Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Willie Stewart is a long-time friend and has a place located on the White City Road off of State Hwy. 171 at the edge of Hornbeck. Last week he heard some noise along the highway and went up to see what was going on. He found a two-man crew from the State Department of Transportation and Development taking down the “White City Rd.” sign, which was put up by the Sabine Parish Police Jury.

Willie inquired why they were taking it down and was told because it was located on the Hwy. 171 right-of-way. He asked if they were going to take down all the signs located on state highway rights-of-way and was told they had a work order to only take down that one.

“Well,” said Willie, “when it comes down, it’s going in the back of my pick-up truck.” The workmen told him he couldn’t do that. Willie told them he knew they had a job to do, but he was going to take the sign. After some “discussion” back and forth, when the sign came down, Willie got it and put it in the back of his truck. 

Willie owns property very near the highway and will relocate the sign on his property, but will place it where it can still be seen.

We could not find any written history of White City, but there has been a Sabine Parish Voting Precinct there for years. A 74-year-old gentleman said he was told it started as a “Turpentine Camp,” where rich lighter pine stumps were dug up for making turpentine back in the day. White folks and black folks lived there in harmony and scratched out a living from the soil. And are you ready for this? The little community was named after the “White Family” who lived there, White being their surname. There are others who say the little community was named after the local outcroppings of bright, white soil.

Where is all this looney stuff going to end?

It started with the cry to take down Confederate flags. Somewhere along the way, they started burning the American flag. Then it was Confederate statues. Now it is statues of Francis Scott Key, U.S. Grant, Honest Abe Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and the list goes on.

Now, they are calling for tearing down statues of Jesus Christ to fight a “gross form of white supremacy.” They are saying that all murals and stained glass windows of a white Jesus and his European mother, and their white friends should also come down.

It all started with a little thing and it has continued to grow. Sure looks like the plan is to get people in a frame of mind to feel that all this is okay. Next, will they take away our books, change the names of any place that offends any group and then take away our guns?

The cry is on that good, common sense folks – the silent majority in America had better wake up and speak up. This is anarchy and nothing more. We can’t seem to depend on the government to protect us anymore. Someone said the other day, “We’d better put a stop to it now, or we are going to wake up and it’s going to be at our front door.”

The more folks there are who get a free pass on their lawless acts, the more folks there will be who think they can get by with it, and they will do it, too.

Tearing down and destroying statues is a crime. How many people have you heard have been arrested for it?

We have seen destruction of many businesses across the country. We have seen looting and theft of other people’s property. And we have seen the police stand by and watch.

Lawlessness breeds lawlessness. How much longer are our government officials going to stand by and let it happen?

A smart man said, “Liberty is not doing everything we want to do. True freedom can only be enjoyed by doing everything we ought to do.” That means living within a framework of laws and structure, including the use of agencies of law enforcement. It takes all of that to live in true liberty. Without those essential basics, no one can be free.

Another wise man said, “All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win out are enough good men to do nothing.”

Willie Stewart took a stand. There was no reason to take down the “White City Rd.” sign and he knew it.

These statues that are being pulled down are works of art and pieces of our history. Once destroyed, they will not be replaced. Our history is how things happened. Destroying our statues does not and will not change history.

Our government leaders from the top to the bottom have lost common sense in so many ways. It’s time for this looniness to come to an end.

The story in last week’s Observations about the widow of John Allen Martinez who hanged himself in the Sabine Parish Detention Center on March 18 got a lot of readership. Mrs. Martinez wanted answers about what happened to her husband, but said Sheriff Ronny Richardson nor anyone else in the Sheriff’s Department would give her anything more than the run-around.

In the article, Mrs. Martinez mentioned she had talked with District Attorney Don Burkett about the matter, and readers might have been misled into thinking that Mr. Burkett was also giving her the run-around. That is not the case. Mr. Burkett’s office has nothing to do with the investigation of what happened

Mrs. Martinez and her father-in-law John Martinez Sr. of Zwolle came to visit with the DA. “They made me aware of the seriousness of John Jr.’s Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder he suffered while in the service. Ms. Martinez stated, ‘He came home a different man.’” Mr. Burkett continued, “Our office called the Detention Center and made them aware of the seriousness of his condition.”

“After the prisoner’s death, I did talk to Ms. Martinez on several occasions,” Mr. Burkett continued. “Our office did not investigate the matter and to this date we still have not received a report. I have expressed my deepest sympathy to the family,” he said.

