following too close, and Operating a vehicle while license is suspended.

Murphy was arrested and booked into the Sabine Parish Detention Center for Possession with intent to distribute schedule II (Meth).

(Thanks to Det. D.W. Seegers for the above information.)

We are pleased as can be to see “Moonlight Madness” cranking up again after many long years.

The Town of Many is promoting a Moonlight Madness shopping experience on Thursday, Dec. 9, from 5 to 8 p.m. on San Antonio Ave. and at other participating area businesses. We hope all will take part and enjoy this effort to support and do business with local merchants.

I am proud to say Yours Truly started the original Moonlight Madness back in the early 1970s. So began a 20 or 25-year tradition that we are thrilled to see being resurrected.

Visit the Town of Many Facebook page to learn all the latest news about it.

OUT FOR LUNCH: A Many business checked its video recordings for Monday and found three women shoplifting. It was all right there on the recording, which was reviewed Tuesday morning. One of the principals of the business called the Many Police Department shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday to request assistance. It was answered by a recording on the police phone saying the Department was out for lunch.

Shouldn’t all law enforcement phones be answered all the time? It could be a life-or-death matter. It used to be that when the Many Police did not have officers on duty, their calls were automatically forwarded to the Sheriff’s Department. As far as I know, this solution worked. But at 9 a.m., the phone should always be answered.

A call was made to Mayor Robert Hable Tuesday morning, and he got the police to respond to the business’ call.

JUST IN: Many Police Chief Cheryl Wooley explained to Observations just before publication deadline what was up with Tuesday morning’s “Out to lunch” phone response, “It was a glitch in the phone tree,” she said. “We were having some phone and internet work done this morning. It has been resolved.”

Most Sabine Parish property owners should have received their property tax notices by now from the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office (SPSO.) Notices were scheduled to arrive to mailboxes starting the week of Nov. 8.

We must commend the SPSO once again for doing the common sense thing. As residential and commercial property owners, this is the first time we recall our two notices coming in the same envelope, which cuts the SPSO postage expense in half.

Yes, it’s only a few cents, but money-saving, common sense measures like this should be the norm for governmental entities, not the exception. We believe when our leaders care enough to take care of the small change, we can trust them to do the right thing with our taxpayer dollars.

The SPSO reminds everyone that property taxes may be paid online at www.sabinesheriff.org, paid by mail, phone, or in person. To call in your payment, dial (318) 256-9241 and select Option 1. To pay in person, visit their office at 400 S. Capitol St., Room 105 at the Sabine Parish Courthouse. If paying by mail, follow the instructions included with your tax notice. Forms of payment accepted include cash, money order, personal check and debit/credit card. There is a service charge assessed for debit/credit card payments. As always, if paying by mail do not send cash.

Sabine Assessor Chris Tidwell reminds taxpayers, “If you are on Homestead Exemption and you were eligible for the Amendment 6 Exemption, your tax amount WILL have an increase for 2021. This is the third year of the phase-in where you will be receiving 75% of your tax amount. Keep in mind that next year you will receive 100% of the tax amount. This was voted on in 2018 and went into effect in 2019. There was no residential re-assessment in 2021 (unless you had new construction or improvements added that would affect your value.)”  

(Special thanks to Det. D.W. Seegers for a portion of the information used above.)

The Many Tigers continue to make us proud! Don’t miss the exciting Football Quarterfinals to be held right here in Many at MHS’ John W. Curtis Stadium this Friday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m.

The Mighty Tigers will face off against the Rosepine Eagles in the 2021 Louisiana High School Athletic Association Football Playoffs. Admission to the game is $12 per person.

(Thanks to Many High School and J.J. Blake for the above information.)

We were awfully sad to learn of the Nov. 14 passing of Mr. Leslie “Les” Lott of Many. He lived on Toledo Bend; the circumstances of his death are still under investigation.

We did not know Mr. Lott well. We were more acquaintances than friends, but his death saddened us greatly.

A few months ago, Les Lott called me and said he had some old coins he wanted me to look through and see if they might have any value. He said he had vision problems and could not drive his truck anymore. I offered to come out to his home and take a look at everything there, but he wanted to do business at my office. So one evening soon after, my wife Laurie and I loaded up and drove out to his place on Toledo Bend Lake to pick him up and bring him back to town.

He seemed happy to get out and about, share stories of the past and point out spots of interest along the way. After meeting him, we were really glad to have made the effort to accommodate his wishes. He told us several times he had good help – friends that would take him to church and anywhere else he wanted to go, and he was very grateful for their assistance. He also expressed disappointment at having been diagnosed with dementia some time back. We saw a few signs of it throughout the evening.

After I had a chance to look at all his coins, I made him a good offer and he was very satisfied. He gave Laurie a deposit slip to his bank and asked her to please deposit the payment amount into his account the next day. While visiting over the coins, he pulled out a special strawberry lemon drink he had brought along and insisted Laurie take the extra one he had. She had never had that particular drink and told him how much she enjoyed trying it.

Once our business was finished, he asked us to stop by a fast food drive-thru, where he ordered a few dollar items to take home for supper.

After we arrived back to his place, he insisted we come in and look at his home, see his screened-in back porch, see an extra refrigerator full of those special drinks, look at his new grill and see some bedroom furniture. He shared how pleased he was that he could order anything he needed on Amazon, and it would arrive right to his door. A few packages had been delivered while he was away with us, and we helped get them inside.

We knew his takeout was surely getting cold, so as soon as he had shown us all he wished, we said goodbye and headed back to Many. Even though we were newly acquainted, my wife and I both felt a real sense of friendship with him and were happy to have spent the evening together.

Laurie made Mr. Lott’s deposit the next morning and sent his receipt and such to him by mail.

About a week later, he contacted her and wanted to meet. She arranged to see him at the radio station, and when he jumped out of the truck his helper was driving, he was grinning from ear to ear. “I brought you something!” he said proudly. He then directed his driver to load a case of the strawberry lemon drinks into the back of Laurie’s car. She thanked him and they visited a bit before he got back to his errands.  

Our last contact with Mr. Lott was Laurie’s thank you note to him a few days later.

We send our deepest sympathies to all of Les Lott’s family and friends. He was a special person who will be sincerely missed.

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