Wednesday, April 12, 2023

It is the saga that fiction is made of, but this story is true.  It all started Tuesday, April 4, sometime before noon at the Shop A Lott Chevron Station on San Antonio Ave. in Many.  James Whitehead, 49, of Bassfield, Mississippi came in with his dog.  A store employee told him he couldn’t bring his dog in, and it is reported she did it very nicely.

According to reports, Whitehead got mad – very mad – and started directing profanity toward the workers.  They said he became irate and tossed coffee on the door.  The police were called and when officers got there, he fled.  The chase was on, with State Police taking the lead right behind the offended man and his pooch, who traveled east on Hwy. 6 going out of Many.

It was reported that Whitehead, who was on a motorcycle with his faithful dog, was traveling from New Mexico back to Mississippi.  Some accounts referred to him as a “Florida man.” 

Continuing the story, at 11:52 a.m., the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office contacted Natchitoches Sheriff’s Department requesting assistance saying deputies were in pursuit of a motorcycle on Hwy. 6 entering Natchitoches Parish. 

Natchitoches Parish joined in as the pursuit continued eastbound through Robeline, Hagewood, then the I-49 corridor near the PARC near Natchitoches.  The motorcyclist and his dog then turned around and traveled back westbound on Hwy. 6.  He revved it up close to 100 miles per hour back through Hagewood and Robeline.  He was stopped shortly thereafter in Sabine Parish and was taken into custody without incident.  We are told the dog growled.

In addition to Sabine and Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies and the State Police, Robeline officials also participated in the pursuit.  Looks like Robeline, the speed trap capitol of this area, could have written him a ticket coming and going.  We did not confirm whether or not they did.

The Sabine Sheriff’s office charged Whitehead with aggravated flight from an officer and wreckless operation.  The Many Police Department charged him with disturbing the peace.  He remained in jail as Observations was being posted Tuesday evening.

Seems most people were more concerned about the dog.  It was placed in the Sabine Animal Shelter for safekeeping, and a Sabine deputy has generously volunteered to foster the pup if needed.

We were away recently when the report came that a bad car wreck had seriously injured Many Chief of Police Cheryl Wooley’s son, Duncan Craft, and his wife Laura. As a result of the accident, Duncan and Laura’s unborn baby had to be delivered six weeks early.

The couple, who were on their way to dinner to celebrate Laura’s birthday on April 5, was hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light.

Chief Wooley shared with us that both her son and his wife underwent lengthy surgeries for crushed and broken bones. Her son’s case is especially serious, as femur, ankle and foot bones were crushed.

“Many folks around Many will recall Duncan as a 2014 graduate of Many High,” Cheryl’s husband Donnie shared. “He was on the football team and a member of the Louisiana National Guard, which he joined after his junior year. He’s one of the good guys. Laura is the love of his life and an excellent wife and mother raising a Christian family,” Donnie explained.

We are thrilled to report that the couple’s new baby, Alora Jane, is doing well despite being in intensive care related to her premature birth. In the last day or so, mother Laura got to hold her sweet baby girl for the first time.

The family asks for prayers, and there has been a GoFundMe account set up for Duncan, wife Laura and their four children. He is an oilfield worker, so he will require a good deal of recovery time before he can return to work. Laura owns a cosmetic application company. Neither will be able to work in the coming months until more surgeries are completed, and they have both recovered from their extensive leg injuries.

All donations to their GoFundMe account are greatly appreciated. Follow this link to give:  https://gofund.me/7a0f1d05.

Another fundraiser organized on GiveAHand to help the family may be accessed at https://giveahand.com/fundraiser/laura-duncan-kids?fbclid=lwAR02ql2n1Yo9ChWVhz_7eXYh8it6jmHh19KvOBA_iw_x_76H_is6xn43hVk.

We kindly ask all Observations readers who can to please help this family who now face many life-changing challenges through no fault of their own.

(Thanks to my wife Laurie for the above report.)

There seems to be a lot of interest in a special called meeting of the Louisiana Sabine River Authority set for Thursday, April 13, at 1 p.m. at the Cypress Bend Resort Conference Center.

On the agenda is the operation of Toledo Bend Lake and the effects of a large water sell.  It is reported that entities in Texas are interested in purchasing water from the lake.

The meeting is open to the public, and participation and comments are welcome.

As we have come to anticipate, the Rev. Daniel Lowe once again carried a cross through Many on Good Friday. It points all to Christ and what He did some two millennia ago. We appreciate Pastor Lowe’s efforts and commend him for this yearly activity. He has served at Many Church of the Nazarene for many years and has carried a cross through Many every Good Friday for at least a decade, perhaps longer.

