Wednesday, March 4, 2020

The charges against Roderick Davis Sr. and his son and daughter were disposed of in East Baton Rouge Parish District Court on Feb. 20. Charges arose from Roderick’s employment with the Sabine Association for Retarded Citizens (SARC).  The State Attorney General’s Office, which prosecuted the case, said they took advantage of underprivileged and disabled clients by diverting funds for personal use. Roderick, 46, his son Roderick Davis Jr., 27, and daughter Athena Mitchell, 20, were charged with Medicaid fraud and Davis Sr. was additionally charged with one count of exploitation of the infirmed. Davis Jr. and Mitchell were also charged with criminal conspiracy.

The Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Unit alleged that Davis Sr. used SARC and recipients’ finances to buy appliances for his personal use and rental properties, then billed Medicaid and received payment from the SARC for services that didn’t happen. They reported Davis Jr. was paid for working at a group home while he was also out-of-town working for a trucking company. And Mitchell submitted paperwork to reflect her work with SARC clients while she also was attending a college nursing program.

Other allegations in the arrest affidavits were:

In Baton Rouge court, Davis Sr. withdrew his not guilty plea and entered a guilty plea. The Court ruled:  Under the provisions of Article 893 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Court deferred the imposition of sentence for one year and placed Davis Sr. on active, supervised probation for that period.

In addition, the Court imposed as special conditions of probation that Davis Sr.:  Pay cost of prosecution in the amount of $7,500 pay restitution of $8,635.54, pay a fine of $1,000 and pay court costs of $414.75. The Court ordered the matter be continued and a review was fixed for May 20.

For the charge Criminal Conspiracy “the State dismissed the charge against Davis Sr. for the reasons stated on the bill of information and will dismiss all charges against the accused children.” We do not know what reasons are included on the bill of information. It is our understanding that if Davis Sr. meets the terms of his probation, he will get an additional month’s credit for each month served, which means his probation will be over in six months. It should also be noted that SARC paid Davis Sr. $25,000 for accumulated back pay when he was fired.

Attorney General Jeff Landry has made an issue that he is tough on Medicaid fraud.  Looks like his missed the mark on this case. Observations reached out to his office for comments last week, but they did not respond.

It has been billed as “Hope Is Here, Sabine 2020” and we are glad to see it.

The event sponsors are looking for God’s purpose, and His greater good to come out of the troubling times that Sabine Parish is now seeing.

“Troubling, terrible things have happened in our parish in recent weeks. What if what the enemy meant for evil, the Lord meant for Good? What if God had a plan in place before all of that happened to redeem boys and girls, men and women, mothers and fathers?” event organizers ask.

It is being called the largest cooperative effort to bring the Gospel to Sabine Parish in over 30 years. It will take place Sunday through Wednesday, March 8 – 11, 2020, at Many High School gym.

Over 20 Baptist Churches in Sabine and North Sabine Associations are banding together to hold the event. The evangelist will be Brother Sammy Tippet, president of Southern Baptist Evangelists and music will be provided by the Louisiana College Praise Team.

On Sunday, March 8, the churches will gather for a prayer meeting at 5 p.m., with the doors opening at 6 p.m. and the service starting at 6:30. Monday, March 9, is Youth Night. Pizza will be served beginning at 5 p.m., with services following at 6:30 p.m. On Tuesday and Wednesday, March 10 and 11, a community meal will be held beginning at 5 p.m., with services to follow at 6:30 p.m.

We hope everyone will attend. For more information, visit Sabine 2020 on Facebook.

A special thank you to Kristy Sandel Knippers for calling this important event to our attention and supplying the information.

Another reminder:  Daylight Savings time goes into effect Saturday night at 2 a.m. Set your clocks forward one hour.

And speaking of Daylight Savings Time, two bills have been introduced in the House to keep Daylight Savings Time all year, if federal law ever changes to allow it.  Last year President Donald Trump tweeted making Daylight Savings Time permanent is “OK with me.” The move would require a change in federal law. Seven states have already approved legislation to make it permanent.

Our new State Representative Rodney Schamerhorn has introduced a bill in the House that would allow year-round night hunting of feral hogs, nutria and beaver.  The population of these three have exploded and wild hogs are wreaking havoc on farmers’ fields.

We were pleased to receive a nice note from former Sabine Parish resident Glenwood Bullard last week. He is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Clarence G. Bullard of Zwolle. He now lives in Bossier City and serves on the Bossier Parish School Board. His father served many years on the Sabine Parish School Board.

He writes:  “Just a few months ago I discovered Observations and I am so thankful I did. It is a welcome addition to the sparse news reporting coming out of Sabine Parish. While I now lay my head down in Bossier Parish, my heart will always rest in Sabine. I do enjoy your reports and commend you for devoting the time and energy necessary to publish them each week.”

Glenwood continued, “A year or so ago I learned about Dean Lambert’s daily Facebook post and have thoroughly enjoyed it each day. Between Dean’s reports and your in-depth stories, I feel confident I’m staying abreast of the local Sabine news.”

Thanks, Glenwood. It is always nice to know that someone appreciates the work you do, and we thank you for the nice words.

