News

Sheriff Jayson Richardson proudly announces that Dy. Coleman Caston and Dy. Micah Latin have officially completed Academy and are ready to serve DeSoto Parish! The Shreveport Police Academy is a 16 week program for those seeking a career in Law Enforcement. The course is a major achievement, but it does not come easy. Academy is challenging in many different areas ranging from physical, mental, and strategical operations. There is a minimum of 496 hours which must be completed and is set forth by POST, the Peace Officers Standards and Training Council. Both have officially passed the Louisiana POST Certification!

Deputy Coleman Caston will be serving as an SRO in our Special Services Division, while Deputy Micah Latin will be serving as a Patrol Deputy in our Patrol Division! We are certainly proud to have them both a part of our DPSO Family!

Join keep DeSoto Beautiful on April 20 for a parish wide cleanup! Our cleanup will be one of hundreds across the state the week of April 20 through 27. T-shirts, bags, and gloves will be provided and you can pick your own area to cleanup, or one can be provided for you. Litter is an expensive and ugly problem in DeSoto Parish! Keep DeSoto Beautiful on Saturday April 20 and help us do something about it. KDB is joining with Keep Louisiana Beautiful during Love the Boot month It’s easy! Call 318-872-2500 or go to keeplouisianabeautiful. org and click on Love the Boot and sign your group up under Keep DeSoto Beautiful. Litter pickers will also be loaned for the day. Some join us for food, music and prizes at 404 Polk Street at the Office of Community Services but drop your trash off first, then pick up a tarp. It’s a great day to keep DeSoto beautiful, so do your part and have a fun day, too.

An Emergency Preparedness meeting was conducted Thursday morning (April 11) among various agencies to evaluate preparation, response, and rising river levels expected over the next few days. The Logansport gauge on the Sabine River is forecasted to rise to 34.3 feet tomorrow, which is considered Major Flood Stage and higher than it has been since 2016 (when it crested at 35 feet.)

There is at least some low potential for the river to crest a foot or two higher than this, and of course a higher crest has potential to cause even larger issues. The attached image will show everyone what to expect over the next 4 days, with a possible crest on Monday around 35.7 feet.

Residents in low areas near the river such as Caraway Isle and Garrett’s Park in Logansport have already either evacuated, or are in the process of leaving now.

Each year, the River City Fest Committee strives very hard to raise funds for its Spring Festival, which is held on the beautiful Logansport Riverfront. The 41st Annual River City Fest dates are slated for May 9-11, 2024, beginning with food, arts and crafts vendor, an Arm Wrestling Tournament, Cornhole Tournament, Treasure Hunt, Car Show, Fireworks, Pageant, Petting Zoo, Balloon Release, Boat or Pet Parade, and live entertainment provided by some of the best in the business. Headlining this year’s Fest on Saturday, May 11th will be Nashville recording artist, Wyatt Pulman. Opening for Wyatt will be Louisiana’s very own Adam Legar Band and East Texas native Jacob Wheeler.

We try to add new events and attractions each year. This year we are trying to bring back some of the old events from the Pioneer Trade Days and have had a mechanical bull bought and donated to our organization in which we can provide the local children and adults wit their very own “Bucking Rodeo”.

The Louisiana Department of Tourism will be hosting a special preconference Sociability Caravan in Louisiana from April 22nd to the 24th. This caravan will be similar to the one we did in Iowa last June and will mimic the historic Sociability Caravans of old on the Jefferson Highway.

The event will start in Shreveport, Louisiana on the afternoon of Monday, April 22nd and then after an overnight in Shreveport at our selected hotel (Shreveport Hilton), we will proceed south on Tuesday the 23rd down the historic JH route through Louisiana. We will have lunch in historic Mansfield and then have another overnight in Natchitoches with lodging available at several of our historic lodging member partners there. On Wednesday the 24th, we will head on to the conference and have some special stops along the route in Colfax and Pineville.

MHS Juniors Receive Class Rings

Just feels like a great time to remind everyone to grab the App! We’ve added a great deal of features, but the absolute best feature is the push notifications for emergencies. Get your free DeSoto Sheriff App today in the Google Play or Apple App Stores!

Area Softball Teams Draw Byes in LHSAA Tournament; Get Ready for Regionals

The Battle of Pleasant Hill Re-enactment Committee and the reigning Miss Battle of Pleasant Hill, Emma Rose McElwee, are hard at work planning and promoting the 160th Anniversary occasion scheduled for April 12-14 2024. This year’s event will mark the 160th Anniversary of the largest Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River and is held on the ground hallowed those many years ago by the blood of Americans locked in mortal combat. This year also marks the 44th annual celebration and reenactment of The Battle of Pleasant Hill.

The 2024 Battle of Pleasant Hill Re-enactment is sure to entertain audiences as they honor the memory of one of the most significant battles of the Civil War. The committee would like to encourage the surrounding communities to keep the upcoming event in mind and to attend the event.

The dates for DeSoto Regional Health Fairs for 2024 have been set for May 3 in Mansfield at the First United Methodist Church, June 21 in Zwolle at St. Joseph Catholic Church and July 12 in Logansport at the Logansport High School Gymnasium. All three will be held from 6:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.

The fees remain the same as last year with the female panel costing $30.00, which will include CBC (complete blood count), CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel), Lipid Panel (for cholesterol levels), Thyroid Profile, Vitamin D panel, and HGB A1C (Hemoglobin The male panel fee is $35.00 and will include the entire previously mentioned test, along with a PSA (prostate specific antigen).