Wednesday, June 15, 2022

If you have noticed, there is a big gas pipeline going through Sabine Parish and other areas both in North Louisiana and on down to Starks. The contractor is Michels Pipeline, Inc. of Brownsville, WI.

The owner is Enable Midstream Partners, and they secured Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval to construct and operate the Gulf Run Pipeline project in June of last year. It was estimated at the time that the project would cost $540 million. It runs from Westdale to Starks. The company anticipates placing the 135-mile pipeline into service later this year.

Announced in 2018, Gulf Run will carry natural gas originating in the Haynesville, Marcellus, Utica and Barnett shale plays as well as the Mid-Continent region. In addition, the company stated the 42-inch diameter pipeline is backed by a 20-year commitment for 1.1 billion cubic feet per day from cornerstone shipper Golden Pass LNG. Enable pointed out that Gulf Run will boast approximately 1.7 billion cubic feet of capacity.

Michels has moved in millions of dollars in equipment, miles of pipe and many skilled men to do the job. They are a leading full-service mainline pipeline, facilities and maintenance and repair contractor. Their services include pipe fabrication; oil, gas and water pipeline installation, compressor and pumping station construction and maintenance and emergency repairs. They approach all construction pipeline projects with a complete commitment to safety, quality and environmental preservation. In addressing workplace safety, it is crucial to recognize that training is essential for anyone involved in high-altitude operations. Commodious offers a range of working at height safety courses that are designed to mitigate risks and enhance worker protection. By participating in such training, individuals gain critical knowledge about proper equipment usage and emergency procedures, fostering a safer work environment.

A 29-year-old Zwolle man was issued a misdemeanor summons for Theft under $1000 for stealing sunglasses from Toledo Town & Tackle. He returned the sunglasses to detectives as evidence.

Two 18-year-old recent high school graduates from south Louisiana were also each issued misdemeanor summons for Theft under $1000 for stealing a fishing bait and two fishing rods recently from Toledo Town & Tackle; they each returned the items taken to Detectives.

All three were served with Entry After Forbidden Notices from Toledo Town & Tackle.

All three also now have August 2022 court dates to answer for their charges.

(Special thanks to Det. D.W. Seegers for the report above.)

A reward totaling $3,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the burglary at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall located on Dahlia Vines St. in Zwolle on May 4.  According to Zwolle Chief of Police Daniel Thomas, $4,000 in cash and a gun case were taken.

The VFW is offering a reward of $2,500 and CrimeStoppers of Sabine is offering an additional $500. If you have any information about this event, please call (318) 315-0078 or CrimeStoppers at (318) 256-4511.

Laurie and I recently made a trip to Baxter, TN for Decoration Day on June 4 at the Joe Bob Allison Cemetery where some of my ancestors are buried.

My father was born in Baxter and lived there until he was 12. My second great-grandfather, Robert Lindsey Gentry, is buried in that cemetery and was a veteran of the War Between the States. I applied to the Veterans Administration for a marker for his grave, but they said their new policy is to not provide a veteran marker recognizing service if someone has a marker of any kind already on the grave. He had a marker, but the marker did not mention his service. So, I along with some other interested persons purchased a marker showing his military service.

In addition, we purchased a memorial marker for the graves of two great-grandfathers. They are Silas Whitney Gentry, who was born March 20, 1810, and died Sept. 1884, and Robert Preston Gentry II, who was born in 1789 and died about 1850. It is unknown exactly where these two are buried, but they lived in the area very close by, and that is why we placed memorial markers for them there. Several other Gentry family members are buried in the same cemetery, so the memorials should be useful to anyone doing genealogy in the future or those curious about family ties.

Laurie and I were happy that our granddaughter, Alyssa Collins Zambrano of Tega Cay, SC, joined us for the event.

I was also pleased that Laurie played her autoharp and presented two songs on the program. She sang “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” and “Amazing Grace.” In addition, I was asked to say a few words about my veteran ancestor and to speak about the new monuments that had been recently placed.

I also want to recognize friend Anna Allison Burgess, who took over maintenance of the cemetery after she found it unkempt a few years back. She, with the help of just a couple of folks, has worked wonders. With continued support, the Joe Bob Allison Cemetery will remain a beautiful place to honor loved ones for years to come.

While on our trip, Laurie and I dropped by to see some special friends. On Thursday night, June 2, we were in Hohenwald, TN and had a meal with Mike and Samantha Webb. I first met Mike in person when we had the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band perform here in Many a few years back. He plays dobro in the band. Mike is Trustee for Lewis County and his job is to collect property taxes. Sam is a teacher at Lewis County Intermediate School.

Some years ago, Mike and I became acquainted online through our love of Country music heirloom memorabilia. Mike performed over the years with a lot of classic Country greats, and he has a significant collection of very special pieces.

And on Friday, June 3, Laurie and I were fortunate to share lunch with James Monroe, recognized as one of the top artists in Bluegrass Music. James is the son of the late Bill Monroe, who is recognized as “The Father of Bluegrass Music.” Bill is credited with starting the genre. James was in the business for 30 years, starting with his father in the 1960s. He has been retired for the last 10 years. Today, he continues to write songs, runs his successful publishing company, and is anticipating writing a book. It was the first time I had seen James in about 10 years. It is always a pleasure and interesting to visit with him.

Sheriff Aaron Mitchell recently announced the Felony Narcotic and Firearm Arrests for May 2022.

Sabine Parish Sheriff Patrol Deputies, Detectives, and Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT) seized over four pounds of suspected marijuana, over 11 ounces of suspected methamphetamine, over 19 grams of suspected crack cocaine, several Xanax, Oxycodone, Adderall, and Amphetamine pills, seven firearms (one of which was stolen), and over $5800 in cash.

