News

Qualifying for various offices in DeSoto Parish began on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. They include: Justice of the Peace — District 4 Mayor of the Town of Logansport Mayor of the Village of South Mansfield Aldermen of the Village of South Mansfield (3)

Council Members of the Town of Logansport (5) Council Member of the Village of Longstreet (1)

Be watching for the list of qualifying officials.

Media, local leaders, business owners, and branch managers all gathered in the sweltering heat today to hear what Perry Thompson had to announce regarding a new Christmas Park opening this year in Stonewall. Thompson made an announcement that the Lumiere

Immersive Christmas Experience will officially open this November 2024, with a host of amazing features to offer to anyone choosing to “Be our Guest.”

On July 16, 2024, Sheriff Jayson Richardson recognized Patrol Division Dy. Tristan Reed and Sgt. Angela Jordan for their exceptional service in responding to an active shooting that took place in DeSoto Parish on July 6, 2024.

Both Dy. Reed and Sgt. Jordan responded without hesitation, thereby offering life-saving techniques in triage of a shooting victim, caring for wounds using combat gauze to pack two bullet wounds, and continued treatment of the victim until EMS arrived to take over the scene.

In keeping the victim and the crowd of civilians calm, Dy. Reed and Sgt. Jordan both showed exemplary action and leadership, preventing further panic and/or injury to the nearby civilians.

Sheriff Richardson expresses his appreciation and gratitude for both Dy. Reed and Sgt. Jordan and their outstanding service to our community.

This week Deputies with the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office attended the annual D.A.R.E. Conference held at the LSUS Campus. The event was held from July 15th through 19th, and hosted by Northwest

Louisiana departments in the State of Louisiana. Lt. Natasha Jones with DPSO also played a huge part in hosting the event, along with the President, Jason Jones from Shreveport PD. Our DeSoto Sheriff Pilot, Dakota McGarity, flew out to participate in the event as well.

Stanley High School SRO Lane Burns spoke to attendees from various agencies on how he has worked with DeSoto Students to create an interactive school mapping system for training and emergency response purposes. These maps, complete with room numbers and visualizations, have now been completed for all DeSoto Parish campuses, and are accessible by every department employee on their cellular device.

One of the highlights of the celebration occurred on “Meet the Merchants Day.” Patrick Dennis of KTBS news interviewed each of the merchants located in the historic district. Vicki Murray, owner of “In High Cotton” is the most recent merchant to locate in the district. Although Vicki is a resident of Coushatta she explained to Patrick Dennis that she opened her shop in Grand Cane because of the business friendly environment made possible by the Mayor and Aldermen. She states that the Village is like “going back in time” to another era. “In High Cotton” carries a variety of vintage, antique. and gift items.

On July 9, 2024, agents with the Tri-Parish Drug Task Force concluded a several month-long investigation involving the illegal sales of Narcotics in DeSoto Parish. DeSoto deputies from SLIU (Street Level Interdiction Unit) and K9 Unit, conducted a traffic stop in the Frierson area on Christopher Darby (B/M DOB 01/06/91) of Mansfield.

During the traffic stop, 583 Ecstasy pills suspected to contain Fentanyl were seized along with a firearm. Agents then executed a Narcotics Search Warrant at the residence of Christopher Darby. In total, 933 Ecstasy tablets were seized. Darby has been arrested and booked into the DeSoto Detention Center and charged with the following: — Possession of Schedule I (Fentanyl) with Intent to Distribute — Possession of Schedule II (Hydrocodone) — Possession of a Firearm in the Presence of CDS — (2 Counts) Distribution of Schedule I (Ecstasy) — Possession of Drug Paraphernalia — Window Tint Violation

The Desoto Parish School Board today announced an amendment to its policy for serving meals to students under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for the 2024–2025 school year. All students will be served lunch and breakfast at no charge at the following sites: — Logansport High School — Mansfield Elementary School — Mansfield Middle School — Mansfield High School — North DeSoto Lower Elementary School — North DeSoto Upper Elementary School — North DeSoto Middle School — North DeSoto High School — Stanley High School

For additional information please contact: DeSoto Parish School Board: Dr. Nichelle Harris, Supervisor, Child Nutrition Program, 400 Jenkins Street, Mansfield, LA 71052, (318) 872–4115, Nichelle.Harris@ desotopsb.com.

Non Discrimination Statement: This explains what to do if you believe you have been treated unfairly.

With 2024 half over, the good people of DeSoto Parish have seen their fair share of challenges. From record setting rainfalls to multiple confirmed tornadoes which have devastated our local communities, the people of this parish push on with grit, determination and unity. These natural disasters have resulted in three declared emergencies in 2024 for our parish from both the Office of the Governor and the Office of the President of the DeSoto Parish Police Jury. Rainfall accumulations have been recorded to be more than 50 inches for parts of DeSoto Parish. This information is available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The rainfall totals are daily observations from automated and human facilitated weather stations across DeSoto Parish.

Logansport’s Rickey Warren Memorial Fireworks Extravaganza - 2024

The targets were set, and silence fell on the crowd. Four keen eyed DeSoto Parish 4-H’ers bravely stepped up to the line to take their shot at a National Championship. Jacob Berry, Addison Burnley, Emma Houston, and Eli Smith all had invested countless hours on the practice range, checking equipment and safety preparations in order to make this dream of winning a National Championship a reality. And as the week of June 22nd approached, all were prepared for the task. The 4-H members, along with their families made the 13-hour trip to Grand Island, Nebraska to represent the state of Louisiana in Air Rifle and Muzzleloading.