News

Sheriff Richardson and the Bringing Joye Program will be hosting a fundraiser for someone special, and organizers are asking for community assistance in making a dream come true.

Dillon Cotton is a 16 year old charismatic young man from Mansfield who has spent the better part of his life with a disability, and a chair that limits his future dreams. Dillon has started a fundraiser on GoFundMe which has already raised $5,190 of the $25,000 needed for a new Action TrackChair. Dillon says he needs the chair to help him move in a standing position, reach higher shelves, help his family around the house, hunt, fish, and feed his horses which are all things he loves to do. Dillon has also landed himself a job and hopes the chair will help him to be more a more productive employee.

Brent Hardy, Louisiana State Police – Troop G spokesman, reported that on Sunday, August 16, 2020, around 7:00 a.m., Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations/Bossier Field Office (LSP/BFO) responded to an officerinvolved shooting in the Stanley Community. LSP/BFO was requested to investigate the shooting by the DeSoto Parish Sheriff ’s Office

(DPSO). The preliminary investigation revealed two DeSoto Parish deputies responded to a call for service at a residence on Booker Loop Road with due to a report that someone that was armed was trying to attack him (Booker). Upon the deputies’ arrival, a subject at the residence began shooting at the deputies with a shotgun. During the exchange, one of the deputies was shot. At least one of the deputies exchanged gunfire with male subject, later identified as 57-year-old Jeffrey Booker. Booker then barricaded himself inside the residence.

On August 6, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed an extension of his order keeping Louisiana in Phase Two and extending his statewide mask mandate, the closure of bars to on-premises consumption and the limitation on gatherings of more than 50 people for at least another 21 days, through Friday, August 28.

Gov. Edwards’ order to mandate masks and restrict bars matches recommendations from the White House Coronavirus Task Force and the advice of public health experts advising the Governor. The Governor’s order was upheld by Judge Janice Clark in the 19th Judicial District Court on August 6.

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One of DeSoto Parish’s most respected and dedicated servants, Hugh Buie Bennett, Jr., passed away on July 31, 2020. He served DeSoto as a deputy, DeSoto Tax Assessor and DeSoto Sheriff in addition to being a good citizen and friend.

He was born in Logansport on January 4, 1935 to parents Hugh Bennett, Sr. and Erma Bennett, who preceded him in death. The Bennett family resided in Logansport for many years before relocating to Mansfield since Hugh Sr. was a deputy for the DeSoto Parish Sheriff ’s Office. His son would later follow in his father’s footsteps.

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The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced improvements to two different highways in the southern portion of DeSoto Parish. The $5.6 million project will repair portions of LA 512 and LA 483 near the Pelican community. This includes the section of LA 512 from US 171 to LA 483, just south of Pelican, and LA 483 from LA 512 to LA 175.

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Keep DeSoto Beautiful (KDB) has received a $2,500 grant from Keep Louisiana Beautiful to fund a litter awareness campaign.

DeSoto’s litter survey in 2019 showed that we have a severe litter problem. Despite regular cleanups, we still have a very littered parish as measured by a 2.3 litter survey.

Most litter observed is from vehicles. The KDB Board of Directors has determined that an awareness campaign is needed to reach all of DeSoto Parish’s citizens. This will include the use of billboards and car litterbags, reinforced by articles in The Enterprise and social media. The objective is to send the message out, loud and clear, that DeSoto Parish is ready to clean up our future. This call to action message was the result of a high school contest designed to involve students in litter awareness.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development advises motorists that beginning on Monday, August 10, 2020, the LA 764 bridge over Mim Springs near Logansport in DeSoto Parish will be closed for bridge repairs.

This closure is scheduled to begin at approximately 9:00 a.m., and last until Sunday, August 16, 2020.

This bridge is located approximately 1.10 miles north of US 84.

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As school systems across Louisiana prepare to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the DeSoto Parish School System is uniquely positioned for success. For the past month, the school system has hosted a “Strong Start Academy” to provide students with disabilities extra time to learn and to prepare for the 2020-2021 school year.

More than 50 students with disabilities, ranging in age from pre-kindergarten to high school, participated in the Strong Start Academy—both in-person at Logansport High School and virtually, depending on the family’s preference and the weekday. All students in the school system will return to school under this same model, which is known as a blended learning model, on August 5.

Sheriff Jayson Richardson would like to announce the retirement of Deputy Charles “Chuck” Rugley after over twenty years of service with the DeSoto Parish Sheriff ’s Office.

Sheriff Jayson Richardson has announced that there will be increased patrol throughout DeSoto Parish due to a significant report of shots fired in Mansfield.

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