Observations talked to incoming Sheriff Aaron Mitchell last Friday and made him aware of the problem. While the death did not occur on his watch, Sheriff-elect Mitchell has agreed to meet with Mrs. Martinez and discuss the matter with her, giving her whatever information he can. Mr. Mitchell is a man with a good heart who cares about peoples’ feeling and we laude him for stepping forward and trying to give some peace to a person who needs some answers.

The questions Mrs. Martinez would like answered follow:

Was John on suicide watch? If not, why not; and if he was, how did this happen?

What kind of hook is in the cell and why?

Why is the investigation taking so long?

Was he taking his medication? If so, which ones; if not, why not?

Why wasn’t the family informed by officials?

Why didn’t anyone listen to any of the many people who said he needed to be watched?

Did he give any indications of his intent before it happened?

Why wasn’t the fact that he was picked up from ICU enough to have him placed on watch?

In addition, Mrs. Martinez said she would like a copy of John’s fingerprints to make pendants for members of her family. Mr. Mitchell immediately said he would provide this. That’s the kind of Sheriff we need.

In addition, a couple of things not included in last week’s story which have been called to our attention are the following:

The attack on his brother Glenn Martinez with a knife was very serious. It has been reported that it was life-threatening, he was hospitalized, and the injury required colon surgery. Even though she loved her husband very much, the couple was separated at the time because Mrs. Martinez was afraid of her husband.

NOW OPEN IN MANY:

We send our deepest sympathy to our good friends, Conrad and Judy Cathey, on the death of Judy’s mother, Mrs. Doris Miller Wright, 93, who died Sunday. Her service was held Tuesday at Zion Hill Baptist Church with the Rev. Wilton Anthony officiating. Burial followed in the church cemetery. She was married for 48 years to the late W. C. Wright. We also extend sympathy to her other children, son Dennis and daughter Karen Brunet, as well as other family and friends.

Incoming Sheriff Aaron Mitchell has announced that Brad Walker will be his Chief Deputy. All Sheriff’s Department employees will be sworn in on Wednesday, July 1 at 10 a.m. in front of the Sabine Parish Courthouse. Everyone is invited to attend the function.

Brad is the son of Sherry Terrell of Pleasant Hill and Donnie Walker of Negreet. His maternal grandparents are the late Marie and George Terrell and his paternal grandparents are the late Doris White and J. C. Walker.

He began his career with the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Department in 1996 following the election of Sheriff Guffey Lynn Pattison. They are lifelong friends and Brad admires his service as a law enforcement officer and gives Pattison credit for being his law enforcement mentor.

In 1997, Brad began a full-time position at the Detention Center as a jailer and attended the required Police Officers Standardized Training in 1998. The same year he started working as a patrolman. He was transferred to the Criminal Investigations Division in 2015 and served as a Detective until becoming Chief Detective in 2019.

He has attended numerous trainings throughout his career including FBI LEEDA classes along with basic and advanced interview and interrogation schools, the Regional Counterdrug Training Academy, Homicide Investigation School and Office of the State Attorney General Domestic Violence Training.

Brad married the former Laura Phillips in 2005 at Cypress Bend Resort. She is a registered ultrasound technician with 15 years of experience and is currently employed at the Highland Clinic in Shreveport. They have two children, Allen James, 8, and Ellison Marie, 4. The Walkers attend Wallace Baptist Church near Pleasant Hill. 

Mr. Walker pledges to always do what is right, even when it may not be popular. He and Sheriff-Elect Mitchell hope to build strong community relations throughout the parish by keeping the citizens informed through media outlets and community policing programs. If a citizen has a problem, he said, it will be addressed. It won’t be swept under the rug.

Naturally there will be bumps in the road, but once realized, Walker says they will quickly make the necessary changes to correct the problem. “We will always be accessible to the public and will maintain an open-door policy,” he said.

It is refreshing to see folks coming into leadership in the Sheriff’s Office who see the need for change and who have the necessary fortitude to make that change.

Next week Observations will have an in-depth story about Sheriff-Elect Mitchell and the results of a detailed interview we had with him about his vision for the Sheriff’s Department. 

Well, it just seems to continue. More problems in the Sabine Parish Detention Center. It begs the question, “Who’s watching the store?”

The Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office arrested prisoner Michael Taylor Perry, 35, on charges of aggravated arson regarding a fire at the jail on the evening of June 16. Deputies learned from witness statements that Perry was seen setting a mattress on fire in his room where he was alone.

Corrections officers were able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher and all inmates were evacuated without injury.

Another prisoner, John Michael Murphy, 33, was arrested on charges of possession of schedule II (meth) contraband in a penal institution.

There have been reports of drugs within the detention center and of inmates having cell phones, which is prohibited. The detention center also has been plagued with escapes and abuse of a prisoner by a deputy, in addition to the latest problem last week.