We must also mention our friend Kelly Stewart walked with a cross in Florien on Good Friday. He has made the walk a few years now, which starts at Gandy Church and goes to New Bright Star, then goes back to Gandy Church for prayer. It’s a distance of 9.4 miles, and he said, “It’s a blessing to me each year to do this. …If I catch the eye of just one person and it makes a difference in their life, then it was all worth it!”

SECRETARY ARDOIN ANNOUNCES HE WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION

Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin issued the following statement:

“I have decided not to seek re-election.

“For the last five years, I have had the blessing of serving as Louisiana’s 44th Secretary of State. In that time, we have faced unprecedented challenges including major hurricanes, a global pandemic, and lies about our election processes and procedures. Through it all, I have been able to witness the unyielding dedication of election staff across the state who worked countless late nights and weekends, sometimes putting their own needs on hold, to deliver democracy to the people of Louisiana. I could not be prouder of their work, and being tasked with leading these individuals has been the honor of a lifetime.

“I trust that the next Secretary of State will be able to build off of the accomplishments we have achieved in the last five years, including widespread recognition from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, the Heritage Foundation, and the Electoral Integrity Project for our election integrity measures.

“I hope that Louisianans of all political persuasions will stand against the pervasive lies that have eroded trust in our elections by using conspiracies so far-fetched that they belong in a work of fiction. The vast majority of Louisiana’s voters know that our elections are secure and accurate, and it is shameful and outright dangerous that a small minority of vocal individuals have chosen to denigrate the hard work of our election staff and spread unproven falsehoods.

“I am thankful for the tireless work of my staff over these last five years, and for the love and support of my family through the many challenges we have faced. I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Louisiana through the remainder of my term.”

(Special thanks to Secretary Ardoin’s Chief of Staff and our longtime friend Joe Salter for the information above.)

The March Sales and Use Tax report has been issued by Administrator Wanda Rivers.  It showed that $205,660.54 more was collected in March 2023 over the same month in 2022.  Total collected was $2,739,377.15.

On April 7, Billy Toten lost control of a vehicle he was driving on Hwy. 1215 at Tranquility Bay.  It ended up going into Toledo Lake.  He got out of the vehicle alive but was injured.  North Sabine Fire District personnel arrived on the scene to find Toten lying next to the highway.  Med Express arrived, and he was transferred to Sabine Medical Center in Many with moderate injuries.  Divers from the Sabine Sheriff’s Department and North Sabine Fire District were on the scene to assist getting the vehicle out of the lake.

The recall election for Jeff “Gilligan” Davidson, District 5 Police Juror, will be held Saturday, April 29.  Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. 

Early voting in the office of Registrar of Voters Zack Faircloth will take place in the courthouse starting Saturday, April 15, and continue through April 22.

The successful move to recall Davidson was headed by Pat Scarborough of the powerful Sabine Citizens for Better Roads.  The group claims that Davidson has wasted tax monies by milling roads, does not respect the residents and is confrontational and argumentative.

Coach Mike McConathy of Natchitoches was a visitor on Tedd Dumas’ radio program Tuesday morning.  He is running for the District 31 Senate seat, which encompasses all or part of 10 parishes, including Sabine.  The seat is now held by Sen. Louie Bernard, who chose not to seek re-election.

McConathy is well-known for his many years of successful basketball coaching of the Northwestern State University Demons.

He told Observations that he has been working hard on the campaign, and the reception he has received at this stage has been outstanding.  He’s seeing a lot of people and reports that he is enjoying the campaign.

It is always good to see him.

I have been out of town for a couple of weeks and was saddened to learn of the death of two good friends while I was gone.

Shelton Roark and I have been friends since our days at Northwestern together in the early 1960s.  He was 80 and had been a Mason for 49 years and was also a member of the Zion Hill Baptist Church in Negreet.

I knew him as a fun-loving guy who always had a big smile on his face every time I saw him.  He loved to tell a good story and he loved to listen to a good story.  He loved to laugh.  Shelton will be missed.

Another good friend was Keith Gibson, 76, of Fisher.  He was a patriot and a veteran of the Marines where he retired after serving more than 20 years in the Army Reserves. 

He was a collector of coins and he loved bingo at the Zwolle-Ebarb VFW Post 5187.  He was a good man.

-30-

[FYI:  My wife Laurie is kind enough to assist in my weekly Observations by uploading my files to the BDC web site. That is why her name automatically appears below as “author.” She occasionally writes a piece, and when she does, attribution is noted at the end of the article.]