Wednesday, February 22, 2023
VICTORIA GASPARD SELECTED FOR HALL OF FAME ACCOMPLISHMENT AWARD
Victoria Paige Gaspard will be honored with the Accomplishment Award on Tuesday, March 28, at the Sabine Hall of Fame banquet at St. Joseph’s Catholic Hall in Zwolle. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and the program will start at 6:30 p.m. This award recognizes a young Sabine Parish citizen with accomplishments that deserve special recognition who is 25 years old or below.
Victoria was born April 3, 2006. Her art career started as soon as she could hold a pencil. Victoria began taking Talented Art classes with the Gifted and Talented school program since she attended Many Junior High School and is still very active in this program at Many High School. She is currently taking art classes under the instruction of Karlee Cavender. Victoria is also involved in BETA club, 4-H club, 4:12 Club and FCA.
In the past, Victoria has drawn people, animals, objects and eyes. Victoria says, “Coming from God, I’ve had an inclination toward art for a long time. The talent I have is completely and only from Him and because of Him.” She likes to explore her creative side now utilizing materials such as markers, pencils, paint pens, acrylic paint, and especially Prisma colored pencils.
Victoria won the Sabine Prevention Alliance poster contest; its theme was how to stay safe, sober, and successful. Her acrylic painted poster displayed a girl with her back turned on different harmful substances, surrendering her hurt and darkened heart to God and having it replaced with a new heart full of God’s word. After she won this contest, she entered and won another art competition – the 2022 Congressional Art Competition! Victoria’s art work contained a colorful large mouth bass fish leaping in Toledo Bend Lake.
Being among a multitude of talented artists from across the U.S., Victoria was the Louisiana winner for LA District 4 with Congressman Mike Johnson. Victoria and her grandmother, Shanna Gaspard, enjoyed the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC for a winners’ reception. They toured the U.S. Capitol Building which Victoria says, “was an irreplaceable experience and a great honor.” Right now, Victoria’s original fish art piece is still on display at Capitol Hill among other national artwork by gifted high school artists.
Tickets for the Sabine Hall of Fame induction banquet are $50 each and may be purchased at Pete Abington’s office at 1030 San Antonio Ave. in Many, Nichols in Many, Sabine Parish Tourist and Recreation Commission and Sabine Parish Chamber of Commerce, both at 1601 Texas Hwy. in Many, Robert Gentry’s Office inside the radio station at 605 San Antonio Ave. in Many and by calling Martha Henderson at (318) 645-9573.
Each year the Hall of Fame donates to non-profit charitable groups. This year, donations will be made to H.E.L.P of Sabine, a Christian 501c(3) corporation that provides outdoor opportunities to physically disabled children, adults and combat injured veterans and to SWAG Youth Group at St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Shantrece Underwood Hooker will be honored with the Good Citizens Award at the Sabine Hall of Fame banquet on March 28 at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hall in Zwolle. This award is presented to someone whose work to better Sabine Parish, its organizations and endeavors deserves special recognition. [Please see the article above for event and ticket details.]
Shantrece Underwood Hooker was born May 6, 1971 in Many. She is the oldest of two children born to Marshall and Brenda Underwood. She attended Many High School and was a 1989 graduate. In December of 1996, she obtained her B.A. in Social Work from Northwestern State University and is currently pursuing a MBA from Columbia Southern University.
In June of 1997, Shantrece enlisted in the U.S. Army, where she served faithfully and honorably for over 20 years earning numerous awards and decorations. She retired from the Army in July 2017 at the rank of Master Sergeant (E8). She is a disabled veteran with two tours to Iraq and one to Korea.
Currently, Shantrece serves as the first female Post Commander of Ray Miller VFW Post #4858 in Many. The post’s vision is to ensure that veterans are respected for their service, always receive their earned entitlements and are recognized for the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made on behalf of this great country.
In 2019, Shantrece became a part-time Leasing and Compliance Manager under Sutton Real Estate for the Middle Creek Apartments. Shantrece’s passion is community involvement. She says, “ I love to get people excited about things I am excited about. Right now, that’s Many and Sabine Parish. When called upon, I volunteer ALL of my time and expertise with the hope that one day those will pay it forward as well.”
Her most rewarding experiences so far have been assisting several Sabine Parish students to fulfill their dreams of going to college, serving their country, and entering the workforce. In the near future, Shantrece hopes to establish a non-profit College Prep Academy in Sabine Parish.
Outside of work, Shantrece is involved in many organizations and committees. She is a member of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, serves as Worthy Matron of Tilmon Chapter #196 Order of Eastern Star, District Secretary, District No. 6 Mason and Eastern Star, Board Member for the non-profit organization National Alumni Association of Sabine High School INC., Town of Many Variance Committee, Town of Many Historical/Cultural District Committee, Town of Many Christmas Committee, Sabine Parish Back to School Rally Committee and Zwolle Civic Group Juneteenth Heritage Festival.
