Wednesday, October 7, 2020

UPDATE: Body of Taylor Nichols found

Sabine Parish Deputies and First Responders, along with Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office and Fire Districts, conducted a grid-search this morning for Taylor Nichole Nichols in an area where some of her belongings had been found previously. Her body was discovered shortly after 10 a.m. The 27-year-old had been missing since Sept. 18.

The badly decomposed remains were found in an area of heavy underbrush approximately 600 yards west of Hwy. 171 in a heavily wooded area near where some of her belongings were found earlier this week. The location is just southwest of the Walmart store on Hwy. 171 north of Many.

“The growth was so thick we had to crawl into the area,” Sabine Parish Chief Deputy Brad Walker said. The cause of death has not been determined, and Sheriff’s officials are waiting on the autopsy report. Investigators are also processing the scene.

Taylor was last seen on video footage from Many Walmart on the evening of Sept. 18. After making a purchase, she went to her vehicle, got in on the driver’s side and then exited on the passenger side. The video then showed her walking alone off the Walmart parking lot headed south toward Many.

PLEASE SEE UPDATE ABOVE.

Still no word on Taylor Nichole Nichols, 27, who has been missing since Friday night, Sept. 18. According to video, she made a purchase at Walmart in Many and then proceeded to her vehicle in the parking lot. She got into the vehicle on the driver’s side, then exited it on the passenger’s side, and was last seen walking off the parking lot south toward Many.

Her ID card was found in a hay field on the west side of Hwy. 171 a few days later. The card was about 30-40 yards inside the field from the roadway. Deputies searched the area several times without finding anything else.

On Monday a group of 31 deputies and responders searched 60 to 80 acres of wooded area between Walmart and Patrick-Miller Tractor Co., according to Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Walker. In the wooded area near Walmart they found a $5 bill, a pair of leggings she had purchased at Walmart, a face mask and the shoes she was wearing. The items were not all found together, but at different places.

A search party was scheduled to be back at work Wednesday, Oct. 7, according to Deputy Walker. Other parishes are coming to help, including dogs from the Natchitoches and Winn Parish Sheriff’s offices. Walker said the group will grid search the area west of the wooded area searched on Monday. 

Deputy Walker said a reliable witness reported seeing Taylor on Alabama St. after she was reported missing on Sept. 18. Other leads have come in, including that she has ties in Lafayette, but none have checked out. Her telephone records show the last time her cell phone was used was about Sept. 18 around Hwy. 171 north of Florien.

Payton Nichols, sister of Taylor, told a Shreveport television station last week, “She’s never stayed disconnected for this long.” She said this was not the first time her older sister has disappeared for days at a time. However, she added, this is the first time Taylor has not reached out to her family.

“She has a history of drug abuse in the past and she may have relapsed,” she added. Payton said her family is hoping for the best, but is worried about the worst. She concluded, “I think that’s what worries us the most, that either she’s dead or the situation is not good.”

Anyone with any information is urged to please call the Sheriff’s Office at (318) 256-9241 or send a message to their Facebook Page. You do not have to identify yourself.

Crime Stoppers of Sabine is offering a $1,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest in the murder of Ricky Lytle. Lytle, 59, was found dead Aug. 5 in a travel trailer in the 500 block of Jeter St. in Zwolle. He was shot in the forehead and had not been dead very long when found. Although a .22-caliber rifle was found on top of a bed to the right of his body, it did not appear to be a working firearm, according to Deputy Coroner Ron Rivers.

You can contact Crime Stoppers at (318) 256-4511.  You do not need to use your name.

Sales tax collected in Sabine Parish during September dropped by $189,855.67 over the same month last year. Total collections amounted to $1,742,629, or down by 9.82 per cent from 2019.

Revenue for the School Board was down by $82,265.75, representing a drop of 11.07 per cent. The Police Jury’s drop was 11.61 per cent for $43,421.52. The Town of Many was $11,641.18 for 8.82 per cent less than 2019. The Sheriff’s Department collected $30,849.79 for 11.07 percent less.