Kathryn Cole Sharbino, age 48, of Farmerville was arrested for Possession of schedule II (Meth), Second or subsequent offenses, General speed law, and Driving left of center.

Mason Anthony Laroux, age 28, of Zwolle was arrested for Possession with intent to distribute Marijuana, Possession of drug paraphernalia, and Illegal carrying of weapons.

Malik Quendell Newton, age 24, of Many was arrested for Possession of schedule II (Amphetamines), Possession of schedule V (Promethazine), Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of a CDS in the presence of a juvenile, Possession of firearm while in possession of CDS, Warrant for two counts of Distribution of schedule II (Meth), and Warrant for Illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities.

Kianna Ezernack, age 23, of Many was arrested for Possession of schedule II (Amphetamines), Possession of schedule V (Promethazine), Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of a CDS in the presence of a juvenile, and Possession of firearm while in possession of CDS.

Joane Whitman, age 53, of Bryan, TX was arrested for Possession of schedule II (Adderall), Possession of drug paraphernalia, and Stop sign and yield signs.

Philip Ray Whitman, age 54, of Bryan, TX was arrested for Possession of Hallucinogenic Plant and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Joey Delane Ezernack, age 45, of Zwolle was arrested for Possession of firearm or carrying concealed weapon by a person convicted of certain felonies and Driving left of center.

Andra Lamont Jackson, age 40, of Many was arrested for Possession with intent to distribute Marijuana, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Felon in possession of firearm, and Possession of firearm while in possession of CDS.

Kimberly J. Cotton, age 45, of Many was arrested for Possession of schedule II (Meth), Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of CDS in presence of person under 17, and License plate light required.

Reaygan Sue Terry, age 28, of Denham Springs was arrested for Possession of schedule II (Meth), Possession of schedule II (Hydrocodone), Possession of schedule I (Marijuana), Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of firearm with CDS, Possession of stolen firearm, and Contraband in a penal institution.

Blaze Gage Duhon, age 24, of Zwolle was arrested for Possession of schedule II (Meth), Possession of drug paraphernalia, and Possession of firearm in presence of CDS.

Andrew Ralph King, age 31, of Zwolle was arrested for Possession of schedule II (Meth).

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

WE GET LETTERS. And we always love to hear from our longtime friend, Ronald Byrd of South Boston, VA. His note follows.

“Robert, that bill to prohibit pictures of arrested folks is in line with the criminal-friendly actions in Los Angeles and San Francisco where crime is out of control and increasing rapidly. The DA of San Francisco just got recalled and that of Los Angeles will soon lose his job in another recall.  Residents of those mostly-liberal cities are sick of policies that favor criminals over law-abiding citizens. Senators Louie Bernard and Larry Bagley should be ashamed of themselves for supporting this bill. Bernard did the right thing in retiring; too bad Bagley didn’t, but the voters should retire him at the next election. I hope voters all over the State remember supporters of this insane legislation for years to come. Do Louisiana citizens want to see their State turn into another California where criminals run rampant and citizens fear for their safety and their property? I had to laugh at this same Observations featuring really big pictures of some recently charged criminals; you let everybody know how you feel! This bill needs to be repealed as soon as possible; no good comes from any protection given to law breakers and this was a step in the wrong direction. Ronny”

Editor’s note:  Observations’ policy, whether published in print or online, was to always run mug shots as “thumbnail” images – small, but large enough to see. There is often an issue with online posting of photos in getting desired sizing of images. Sometimes mug shots have run larger than normal because the electronic posting mechanism does not allow it to be resized, or the electronic posting editor takes a reduced image and enlarges it to a preset size. Nevertheless, we stand by our earlier statement that the best way to not have a mug shot published is to not get arrested.

Attorney Verity Gentry continues to campaign to the fullest in her effort to be elected District Judge. Several have asked us why she is campaigning so hard when no one else has yet announced. The short answer is Verity has never been the kind of person who does something halfway. She also does not believe the potential privilege of serving in elected office is something one should ever take for granted. And she intends to continue full steam ahead.

If an opponent should appear, you can bet she will double down. As Verity said in a recent radio interview, “I have grit.” She also stated when asked about her potential service, “I have the commitment, work ethic and passion to reach the legally correct judgment in whatever might come before me.”

You can learn more about Verity’s campaign at gentry4judge.com and follow the campaign’s activities and announcements on Facebook at Gentry for Judge.

A lot of folks have asked how they can contribute to the campaign. All donations, no matter how small or large, are important to Verity’s success. If you would like to make a contribution, you can do so through the campaign web site at www.gentry4judge.com/donate or make and mail a check to The Campaign to Elect Verity Gentry, P. O. Box 452, Many, LA 71449.

Dr. Mark Holder was a guest on Tedd Dumas’ “Open Line” radio program Monday morning. The highly rated program has the highest rated listenership in this area. I was fortunate enough to participate on the program also.

Dr. Holder is a guy who stays busy. In addition to being Chief of Staff at Sabine Medical Center, he is Sabine Parish Coroner and a Detective with the Many Police Department.

He took over as Chief of Staff after the death of Dr. Jack Corley back in 2020. He said the hospital has worked hard to make improvements for the betterment of all of their service areas. Dr. Holder said one of the great things about the hospital is a local, very good, very conscientious and accommodating staff

His job as Coroner is made easier, he said, because he has Christine Arnold of Pleasant Hill as his investigator, and he has five deputy coroners. In his work with the Many Police Department, he recently completed a course of training to improve his work as a Police Officer.

Dr. Holder’s a great guy, and we are fortunate to have him in Sabine Parish. And on top of all of that, he recently got married. Congratulations again to the couple, and we wish them a long and happy life together.

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