Incoming Sheriff Aron Mitchell and his Chief Deputy Brad Walker have pledged to make much needed improvements at the Detention Center, including adding more lighting, cameras and fencing. “Every effort will be made to stop illegal contraband from getting into the facility and we pledge to arrest anyone responsible,” Walker said. 

It is refreshing to see officials in the Sheriff’s Office with a plan and who are passionate enough to make it work.

In passing through Robeline last week, it was interesting to see Robeline Police had a vehicle pulled over downtown, there was a State Police SUV parked across the street from the Chevron Station and a State Police officer on a motorcycle that had a vehicle pulled over on a side street. Must be a lot of crime in Robeline, so be sure to slow down to about 30 when you go through town.

We were glad to hear from our good friend Shoji Tabuchi last week.

His show has been a Branson, MO staple for over 30 years. But of late, fans have not been able to see the show in his regular theater. A couple of years ago, there was a fire there and it still has not been repaired as needed because of problems with insurance. Fortunately, the show has been able to use the Clay Cooper Theater.

This year because of the uncertainty of the Coronavirus, the troupe has decided to cancel their complete show schedule at Branson. The following statement was issued:  “Information and recommendations regarding the COVID-19 global pandemic continue to be ever-changing. With that, the health and safety of our audience members, cast, crew, band, staff and community have been of our utmost concern and priority. After evaluating every aspect of the Show’s operations, and with careful and ongoing consideration for all information and guidance available, the Tabuchi Family has made the very difficult decision to postpone all 2020 Branson performances. We share with you in the disappointment of this decision.”

It certainly is a disappointment as Observations always loves to catch Shoji’s performances, whether in Branson or on the road.

The Many Police Department made an arrest at about 5 a.m. Tuesday morning in a string of vehicle burglaries that have been ongoing across the town’s neighborhoods.

After being interviewed by Detective Phillip Cutrer, “Garlando Pittmon, 18-year-old of Many, LA, confessed to vehicle burglaries on June 8, 2020 in the Blake Addition and surrounding areas,” Cutrer reported.

“Garlando was caught after a citizen reported suspicious activity,” Officer Kyle Cook explained. “He was caught after a foot pursuit with one of our officers at approximately 5 a.m.,” he said. The foot chase happened along Robbie St.

Garlando confessed to 10 counts of burglary and two counts of criminal damage to property. He was also charged with resisting an officer – one count.

The Many Police continue their efforts to investigate others who may be involved in pending cases, but reports to Observations say some may be juveniles and their names cannot be released.

After the Department posted news of the arrest on their Facebook page, several applauded the effort, and a few posted that they had suffered car break-ins Monday night before the early Tuesday morning arrest. 

The Department said they’d had reports of thefts from that night, and asked anyone with items missing to please call the Many Police. Their number is (318) 256-5617.

It was a great evening of music outdoors in downtown Many on Saturday. The Turn-Ups, a trio headed by James Wagley and Kenny Cardino, played two hours worth of Classic Adult R&R, Country and Blues on San Antonio Ave. in front of the historic Sabine Theater [Many Community Center.]

Folks listened along the street, from parked cars, and before and after having dinner at Bayou Crawfish Restaurant.

The Law Office of Verity Gentry, directly across from the theater, had free water for passersby and several people visited on the street and stopped in to see Gentry’s new offices.

The music was planned by Wagley and the Town of Many to simply show community spirit during the continued pandemic, and everyone said they enjoyed it very much. Observations even heard hopeful talk that a sidewalk show by the Turn-Ups might become a monthly treat. We shall see.

Mark it down now: The Stewart Family and Friends will officially reopen the Many Community Center on Saturday, July 4, with a God Bless America Again concert sponsored by the Town of Many, Mayor Ken Freeman and the Many Cultural District Committee.

The show starts at 7 p.m., is completely free and will feature all your favorite patriotic songs, classic and modern. As always, concessions will be available for $1 each.

The Town of Many has scheduled a thorough disinfection of all theater surfaces, seats, etc., and attendees are welcome to wear masks.

Don’t miss it – it will be a grand tribute to our country performed by Willie, Bo, Debbie, Kelly and Clancey Stewart, along with Steve and Mark Birdwell, and Laurie Gentry.

Thank you for reading. I always welcome your thoughts and suggestions for future articles. Send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com or call (318) 332-8653. To save, send or print today’s column, click on the appropriate icon below. Follow the pages below to read Observations of the recent past. Older ones can be found on our Facebook page. Thanks again for stopping by.

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