First 2023 Biannual Newsletter
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Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Office 2023 Biannual Newsletter Jan. - June |
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The first half of the 2023 year, brought about many long-awaited milestones and moments. The Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Office also experienced many new changes and welcomed many accomplishments and achievements for the agency and community. JDPSO is proud to share these events with the citizens of the parish. |
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When the flagpole at the JDPSO Main Office needed repairs, the Jennings Fire Department (JFD) came through with their ladder truck to help save the day.
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Getting by with a little help from our friends
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Council On Aging Mardi Gras Party
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In conjunction with the Jeff Davis Parish (JDP) Council on Aging (COA), Members of the Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Ivy Woods participate in the annual Mardi Gras Party for parish seniors. They assist in everything from serving guests their plates and beverages, to passing out door prizes. The party is held at the Lacassine Community Center and Sheriff Woods provides the jambalaya luncheon, as well as assists during the festivities. His wife, Bridgit, also helps to judge for the Best Dressed Mardi Gras Reveler, Best Mardi Gras Dancers, Most Mardi Gras Spirit and the 2023 Mardi Gras Krewe De Wise King and Queen. |
Members of the Sheriff's Office joined volunteers on the dance floor with senior citizens at the Annual COA Mardi Gras Party. The celebrations one of the four parish wide events held for parish seniors ages 63 and over. |
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Sheriff Ivy Woods assists COA Director Helen Langley as she calls out door prize winners. COA Activities Director Kim Benoit guides youth volunteers from Lacassine High School FFA as they hand out prizes to participants. |
Sheriff Ivy Woods enjoys meeting and greeting guests at the tables. Giving back to the senior members of the community is important to the Sheriff and his team. |
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The 2023 COA Crewe De Wise Mardi Gras Court
(L to R): King LJ Menard, Queen Ella Stansbury, Best Dancers Brenda and Jerry LaRousse, Most Mardi Gras Spirit (name), Best Dressed (Male) Joseph Minniex and Best Dressed (Female) Sue Smith. |
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JDPSO Participates in COA Health Fair Connecting with the community on a personal level is an important part of the JDPSO family. Dy. Gale Richard participated in the Council On Aging (COA) Annual Health Fair to speak with senior citizens about various concerns among the elderly. Some of which include elderly abuse, scams targeting the elderly and ensuring they are informed on the latest scam attempts. |
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Highway Dedications Proclaimed
A highway dedication ceremony was held at Representative Troy Romero's Office to honor three law enforcement officers who were killed while serving in Jennings and Jeff Davis Parish. |
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Sheriff Ivy Woods spoke a few words on how the dedication request process began. |
Rep. Johnny Guinn spoke about how honored he was to be a part of the highway dedication process. |
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Rep. Troy Romero presents highway dedication certificate to former Sheriff Ricky Edwards (term served 1992-2012) on behalf of JDPSO Deputy James Michael "Flip" Phillips. |
Rep. Troy Romero presents highway dedication certificate for Claude "Winston" Guillory to Guillory's widow, Sandra Guillory. |
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Dy. James Michael "Flip" Phillips served the people of Jeff Davis Parish as a Civil Deputy at the time of his death and was employed with the Sheriff's Office for 19 years. He was killed when he lost control of his unit in the midst of a pursuit. Dy. Claude "Winston" Guillory served the people of Jeff Davis Parish as the fingerprinting deputy for firearms and employment from 2017 until his death. He contracted Covid 19 while on duty. Prior to his employment with JDPSO, he served with the Jennings Police Department, Lake Arthur Police Department and Coushatta Tribal Police for a total of 32 years. Officer Burton James LeBlanc served the people of Jennings as Patrol Officer from 1993 to 2000 until his death. Officer LeBlanc was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance. |
Family and friends of the three fallen law enforcement officers gathered at the government office of Representative Troy Romero for the historic event and to honor the memory of their loved ones.
Special Olympics Event
Sheriff Ivy Woods holds an annual golf tournament fund raiser to benefit a community organization. For the past two years, the generated funds were donated to the Jeff Davis Parish School Board (JDPSB) Special Education (SpEd) Department. Because of this donation, the SpEd Dept. has been able to hold a Special Olympics Event for special education students in the parish. To date, the tournament has generated $26,000 for the JDPSB SpEd Dept. alone.
