Richland bids goodbye to the events of 2020

COVID-19 shaped much of the news in Richland Parish during 2020.

January started on a high note when a group of students from Delhi Charter School won the Congressional App Challenge for Louisiana’s Fifth District with their Pediatric Emergency Guide. Garrett Gray, Zachary Reddick, Wyatt Wiggins, and Creed Southall developed teh app which helped people involved in medical emergencies to find the right steps to take for a successful outcome. The students were able to showcase their app to members of Congress in Washinton, D.C.

Most of the month’s news, however, was dominated by law enforcement.

Johnathan Guice, 19, of Rayville, and a 17-year-old juvenile from Bastrop were arrested and charged with second degree murder within a week of the Jan. 6 shooting death of Charley Island Jr., 65, of 310 Earline St. Rayville.

In an unrelated case, deputies also arrested Kendrix Matthews, 31, for the Jan. 16 armed robbery of the S-Mart in Start within a week of the robbery.

In addition, the Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office took part in a four-day roundup along with the Louisiana State Police and other agencies which led to the arrest of 17 non-compliant sex offenders and two felony fugitives.

February

February was largely dominated by the annual Northeast Louisiana Livestock Show as young people from throughout the region visited the area to take part in the stock show, parade and pageant.

March

March opened with Congressman Ralph Abraham and District Attorney Mack Lancaster both announcing plans to retire from office.

March was also the month Richland Parish registered its first two cases of COVID-19 and began planning to close schools and other businesses in order to slow the spread of the virus.

April

Penny Wise Douciere was sworn in as district attorney for the Fifth Judicial District by the Honorable Judge William Barham and began to serve out the remainder of the term left by retiring D.A. Mack Lancaster. Douceire would go on to officially win the election for district attorney at the end of 2020.

Meanwhile, Rayville Police Chief Willie Robinson announced three promotions at his department in April. Johnnie Mathis, who served as administrative assistant, was promoted to assistant chief. 

Sergeant Timothy Colvin was promoted to investigator and Officer Barbara Carroll was promoted to the warrant division. 

May

May was a month of virtual activities as high school seniors held car parades and drive by events in place of the regularly scheduled proms and graduation events.

The Northeast Louisiana Veteran’s Cemetery marked Memorial Day with a brief ceremony and Taps on the carrillion.

June

Michael R. Ellington was sworn as assistant district attorney on May 22 by Fifth District Court Judge Will Barham. 

Ellington was appointed by District Attorney Penny Douciere to serve as a criminal prosecutor for Franklin Parish as well as to handle non-support cases for Franklin, Richland and West Carroll parishes. 

Meanwhile, Mangham Police Chief Perry Fleming said Krystal Rae Hamman, 28, of Las Vegas, was arrested June 15 and charged with criminal damage to property and criminal mischief to property for allegedly vandalizing the Mangham ballfield. 

July

Louisiana State Police Troopers arrested four Delhi residents in connection with a homicide in Delhi.  

Charged with second degree murder June 29 were 32-year-old Deontia Monroe and 35-year-old Lorenzo Bee. Both were booked into the Richland Parish Detention Center and charged with second-degree murder.

Also connected to the homicide were 43-year-old Lekeythe Hunter and 33-year-old Samuel Williams. These two suspects were booked into the Richland Parish Detention Center charged with obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact.

Buford Dean Jr., 46, of Baskin Parks Road, Delhi, was found dead in a field near Martin Luther King and Ray Street around 7:30 a.m. June 24. Dean had been stabbed.

In politics, three incumbent Fifth Judicial District Court judges and the district attorney took office unopposed following qualifying.

Penny Douciere of Rayville, who was appointed as district attorney following the retirement of Mack Lancaster earlier this year, was unopposed in her bid for district attorney.

Clay Hamilton of Oak Grove was unopposed for the position of District Judge 5th Judicial District Court, Division A while incumbent Will Rhymes Barham of Rayville is returning to the office in division B and Stephen G. “Steve” Dean of Winnsboro is returning to the office in Dvision C.

August

Schools began to reopen in August with students returning to public and private schools through a combination of distance learning and on-site education.

The Riverfield Raiders kicked off football season with a pair of scrimmages. The season would see the Raiders go on to win a back-to-back state championship by the end of the year.

September

September saw Richland Parish buffeted by storms from two different hurricanes, hampering the agricultural and business communities efforts to get back to normal.

October

A Mangham police officer was allegedly gunned down Octo. 17 during a traffic stop by a Ville Platte man suspected of an armed robbery that same day in Rayville.

Hermandus Dashanski Semien, 27, of Ville Platte, allegedly robbed Yancey’s Pharmacy in Rayville, then fled south along U.S. 425, shooting Mangham police officer Marshall Waters when he pulled him over. Semien then fled again before being captured in Franklin Parish.

November

The Manger Center for the mentally challenged adults of Richland and Madison parishes was forced to close and dismiss its 20 handicapped clients and three staff after 55 years of operation due to COVID-19.

The center served all areas of Richland Parish and the Waverly and Tallulah areas of Madison Parish.

Also in November, the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents named Sheldon Jones, superintendent of the Richland Parish School Board, as the 2021 Louisiana Superintendent of the Year. 

The Riverfield Raiders also made school history by defeating the Wayne Jaguars 49-14 to win back-to-back MAIS football championships.

December

The final month of the year began with a home health nurse losing her life while saving her elderly patient during a home fire in Delhi.

Gwendolyn Theus, 64, was able to rescue her patient, but died before escaping the house herself.

In other news, Mangham Mayor Johnny Natt passed away Dec. 14, 2020, after a short stay in the hospital.

Meanwhile, Luke Letlow was elected as congressman and the Parish Ballet Company held its inuguaral performance of the Nutcracker at the Richland Parish Arts Center.