Congratulations to Shantrece Underwood Hooker for being selected to receive the 2023 Sabine Hall of Fame Good Citizen Award.
See the article above or visit the Sabine Hall of Fame Facebook page for more event, ticket and table details.
Over 400 Fentanyl pills seized in search
Sheriff Aaron Mitchell announced last week the arrest of Jarvarius Jamal Holden, age 26, of Zwolle on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 14.
Holden was arrested by the Sabine Parish Sheriff Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT) after their two-week investigation into his sales of Fentanyl pills.
Following their investigation, TNT Agents were able to obtain a search warrant for two different residences on Jenny Lp. in Zwolle.
Sabine Parish Sheriff Patrol Deputies, Detectives, Special Operations Group (SOG), and TNT Agents executed the search warrants simultaneously at both houses.
TNT Agents located 434 fake Oxycodone pills which tested positive for Fentanyl, over one pound of marijuana, four grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms, two bottles of Promethazine syrup, various drug paraphernalia and $6,682 in cash.
In his announcement Sheriff Mitchell thanked the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Tri-Parish Narcotics Task Force, and the Zwolle Police Dept. for their help in the investigation.
Holden was booked into the Sabine Parish Detention Center for Possession with intent to distribute schedule I (Marijuana), Possession with intent to distribute schedule II (Fentanyl), Possession of legend drug (Promethazine), Possession of hallucinogenic plant, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Aggravated second degree battery, Possession with intent to distribute schedule II, Possession of schedule II (two-28 grams), Cruelty to juveniles (Zwolle PD case), Warrant for FTA for pre-trial conference for Possession of a schedule I, Speeding (43/30), No insurance, Warrant for two counts of Possession with intent to distribute schedule I, Possession of schedule IV, Possession of firearm while in possession of CDS, Resisting an officer and Warrant for FTA for pre-trial conference for Possession of a schedule II.
Additional charges were Desoto Parish Warrant for FTA for status conference for Possession of a legend drug, Driving under suspension and Cancelled license plate.
As of press deadline, no bonds had been set by the 11th Judicial District Court.
Sheriff Mitchell noted there have been several overdoses, including two deaths, as a result of Fentanyl in recent months in Sabine Parish.
“Fentanyl is a deadly drug, even in very small amounts, and it is often disguised as other popular pain pills,” Sheriff Mitchell added.
TNT Agents continue to aggressively investigate illegal drug activity involving Fentanyl, and they are acting quickly to remove the dangerous drug from Sabine Parish streets.
(Special thanks to Det. D.W. Seegers for the above information.)
WE GET LETTERS. This one is from Derek Campbell of Belmont:
“I see where you reported that a retired state trooper is talking about running for Sheriff of Sabine Parish, may I remind everyone how big of a failure the last one was? NO THANKS!!!!! I’ll stick with the Sheriff we have!”
Congratulations to District Attorney Don Burkett whom we hear will be inducted into the Louisiana Judicial Hall of Fame this year. We’ll keep you posted as soon as more information is available.
What about State Hwy. 6 from Many to Natchitoches? What a mess and it’s getting worse every day. State Sen. Louie Bernard said help is on the way, but he didn’t know when. Let’s hope it’s soon. As far as we know, there has been very little state highway improvement in Sabine for the last 20 years or so.
Pat Scarborough, head man with the Sabine Citizens for Better Roads group, reports that the recall election for Police Juror Jeff “Gilligan” Davidson will be Saturday, April 29.
In early December, the group completed the recall petition with 615 of the 625 signatures collected and then certified by Registrar of Voters Zack Faircloth’s office.
Scarborough said Davidson needs to be recalled “because he has made decisions, which he has refused to acknowledge and wasted nearly $100,000″ on milling roads. He continued, “This did nothing but damage the roads, the milling was totally unnecessary, and that money is gone and will never be recovered. In addition, it will cost even more to repair the damage.”
Sheriff Aaron Mitchell recently announced the Friday, Feb. 10 arrest of Rodney Lane Waller, age 44, of Many.
The arrest followed a several-months-long investigation by the Sabine Parish Sheriff Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT) of illegal drug sales by Waller.
TNT Agents were able to obtain a search warrant for Waller’s home on Lincoln St. in Many. They located approximately 3.6 ounces of suspected marijuana, 4 grams of crack cocaine, 1 ounce of methamphetamine, and various drug paraphernalia during the search.
Waller was booked into the Sabine Parish Detention Center for Possession with intent to distribute schedule I (Marijuana, Possession with intent to distribute schedule II (Crack Cocaine), Possession with intent to distribute schedule II (Meth) and Possession of drug paraphernalia.