In previous years, the tournament had raised a total of over $80,000 for the Communities Against Domestic Abuse (CADA).
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Pictured here (from L to R) are Jeff Davis Parish School Board Special Education Department Director Jeremy Fuselier, Sheriff Ivy Woods and Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff's Office Secretary Aubrey Broussard. |
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Lake Arthur High School SpEd Students line up with their banner. |
Spectators observed students at they participated in the various Special Olympics events. |
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JDPSB SpEd Director Jeremy Fuselier encourages race participants as they cross the finish line.
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Students waited for the announcement of their event categories after completing registration.
JDPSO Participates in WAR Career Fair
School Resource Officer (SRO) Tiffany Bertrand participated in the Welsh and Roanoke (WAR) Middle School Career Fair. Dy. Bertrand spoke with students about different career options available in the Sheriff's Office, as well as spoke with them about making good life choices.
Highway Dedication Ceremony Held
Three fallen Jeff Davis Parish law enforcement officers were remembered with the dedication of three highways.
Signs marking off a one-mile section each for Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff's Deputies Claude "Winston" Guillory and James Michael "Flip" Phillips, as well as Jennings Police Officer Burton James LeBlanc, were erected in and around the City of Jennings.
JDPSO Deputy Claude "Winston" Guillory
Deputy Claude "Winston" Guillory - JDSO 592 - (63) died on June 30, 2020, from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in presumed exposure while on duty. He served with the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Office for a year. He had previously served with the Jennings Police Department, Lake Arthur Police Department and Coushatta Tribal Police Department with a total of 32 years of law enforcement service. He is survived by his wife, two children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
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Sheriff Ivy Woods spoke a few words about Guillory and the ceremony. |
DOTD workers provided their services for the unveiling of the sign. |
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Guillory's widow, Sandra Guillory (middle) with family members. |
JDPSO employees are pictured here: (L to R) Patrol Cpl. Trey Herndon, Patrolman Morgan Lemelle, Sheriff Ivy Woods, Dispatcher Melanie Guillory, Deputy Ferroll LeBlanc and Patrol Sgt. Brant Duplechain. |
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Claude "Winston" Guillory Dy. Guillory's dedicated one-mile section of highway is located on La. Hwy. 90 (W. Shankland Ave.) just past the Sheriff's Main Office Building. Guillory's family was also presented with a memorial sign of their own to take home. During the sign reveal ceremony, a crew of roadside contract employees who had been working on a project along the highway during this time, paused their duties during the ceremony in honor of the dedication to Dy. Guillory. |
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JPD Officer Burton James LeBlanc
On Feb. 5, 2000, Jennings Police Department Patrolman Burton LeBlanc - JDP 532 - (30) was shot and killed while responding to a 911 call believed to be a medical emergency.
During the incident, Officer LeBlanc, along with two other responding officers, approached the door of the residence in the 1600 block of North Cutting Street in Jennings, when the suspect approached from inside and opened fire with a revolver. Office LeBlanc was not wearing a vest and was shot in the arm and chest. The two other officers, who were wearing vests, were also shot and wounded. Officer LeBlanc was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The shooting suspect was a former police officer for the same agency and had just killed another former officer, as well as that former officer's ailing wife. The incident took place in their home. After a standoff, the killer was arrested and charged with several counts of murder and attempted murder. He was later convicted of murder and sentenced to three life terms without parole, plus 25 years.
Officer LeBlanc had served with the Jennings Police Department for seven years. He is survived by his wife and child.
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Sheriff Ivy Woods presented Officer LeBlanc's mother and brother, Ferroll LeBlanc, with a memorial sign of their own. |
Sheriff Ivy Woods spoke a few words about Officer LeBlanc and the dedication. |
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Burton James LeBlanc
Officer Leblanc's dedicated one-mile section of highway is located on North Cutting Ave., in Jennings, between the Jeff Davis Living Center and Fred and Ruth Zigler Memorial Drive.
LEFT: DOTD employees provided their services for the unveiling of the sign.
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L to R: Officer LeBlanc's sister Cindi Pochmara, mother Nadine and brother, Ferrol LeBlanc. |
JDPSO Employees are pictured here (L to R): Chief Deputy Christopher Ivey, Patrol Cpl. Trey Herndon, Patrolman Morgan Lemelle, Investigations Commander Ramby Cormier, Dy. Ferroll LeBlanc, Sheriff Ivy Woods, Patrol Sgt. Brant Duplechain, Special Operations Commander Bill Kettler. |
JDPSO Deputy James Michael "Flip" Philips
On May 30, 1999, Deputy James Michael "Flip" Phillips (45) was killed in a single-car crash while attempting to catch up to a speeder on La. Hwy. 26, north of Jennings.