The report from Sales Tax Collector Nolan Rivers follows:

The Sabine Parish Police Jury met Sept. 9 for a public hearing to consider levying additional or increased millage rates without further voter approval. The Jury went on to adopt the adjusted millage rates after reassessment and rolled forward the millage to a rate not to exceed the prior year’s maximum. The estimated amount of tax revenues to be collected in the next year from the increased millage is $3,382,631.27 and the amount of increase in taxes attributable to the millage increase is $45,485.86.

There were only two Jurors who stood up for the poor ole taxpayer who needs a break. They were Bo Stewart of District 1 and Jeff “Gilligan” Davidson of District 5.

It has been reported to Observations that Stewart was told he didn’t understand the matter – that it was not a tax increase. We understand Bo then responded they were the ones who did not understand that it was a tax increase without voter approval. I wonder where the approving jurors think that increase of $45,485.86 is coming from? It represents more of somebody’s money.

HOME… AGAIN

Guess what? Sabine Parish School will be closed all next week for “Fall Break.” Seems to us after all the days of school the students have missed, they ought to be going to school and not staying at home even more. Where is the logic? And by the way, school will be out a week for Thanksgiving in November and then two weeks for Christmas in December.

Cindy Ezernack reports that the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta Board of Directors couldn’t let the Tamale Fiesta weekend pass without doing something for the community. So, they are selling those famous hot tamales on Saturday, Oct. 10 on Front St. in Zwolle from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. or until they sell out, whichever comes first.

In addition, they will have 2020 Special Edition Tamale Fiesta t-shirts for sale. They will only have 144 shirts available, and all will be adult sizes. Get there early to not miss out on the tamales or t-shirts!

Anna E. Remedies. left, of Century 21 Sabine Property Shoppe in Many is shown congratulating Bub and Trina Sepulvado on their purchase of property for Bub T’s Tamale House. Their business will be located at 15 Commercial Park Drive, next to the Edward Jones office on Hwy. 6 West in the Toledo Town area. Bub is the son of Wayne and Linnie Sepulvado who have made those famous L & W Tamale House tamales in Zwolle for years. We wish the Sepulvados the best in their new endeavor.

A couple of columns ago, Observations touched on the issue of certain highways around Many that are technically not in the city limits. Research surrounding this matter resulted in Many Police Dept. turning over portions of Hwy. 6 E. and Hwy. 171 N. to the Sabine Sherrif’s Office in late June for law enforcement along those stretches.

When the article appeared, it seemed to be a hot button issue for some. The following is what we have discovered since our initial reporting on the matter. We trust it will help make more sense of the issue.

According to a report from the Sheriff’s Office, the Many City Attorney said way back in 1997, that there was a statute which says a municipality cannot simply take a highway into the city limits – that it must also have property along the highway. Observations is uncertain at this point if it must be a certain amount of property, and if so, how much.

Another reputable source shared that when the area was mapped for Town of Many city limits to extend to the High School, the interpretation [and we assume the intent] was that it also take in the highway all the way to the school.

An additional annexation by the Town was when the most recent Walmart location was under construction. According to the legal description as we understand it, the Town of Many took in a narrow strip along a ditch in order to provide water/sewer services to the new Walmart. The same annexation also took in the store’s building and part of its land. But, according to the legal description as we read it, the annexation did not include the highway.

Sometime thereafter, the Many Police Dept. began patrolling, writing tickets, investigating wrecks, etc. along Hwy. 171 N., assuming the annexation of the Walmart property included the highway one must travel to reach Walmart. Seems reasonable.

After these annexations, questions began to arise about the issue over the years, and Observations learned someone from the Assessor’s office reached out to city officials at least twice to try to resolve the question of whether certain highways were actually inside the city limits. The person was told the matter would be looked at and taken through the proper channels to be amended if needed.

Observations has been advised that following the writing of a recent ticket near the junction of Hwy. 171 N. and Hwy. 175, no one told the Police Dept. the ticket would not be paid as was reported earlier, but rather the issue simply became another reason to find out exactly which highways were under the Many PD’s law enforcement area, and to finally clean up mapping and other discrepancies through the appropriate legal means. And further, after this matter arose the ticket was dismissed.

