News

Happy New Week, everyone! It’s time to Get to Know another DeSoto Parish Schools SRO! This week we share with you Dy. Brooklyn Smith who serves at the North DeSoto Upper Elementary! A Joaquin High School graduate, Brooklyn joined the DPSO family in 2021 and has been serving as School Resource Officer at NDUE for the last few years. We hope you share these posts with your kiddos so they can better know their SRO! Until next time!

In the evening hours of November 03, 2023, deputies with the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on Mary Street in Mansfield in reference to a shooting that had just taken place. Upon arrival, deputies located one unresponsive black male, later identified to be Frank Edwards Jr. Deputies rendered aid to Edwards in an attempt to save his life. Ultimately, he was transported to DeSoto Regional Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

Dameion Deon Cotton (B/M DOB 04/20/1991) is currently being sought by the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office on charges of Domestic Abuse Battery, Aggravated Criminal Property Damage, Simple Criminal Property Damage, and Violation of Protection Orders. Cotton’s last known residence is in Mansfield, La. If you have information that may lead investigators to Dameion Cotton’s location, Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for any tip that leads to his arrest. You can leave a tip anonymously by visiting www.P3Tips.com, call 1-800-505-7867, or by using the Submit A Tip form in the DeSoto Sheriff App.

State Fire Marshal Chief Bryan J Adams would like to congratulate the agency’s newest captain, Justin McCullough. Capt. McCullough will now serve as the leader over the agency’s Area 4 (North Louisiana) Enforcement section.

“Captain Mc-Cullough has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, and I am confident that he will continue to excel in his new role. I look forward to seeing him lead our team with pride and compassion,” said Adams, “As we work to shape our office for future success, our emerging leaders are consistently stepping up and impressing us. Captain McCullough exemplifies the potential that lies ahead for our team. We remain committed to supporting and mentoring our leadership, helping them reach their fullest potential at a pace that suits their individual development.”

Congratulations Capt. McCullough!

Earlier this week, we announced that Sheriff Richardson was chosen bytheKSLANewsTeam as “Sheriff of the Year” at their first ever First Responders Recognition Banquet. Several weeks ago, KSLA reached out to our office requesting that we nominate one person for each of the following categories to be considered among all other agencies: — Sheriff of the Year — Corrections Deputy of the Year — Dispatcher of the Year — Deputy of the Year (overall) — Purple Heart (Injured in the Line of Duty) — and a Lifetime Achievement Award Only one person was selected in each category among various surrounding agencies. Needless to say, there were some amazing stories to be told. Today, we will be sharing the stories of those our office chose to nominate, each written by their direct supervisors.

1. SGT. CODY COPELAND — NOMINATED BY DPSO for

Last Tuesday, DeSoto patrol Deputies were alerted that Shreveport Police Officers were in pursuit of a stolen public works vehicle traveling southbound on I-49, about to enter DeSoto Parish. DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Deputies intercepted the pursuit just north of Stonewall. Deputies were able to successfully deploy spike strips near the 189 mile marker.

During the pursuit, a DeSoto Sheriff Tahoe was damaged due to debris flying from the vehicle. This pursuit continued south on I-49 until it concluded by use of a Pursuit Intervention Technique, also known as a PIT Maneuver.

This morning, to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries laid a wreath at the 9/11 Memorial in the U.S. Capitol, which honors the brave patrons of Flight 93 — the hijacked airplane that was intended to attack the nation’s capital on September 11, 2001.

“23 years ago, nearly 3,000 innocent Americans lost their lives during the most devastating terrorist attack on American soil in our history. The 9/11 attacks changed everything; from the way we live our daily lives, to the way we defend our country, and how the world perceives America. This cataclysmic tragedy left an enormous scar, but it also inspired a spirit of sacrifice and duty that that has carried us forward to today.

We want to congratulate Sheriff Jayson Richardson for being chosen tonight as “Sheriff of the Year” by KSLA News 12, for their first ever First Responders Awards Recognition Banquet! Many amazing nominations were sent in, and our own Sheriff of DeSoto Parish was selected and awarded! We thank KSLA for holding such a great event, and to all of the great first responders nominated and awarded tonight that protect us day in and day out. Here is what the Staff of the DeSoto Sheriff’s Office submitted, to Sheriff Richardson’s surprise: “We nominate DeSoto Parish Sheriff Jayson Richardson for Sheriff of the Year! In his first term, being sworn in as the youngest Sheriff in Louisiana, Sheriff Richardson did not allow his young age to slow him down. He immediately founded the Bringing Joye Program for those living in our community with Special Needs, and founded the Friends of the Sheriff Special Needs Decal Program both of which have become successful on a local and now national scale.

On September 11th, 2001 “9-11”, 19 suicide bombers linked with the Islamic extremist group al-Quaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York City. A third plane hit the Pentagon just outside of Washington, D.C and the fourth plane intended to crash into the Capital Building, or possibly The White House, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania when passengers were able to divert that target, but dying as heroes.

The 9-11 Attacks

On Tuesday morning of September 11, 2001, at 8:45 AM, the United States suffered a terrorist attack when an American Airlines Boeing 767 filled with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center (also known as WTC) in New York City.

These terrorist attacks became known as 9/11, which is how the American date of September 11 is written.

132 students from 38 Louisiana parishes are among the new students who were enrolled during a traditional ceremony held on Friday, Aug. 30 Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) officially welcomed 132 new students representing 58% of the state’s parishes during its 42nd annual Matriculation Ceremony held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30 at A.A. Fredericks Auditorium on the campus of Northwestern State University. From a pool of more than 200 applicants statewide, 140 students were invited to attend the tuition-free, state-funded residential school for high-achieving, academically motivated students.

This group of new students includes 77 new sophomores, 50 new juniors, and five new seniors. Matriculants joined LSMSA leadership onstage to sign the school’s enrollment roster, a tradition that officially enshrines each of their places in the school’s 41-year history.