During the incident, Deputy Phillips had been parked on the northbound shoulder of the highway, clocking vehicles, when he observed a speeding vehicle traveling southbound. He then made a U-turn and traveled approximately a quarter mile down the road when he entered an S-curve. During the maneuver, his vehicle veered off the roadway, entered a culvert and rolled over. Deputy Phillips was ejected from the vehicle and was later transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Deputy Phillips had served with the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Office for 19 years.
He is survived by his partner and her two children.
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Sheriff Ivy Woods presented a memorial sign to Linda Seamons, Dy. Phillips' partner. |
Sheriff Ivy Woods spoke a few words about Dy. Phillips and the ceremony. |
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James Michael "Flip" Philips
Dy. Phillips' dedicated one-mile section of highway is located on La. Hwy. 26, approximately a mile north of Jennings, near Thib's Outdoor Equipment & trailers. LEFT: DOTD employees provided their services for the unveiling of the sign.
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Dy. Phillips' partner, Linda Seamons (L) and her son Beau Seamons (R). |
JDPSO employees pictured here (L to R): Chief Deputy Christopher Ivey, School Resource Officer (SRO) Tiffany Bertrand, Investigations Commander Ramby Cormier, Special Operations Commander Bill Kettler, Sheriff Ivy Woods, Patrol Cpl. Trey Herndon, Dy. Ferroll LeBlanc and Patrol Sgt. Brant Duplechain. |
JDPSO shows support at D.A. COA Crawfish Boil
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The District Attorney hosts the Annual Senior Citizen Appreciation Crawfish Boil for parish seniors. Sheriff Ivy Woods, along with members of the Sheriff's Office, local high school students, nursing home workers and members of the Jeff Davis Parish (JDP) Council on Aging (COA) were on hand with D.A. Lauren Heinen to eagerly step up and ensure that guests have a great day.
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Volunteers fill plates of boiled crawfish for senior citizens waiting in the dining area. |
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Senior citizens enjoy trays of hot boiled crawfish. |
JDPSO Elderly Affairs Deputy Ella Dartez-Williams visits with seniors as they dine. |
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Youth from the Lake Arthur High School Basketball teams help to serve parish seniors, as well as to collect trays of crawfish shells as guests finish eating. |
JDPSO Elderly Affairs Deputy Ella Dartez-Williams serves trays of boiled crawfish. |
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Sheriff Ivy Woods discusses duties with School Resource Officer (SRO) Inez "T" Goodly, who is also on hand to assist seniors during the dining event. |
Sheriff Ivy Woods discusses duties with School Resource Officer (SRO) Inez "T" Goodly, who is also on hand to assist seniors during the dining event. |
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Sheriff Ivy Woods hands out trays of boiled crawfish. |
D.A. Lauren Heinen hands out trays of boiled crawfish |
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Sheriff Woods supports local Livestock Winners
Sheriff Ivy Woods regularly shows overwhelming support for youth and student activities, including the local 4-H Livestock shows. Those recognized by the Sheriff for their time and dedication to the Louisiana Livestock Program during the 2023 year are pictured here: (L to R) Aubrie Istre of Lake Arthur, Sydney Bruchhaus of Elton, Juliana Carbalan of Elton, Cayl Doise of Elton, Sheriff Ivy Woods, Tyler Demary of Jennings, Trevor Orsak of Elton, and Mason Mhire of Lacassine.
JDPSO Participates in Local Headstart Summer Fun Day
The Sheriff's Office participated in a local community event held by the local headstart school. The mobile command unit, the marine unit and a patrol unit were provided for youth to explore. JDPSO Detective Kyle Kline and Reserve Deputy Jeremy LeBlanc were also available to hand out coloring and activity books, as well as to assist children as they learned about the equipment.
Parents and children explore the JDPSO Marine Unit
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Children and parents explore a JDPSO Patrol Unit.
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JDPSO Reserve Deputy Jeremy LeBlanc is pictured her with several local children.
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JDPSO Detective Kyle Kline is pictured here with several local children. |
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