As of press deadline, no bond had been set by the 11th Judicial District Court.
(Thanks to Det. D.W. Seegers for the above information.)
WE GET LETTERS. And another from Derek Campbell of Belmont:
“Dear Mr. Robert, I just saw where the S.O. made a drug bust in Zwolle where they found 400 Fentanyl pills. Along with various other drugs, they did a great job. Why would anyone want to vote against that?”
The Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Sabine Parish School Board have received several complaints in recent weeks regarding School Bus safety in the parish.
The complaints involve vehicles passing school buses when they stop to load and unload children.
As an important reminder: when school buses display flashing yellow lights, the bus is preparing to stop. Other drivers are required to slow down and prepare to stop.
When school buses display flashing red lights and stop signs are extended, the bus is stopping to load or unload children. Louisiana state law says drivers are required to stop 30 feet from the bus until the bus lights are no longer flashing.
Complaints from the School Board, bus drivers, and private citizens will be taken by the Sheriff’s Office. If it is determined any persons are in violation of state laws involving school buses, those persons will be issued a traffic citation.
Sheriff Aaron Mitchell announced that the safety of parish children is paramount, and there will be zero tolerance for school bus safety violations.
The Sheriff’s Office asks all motorists in Sabine Parish to obey school zone speed limits and to be mindful of school bus loading and unloading during weekday mornings and afternoons.
Sabine Parish Sheriff Deputies will be monitoring school traffic and actively looking for school bus violations.
If citizens see any violations involving school buses, they are asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (318) 256-9241 and select 5 on the phone menu to talk to a SPSO Dispatcher.
(Special thanks to Det. D.W. Seegers for the information above.)
Federal Jury finds Sabine Parish man Guilty of making threats of violence
A joint effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Many Police Dept. resulted in a guilty verdict against Aaron Wade Knight, age 31 of Noble, by a Federal Jury on two counts of making threats of violence against employees at Sabine Medical Center (SMC) and the Veterans Administration (VA). United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the finding on Feb. 14. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Aaron Crawford and Andrew Weber. United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote presided over the trial.
The two counts in this case stem from incidents which both occurred June 1, 2022, when Knight made threats of violence against employees of SMC in Many, and the VA in Shreveport and Alexandria. The first incident occurred in the morning hours of June 1 when Knight, who was living in Virginia at the time, called the VA hot line in Alexandria and spoke to a nurse who was working the call center. Knight proceeded to tell the nurse that he was upset about a bill he had received for a hospital visit a few weeks earlier at the SMC. As the conversation continued, Knight became more agitated and made the comment to her, “What do I need to do, do I need to blow up this place to get some help?” Out of concern about the threatening comments Knight made to her, the nurse contacted a patient advocate with the VA in Shreveport who had worked with Knight before.
The patient advocate then contacted Knight out of concern about the comments he had made moments earlier to the nurse. During the phone call, Knight became angry with the patient advocate and began to shout and made the following threatening statement to her, “do I need to go up there and shoot these motherf****rs in the f***ing face.”
Knight faces up to five years in prison for each count, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing has been set for June 26, 2023, at 1:15 p.m.
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame recently announced eight prominent Louisiana political leaders will be honored with induction and one family will be awarded in New Orleans on March 4.
The Political Hall of Fame inductees for 2023 are Bernard “Ben” Bagert, Jim Carvin, Louis Charbonnet, Mitch Landrieu, Marc Morial, Ben W. Nevers, Suzanne Haik Terrell and Roger F. Villere. The Bagneris family will be honored with the Political Family of Officeholders Award.
The 31st Annual Hall of Fame Induction will be held at The National WWII Museum U.S. Freedom Pavilion at 1043 Magazine St. in New Orleans on Saturday, March 4. A public reception will be held from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. with the banquet and ceremony to follow.
Tickets may be purchased from the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame for $250 each (open seating) by visiting The Friends of the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame Foundation event website at lapolmushof.com or by calling (318) 628-5928 before Feb. 28. All tickets must be reserved and paid for in advance.
Various level event sponsorships are also available. Staff at the Louisiana Political Museum is happy to provide more information concerning sponsorship details. Interested persons and organizations are invited to contact (318) 628-5928 or (318) 628-0169 to arrange an event sponsorship.
Congratulations to the 2023 slate of Political Hall of Fame inductees. They are:
Bernard “Ben” Bagert – He was elected to office as a state representative at age 24, serving from 1970-1984 and was among the famed “Young Turks” who worked with E.L. “Bubba” Henry for legislative reform. In 1984 he won a state Senate seat and worked on opportunities for people suffering from addictive disorders, mental health challenges and those who were developmentally disabled.