Three students charged as adults in the recent happenings at Many High School appeared before Judge Steven Beasley on Thursday of last week for a bond hearing.  Judge Beasley refused to set bail at a hearing last week, and had set the hearing for the end of March.

Keelan Williams and Quacie Kergelon were both charged with sexual battery and second-degree kidnapping.  The bond of each was set at $50,000.  Reginald Mitchell was charged with being accessary after the fact and his bond was set at $25,000.

A condition of the bond is that the three have home incarceration and can only leave when accompanied by a parent.

It is our understanding that the five juveniles involved were released last week under house incarceration and can only leave when accompanied by an adult.

From what we hear, District 1 Police Juror Bo Stewart who just took office finds himself in a financial jam caused by the guy he defeated for the office. Seems the Police Jury thought it was going to get a $250,000 grant from FEMA to Road District 1 to be used for repairs to roads damaged by the 2016 flooding. The funds were to come from the 2016 FEMA Disaster Recovery Grant.

At present, the District is in debt to the Jury’s General Fund for $205,807.47. Apparently, the funds might still be forthcoming from FEMA. The debt could be forgiven by a majority vote from the Jury. If not, then the balance would have to be paid back to the General Fund from Dist. 1 funds. So where is the money to maintain roads in the district coming from in the meantime?

It has been rumored that the previous Juror Willes Funderburk paved a road that a family member lives on and Jury Secretary Bill Weatherford confirmed he had heard this, although he did not know if it was true. He said money to pave a road would come from Dist. 1 Road Funds, primarily ad valorem taxes

Mr. Weatherford explained how funds are approved for roads, as follows:  The Juror, the Finance Committee, the Road Superintendent and the Secretary-Treasurer prepare an annual budget and amended budgets for each Road District.  The proposed budget and amended budgets are approved by the full Jury. The Road Superintendent is authorized to spend the budgeted funds as they are appropriated with input from the Juror.

Why would it take so long to get a FEMA grant from 2016? That was four years ago.

Sales tax collections in Sabine Parish during February totaled $293,795.46 more than was collected for the same month a year ago. The School Board had an increase of $122,651.82, the Police Jury received $61,324.93 more; the Town of Many an additional $12,277.69; and the Sheriff’s Office $47,051.95 more. The report issued by Tax Collector Nolan Rivers follows:

History will be made at the Many Community Center this Saturday, March 7, at 7 p.m. thanks to Choupique, a nationally recognized French Cajun Band, who will play a rambunctious, joyful Mardi Gras show that will have everyone dancing in the aisles.

Admission to the Mardi Gras show is absolutely free. That’s thanks to a grant from the Shreveport Regional Arts Council. 

The Louisiana-based Choupique Cajun Band has been playing together for 20 years. They have recorded three CDs and multiple singles. Choupique has played festivals throughout Louisiana and events all over the U.S. In 2018 and 2019, they represented the State of Louisiana as they toured New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, playing Acadian festivals, pubs, and Sainte-Anne University.

Choupique will have folks attending the concert dancing the fais-do-do in the aisles of the historic Community Center. 

Band members include:  Jesse Brown on Cajun 10-button accordion, Zydeco triple row accordion and fiddle from Eunice, LA; Bill Grass, the Louisiana State Fiddle Champion in years past from Plaquemine, LA; Kent Lavigne on electric bass from Gonzales, LA; Warren Thomassie on drums from Gonzales, LA; and Anglyn Brown on acoustic guitar from Baton Rouge. 

They play traditional Cajun music, Creole Zydeco, and Louisiana folk tunes. They cover songs from legends Dewey Balfa, Dennis McGee, Hadley Castille, Bruce Daigrepont, and many others. They have also written several originals. This is a five-piece band with a lot of energy! 

Albums by Choupique include:  Pass a Good Time (2015); Catch and Release (2009); and Moi, Je Connais Pas (2001).

Many Mayor Ken Freeman commented on how fortunate Many is to have this south Louisiana Cajun Band drive all the way up to Many to play at the Community Center.

“It’s a unique opportunity for our music lovers in Many and Sabine Parish to hear and enjoy a nationally recognized Cajun band that has represented Louisiana so well at so many concerts throughout the U.S. and even Canada,” said Freeman.

Chairperson of the Many Cultural District Advisory Committee Mary Brocato said she first heard Choupique in 2018 at the Louisiana Folklife Festival.

“I just fell in love with this band, and thanks to our SRAC grant, we are able to bring Choupique to Music in Many for everyone to enjoy. I am so excited to hear Choupique again and in our very own Many Community Center,” she said.

“Remember that admission to hear Choupique on March 7 is absolutely free to everyone,” Brocato reminded. “We want all our good folks to come out and show this South Louisiana band that we North Louisianans know how to ‘pass a good time too.’ “

Music in Many featuring bands like Choupique is sponsored by Mayor Ken Freeman, the Town of Many City Council and the Cultural District Advisory Committee.

A special thanks to Mary Brocato for supplying the above information about Choupique’s upcoming appearance in Many.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and remember to let me hear your ideas and suggestions for future articles. Send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com or call (318) 332-8653. To see older Observations, visit our Facebook page, where they are listed under Photo Albums by date. To read newer ones, follow the pages below. To send, save or print this week’s column, click on the appropriate icon below.

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