Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Folks have been stunned about the incident which reportedly happened at Many High School last week. The news apparently came to light Friday afternoon when a video of the event appeared on Snapchat.

According to information received, a Florien student was physically assaulted by fellow basketball team members in the locker room. The video, according to reports, showed the victim with his pants down and several teens holding him as a pencil was placed in his rectum. The victim could be heard screaming, according to reports. We hear that all the basketball team, except for five persons, participated in some way. There was no supervision by coaches in the locker room, and none of the students ran to get help or report the event.

School Supt. Sara Ebarb released the following statement Monday afternoon:  

“The Sabine Parish School Board is investigating an incident at Many High School which was reported Friday, Jan. 31, and which has been covered by various media outlets over the weekend. As this matter involves students, we cannot release additional information other than to assure the public that we are cooperating with law enforcement and that student safety remains a priority. Disciplinary action will be taken against all persons who are found to have been involved.”

Observations contacted District Attorney Don Burkett who was in Baton Rouge Monday at a DAs’ meeting. He said the State Police and Sabine Sheriff’s Office are investigating the matter, and the investigation will continue as long as needed.

“The School Board will handle disciplinary actions and law enforcement will handle any arrests and prosecution,” Burkett said. “I have been in touch since this was discovered Friday with Supt. Ebarb and law enforcement officers.” He said he has also been in touch with the parent of the victim.

“I am very concerned,” Burkett stressed. “This is very serious and I am taking it very seriously.”

Social media has been ablaze with comments. Most of them are very sympathetic to the victim, requesting prayers for him and his family, and there are calls for justice to be served. Others express concern that the matter will be “swept under the table again.” Some called the event bullying, but others called it a crime. Many expressed the opinion that proper adult supervision was lacking, and that it would have prevented the incident.

Another explanation offered on social media by Kim Troutman noted, “These boys have been doing this to each other for a while now. It is a long running joke. The victim as you call it was laughing [loudly] when it was going on because he had previously done it to another young man. It just happened to be his turn and someone decided to video it this time. I’m not saying it’s ok because it’s not. It’s very irresponsible but this is what boys sometimes do . . . a young stupid locker room guy thing.”

Troutman’s post drew heated comments from Blake Taylor, among others, as she defended her position saying she had seen the video and replying to one person, “the so called victim has done it to others too. It’s an ongoing joke with a group of them. They need to be educated that this is not funny and it’s considered sexual assault!”

Speculation is being offered that the basketball team might be pulled from playing any more games this season.

We do not know what the perpetrators of this act could have been thinking. It just doesn’t make any sense. We join the cry of those who seek justice and we hope the victim and his family can get past this tragedy in their lives.

If it turns out the young men involved have made a habit of this type behavior and think of it as a joke, we as a community have a lot of soul-searching to do. Parents, coaches, teachers, and area leaders are not to be excused if this is not treated with the seriousness it deserves.

“Depravity” is defined as a lack of morals, values and regard for other living things. It is the opposite of “love,” the commitment to the well being of others without conditions. We would do well to remember this choice every day in what we teach our young people, what we allow them to be exposed to, and what we expect from them as well.

Linda Curtis-Sparks, Executive Director of the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission, is shown center right holding congratulatory roses after she was presented the prestigious Will Mangham Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award on Jan. 30 by the Louisiana Travel Association at their annual meeting. Shown with her, left to right, are Edith Palmer, Martha Henderson, Shanna Gaspard, Bonnie Fox-Miles, daughter Patience Arthur, daughter Jessica Worley, Wanda Rivers and son-in-law John Worley. 

A native of Many, Curtis-Sparks is the daughter of Doug Curtis and the late Ms. Geraldine Curtis. She was graduated from high school here and attended Northwestern State University.