We believe both the Town of Many and Many Police Dept. are vitally concerned and are working hard to do everything needed to make the necessary changes so that the Many Police can once again work along Hwy. 6 East and Hwy. 171 North.

At this point in time, it looks like the Sheriff’s Dept. continues to have jurisdiction on Hwy. 6 from the city limits to Many High and on Hwy. 171 from the city limits to Walmart. We have heard that they had hoped the Many PD would continue working these areas as they have in the past. Guess that remains to be seen.

The legality and legitimacy of boundaries is certainly worth making sure of, and we trust the Town of Many and other involved entities will do whatever it takes to clear up this issue for all concerned and for future law enforcement.

“If your kids make all As, go to college, buy a house, and never meet Jesus, then it’s all worthless.”

Like father, like daughter:  Observations was happy to run into Dean Crittenden and daughter Courtney Lapp at the big Classic Car Show in Natchitoches last weekend. Crittenden is CEO of Crittenden’s Garage in Many and Lapp is Sales Manager at Southern Parts Warehouse. Lapp, left, is shown with her gorgeous 1956 Pontiac Chieftain Wagon. It’s a beauty.

The Car Show was a big success with well over 150 registered entries. The show featured everything from classic old Packards and Buicks to vintage Corvettes and Mustangs to muscle cars of the early ‘70s and more.

A hearse, shown below, got lots of laughs from passersby. Its owner, a supporter of Pres. Trump, had the vehicle decked out with the U.S. flag, a Blue Lives Matter flag, Trump flag and more. It was a sight to see. Several things were printed on the car and on signs that were part of the presentation, including “VOTE like your life depends on it. IT DOES!”

HEAR YE, HEAR YE, HEAR YE

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST:  The last two remaining Social Distance Socials of the season have had date changes. The October Social will be Saturday, Oct. 24 and the November Social will be Saturday, Nov. 14. Each is in downtown Many and will start at 6 p.m. and last until about 8:30 p.m.

The original Friday dates were selected back when fall football was an unknown. Event organizers decided to switch dates because they did not want their remaining dates to conflict with the Many Tigers football schedule. We have to support our Tigers!

There are lots of fun activities and entertainment planned for each of these Socials, so make plans now to attend both. See you there.

Our best wishes to Valmore Byles of Many who is scheduled to undergo back surgery Wednesday. We know he will do well.

Work has started on clearing the lot in Many where the new Community Bank of Louisiana will be located. The site is on San Antonio Ave.

Funeral services for three of the four persons who perished in a mobile home fire in Hornbeck will be held Thursday, Oct. 8, at noon at the Pleasant View Baptist Church in Hornbeck. The three are Donnie Ray Parker, Dana Cheyenne Parker and Darla Jeanette Semons Parker. Visitation will be held Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 3 p.m. until time of services. A fourth 19-year-old man also perished in the fire, as did two dogs.

The Hornbeck Fire Department responded to the 100 block of J. Hext Road at 11:435 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. The State Fire Marshal’s Office investigated and believe the fire began in the kitchen/living room area and was likely electrical in nature. There were no working smoke alarms in the trailer at the time of the fire, unfortunately, due to the devices being removed when battery replacement was needed, rather than maintaining with fresh batteries.

“The loss of these four family members is tragic in so many ways,” said State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning. “We want Louisiana residents to realize the significance of having smoke alarms when a fire emergency occurs, no matter the cause.”

The Fire Marshal offers a program called Operation Save-A-Life that partners with local fire departments to provide families in need with free smoke alarm installations. You can learn more about the program on lasfm.org.

Our deepest sympathies are extended to the Parker family’s relatives and friends.

That is all for this first Wednesday of October. Thank you for faithfully reading. To send along your ideas and suggestions for future articles, please call me at (318) 332-8653 or send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com. I love to hear from you. To save, send or print today’s column, click on the icon below. To see Observations of recent years, scroll through the pages provided. To see older ones, please visit our Facebook page, where they are listed under Photos by date.

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