Jim Carvin – He was a campaign strategist for many of Louisiana’s leading political figures on both sides of the aisle, including gubernatorial campaigns and for ten consecutive Mayor of New Orleans races. He was instrumental in developing the Institute of Politics at Loyola University and continued his political work even through a debilitating stroke until his death in 2009.
Louis Charbonnet – He served as State Representative, 96th Dist., from 1970-1984. During his service, he distinguished himself as a floor leader for Governors Edwin Edwards and Dave Treen, and also for New Orleans Mayors Moon Landrieu and Ernest Morial. In addition, he was the legislative coordinator for the city of New Orleans for Mayor Sydney Barthelemy. After retiring from politics, he devoted himself to his family’s funeral business as the fourth-generation co-owner and CEO.
Mitch Landrieu – He served 16 years in the state legislature and two terms as Lieutenant Governor. He ran for Mayor of New Orleans, serving from 2010 to 2018. After taking office, he fast-tracked over 100 projects and secured billions to help New Orleans continue its recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. In 2015, Landrieu was named “Public Official of the Year” and in 2016, he was voted “America’s Top Turnaround Mayor” in a Politico survey. He authored a New York Times bestseller, “In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History,” and currently serves as Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Coordinator.
Marc Morial – He served as a State Senator from 1992-1994 and then, following in his father’s footsteps, he successfully ran for Mayor of New Orleans in 1994 and served until 2002. Morial currently serves as the President and CEO of the National Urban League, the nation’s largest historic civil rights and advocacy organization. He hosts a weekly syndicated show and authors a weekly opinion column which reaches hundreds of thousands. As an author, his leadership book, “Gumbo Coalition: 10 Leadership Lessons that Help You Inspire, Unite and Achieve,” has been widely acclaimed. He has received numerous awards and honors.
Ben W. Nevers – He was elected to a term in the State House from 1999-2003, then served in the State Senate, Dist. 12, from 2004-2016. As a Senator, he chaired many committees, including Labor and Industrial Relations, Education, Judiciary, and the Child Poverty Commission. In 2016, Nevers was chosen by Gov. John Bel Edwards to lead his gubernatorial campaign transition team, and then to serve as Chief of Staff. He served in this position until February 2017. He has since chaired the Governor’s Advisory Council on Rural Revitalization and Southeast Louisiana Pregnancy Center for Woman and Children.
Suzanne Haik Terrell – In the 1990s as a New Orleans City Council member, she established “Teen Court” for juvenile first offenders and helped create a government access channel – New Orleans Access Television. In 1999, she became the first Republican woman to be elected to statewide office in Louisiana. As Commissioner of Elections, the Louisiana election system was recognized as the Best Voter Registration System in the South and nation. She streamlined operations, advocating for the merging of her office with the Secretary of State. She was successful and the office of Commissioner of Elections was abolished when her term ended. She was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Economic Development by Pres. George W. Bush and later became Senior Advisor and Director of Outreach for the Department of Commerce.
Roger F. Villere – He is a successful businessman who was elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Louisiana in 2004, serving through 2018. During his tenure as Chairman, the Republican Party of Louisiana made historic gains across the board. He has attended five Republican National Conventions and has served as an RNC Committeeman and a member of the Rules Committee. In 2011 he was elected to the RNC Executive Committee and served as Vice Chairman in 2012. Villere has received numerous awards, including a Presidential Appointment and a number of Congressional Appointments.
The Political Family of Officeholders Award will be presented to the Bagneris family – brothers John, Dennis and Michael. John Bagneris was elected State Representative, Dist. 100, in 2016. Dennis Bagneris was elected State Senator, Dist. 3, in 1984 and ran unopposed three more times before winning the Louisiana Fourth District Court of Appeal judgeship in 1999. Michael Bagneris served as executive counsel to New Orleans Mayor Ernest “Dutch” Morial and was later elected judge in Orleans Parish Civil District Court where he served 20 years and has remained active as a judicial educator through lectures and committee posts.
Woods indicted on federal charges
Sheriff Aaron Mitchell recently announced the Feb. 8 indictment of Scott William Wood, age 41, of Noble in United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana in Shreveport.
Wood is charged with:
Possession with intent to distribute Methamphetamine, Possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and Felon in possession of a firearm.
This indictment is the result of a traffic stop conducted by Deputy Jacob Bridges on December 26, 2022. Deputy Bridges located suspected marijuana, over four ounces of methamphetamine and three firearms in the vehicle where Wood was a passenger.
In addition, the Sabine Parish Sheriff Tactical Narcotics Team was investigating the illegal narcotic activity of Wood.
Wood is currently incarcerated at the Sabine Parish Detention Center.
(Special thanks to Det. D.W. Seegers for the above information.)
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