Her interest in tourism in Sabine Parish and on Toledo Bend Lake is long standing. She is former director of the Sabine Parish Chamber of Commerce and was named Director of the Louisiana Sabine River Authority in 1989. Following that, she moved to the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission. Congratulations to Linda on this well-deserved honor.

The Sabine Parish School Board recently purchased the vacant lot in front of its office in Many. It will be used for much needed parking

Supt. Sara Ebarb said, “Yes, we bought the lot between the School Board warehouse and the AT&T Building for much needed parking. Our teachers have a very difficult time parking when we have trainings and meetings because our parking is so limited.”

I am thrilled to report I have been selected for induction into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame. The event will be held Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Civic Center in Winnfield. There will be a reception, open to the public, at the Political Hall of Fame Museum from 4 until 5:30 p.m. The induction banquet starts at 6 p.m. I am so happy to also report that my longtime friend, former four-time legendary Louisiana Governor Edwin W. Edwards will be on hand to do the induction. Anyone interested in attending may contact the Louisiana Political Museum at (318) 628-5928 or lapolmus1@gmail.com to obtain tickets. For more event and honoree information, you may also visit lapolmushof.com online.

Sabine Parish native Cade Brumley of Converse has been mentioned as a serious candidate to replace State Superintendent of Education John White. He currently is Jefferson Parish Superintendent and has expressed interest in the position. He has held his present job for the past 22 months. The Jefferson Parish school system is the largest in the state. The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education was expected to make its pick Tuesday. White’s resignation is effective March 11.

Brumley is former president of the Louisiana Association of Superintendents. He is also former superintendent of the DeSoto Parish School Board.

District 2 Justice of the Peace Mike Tarver, former Mayor of Many, is not happy at all with the proposal that Sabine Parish have a “Litter Court” and that the Justices of the Peace and Constables do the work.

“They brought it up about 10 years ago,” Tarver told Observations. “They put it on us because the Judge, Sheriff and District Attorney didn’t want to fool with it. I think it was Kenneth Ammons who brought it up while he was Director of the Chamber of Commerce. Maybe such a plan worked good in South Louisiana, but it won’t work up here.”

Tarver said he was called last week to come to a meeting in the Police Jury room. He said the meeting was with the Police Jury President and four Justices of the Peace were present. 

Tarver explained, “He had a stack of ticket books in front of him for the Constables to write tickets. I told him I would have nothing to do with it. We are in an area that is small where you know everybody. People especially know me. Bobby Brumley, who represents District 4, also said he wouldn’t have anything to do with it.”

Continuing, Tarver said, “I got up and left the meeting. A little later Bobby also left.”  He said two female Justices were still there when he left, and he does not know the outcome of the meeting.

The other three Justices in the parish are Jean Sharp, Dist. 1; Mattie Laroux Sepulvado, Dist. 3; and LaJuana Williams Mosley, Wd. 5.

We were glad to see Many Chief of Police Roger Freeman back at work Monday. He recently suffered a stroke and was hospitalized in Shreveport for 10 days, being discharged on Friday. He has been very encouraged by all the persons who prayed for him and also for those who sent him messages of support and encouragement. He is recovering very nicely, but said he is having trouble swallowing, but he should be over that problem in a couple of weeks or so. It is good to see him quickly improving and we wish him nothing but the best.

Picture from the Past

This picture was taken at a special Louisiana Hayride presentation at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport on June 12, 1987. The late Country Music Singer and Songwriter Nat Stuckey, second from left, was on that night’s program. He is shown here with his wife Ann, who now lives near Florien and is married to Randy Davis. At left is the late Ray Williams and at right is Bobby Williams, who laid claim to the Hayride name at the time.

That is all for this first week of February. Thank you for your faithful readership. I always welcome your thoughts and ideas for future Observations. Send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com or call me at (318) 332-8653. To see recently archived Observations, follow the pages below. To see older ones, visit our Facebook page, where they are listed by date under Photo Albums. To print, save or send this week’s column, click on the appropriate icon below.

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