Caddo Murder Suspect has history in Bossier

UPDATE: Taken into custody on Thursday, January 29th.


David Alan McAvoy is a white male, 5'11, 240 lbs., with brown hair, brown eyes, and glasses. His last known address is the 2400 block of Vanceville in Bossier City. He also has a houseboat docked at Drift In Landing.

The Caddo Sheriff's Office is searching for McAvoy, in connection with the fatal shooting of man at Drift In Landing on Caddo Lake Tuesday night.

If anyone has information about his whereabouts, contact Detectives Jason Morgan or Andy Scoggins at 681-0700, the Caddo Sheriff's Office at 675-2170, or Crime Stoppers at 673-7373.

From Caddo Sheriff Website

Haughton Woman Arrested for Inciting Teenagers to Riot

January 28, 2009
10:10 a.m.

NEWS RELEASE

Bossier Sheriff Larry Deen says a Haughton woman has been arrested for inciting a riot, aggravated property damage, contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile and two counts of simple battery.
Jennifer Ann Madden, 35, of the 3400 block of Eliga, was taken into custody Tuesday after Bossier Sheriff’s investigators determined she had recruited individuals, most of whom were under the age of 17, to meet in the 100 block of Fullwood for the purpose of fighting. The confrontation involved Airline High School students versus Haughton High School students and it resulted in two vehicles being damaged, one child left beaten in a ditch and several other children injured.
Madden gave directions to the fight, slapped two minor children and jumped up and down on the hood of a vehicle at the scene. Pool cues fashioned as weapons and bricks were recovered from Madden’s vehicle.
Madden, who aided suspects fleeing the scene, was booked into the Bossier Maximum Security Facility. Bond is pending.

NOTE: See reference to this incident in post below

More discussion on Cyber Bullying

The Norla Blog has commented on attorney Sam McAllister’s recent blog article Cyber Bullying on the Rise. I find myself in agreement with a couple of Norla’s points.

• In 2007, the Arkansas legislation passed a law allowing school officials to take action against cyber bullies even if the bullying did not originate or take place on school property.

This one makes no sense to me. What does the school administration have to do with electronic transmissions that occur off the premises?

• We’re about to entrust the War on Bullying to school administrators. Think about how well they’ve handled the War on Drugs:

This reinforces the point. We’ve had some of that ‘aspirin-ibuprofen’ type silliness in Bossier Parish in recent years.

• The existence of the disease is doubtful, and the cure is far, far worse.

I have to say that I am pretty far removed from my teen years and realize that it is a different world out there now. I have no idea how far the cyber influence goes, as when I was in school there was no ‘cyber’.

I do realize that internet talk can lead to real situations. This past weekend, according to a source, saw a convergence of Haughton and Airline ‘tough guys’ on Princeton Road, apparently for a gang fight. This was apparently was fired by their interaction on some ‘social networking’ sites. When a couple of guns were fired it got serious. Police were called, but I don’t know if the kids all left the scene before they got there.

In this case, it sounds like everyone involved was ‘bullying’.

In an attempt to see how, if at all, this is being addressed locally, I checked the Attorney General’s website (nothing) and the Caddo DA’s website (nothing).

The Bossier Parish DA, while emphasizing sexual predators, also covered Cyberspace in general.

Tips

• Place the computer in a central area of the house such as the family room, den or kitchen.
• Establish specific times when access to the Internet is permitted and keep that schedule.
• If your child uses a computer at school, call and see if his or her school has adopted an “acceptable use policy” for the Internet. Use this policy as a tool to establish guidelines at home.
• Limit the length of access time. This will encourage your child to go directly to the information required, rather than aimlessly wander or surf the Internet.
• Explain to your children that many sites on the Internet are not appropriate for children or young adults, and they are expected to stay away from them.
• Make it clear to your child you are aware that there is pornographic material on the Internet, and that looking at such material is forbidden.
• Explain that if the sites’ address has adult language in it, the site is not to be visited.
• If the child has access to a credit card, instruct the child never to give it out over the Internet.
• Instruct your child to talk to you if he or she ever finds anything on the Internet that makes them feel uncomfortable.
• Encourage communication with your children. Ask about their Internet experiences and what they have learned.

Red Flags

• Secretive behavior on the computer.
• You feel unwelcome at an on-line session.
• Unexplained loss of capacity on the computer’s hard-drive. (It may be crowded with pornographic image files, which are typically very large).
• A sudden new friend you don’t know.
• Excessive time on the Internet.
• Hidden floppy or Zip disks which may be used for storage of inappropriate or illegal files.

I personally don't know when 'Cyber-bullying' becomes a genuine threat, or what legal remedies are available under existing laws. I think defining the difference is important; a little name calling is one thing, but a credible physical threat is something else. Are there laws in place to deal with this or do we indeed need to consider more?

I read The Norla Blog daily (the link is in the sidebar). If you haven’t read it yet, check it out.

From KTBS: The Strange Case against Garrett Wilson

KTBS (Channel 3) reports that last spring's arrest of Bossier City businessman Garrett Wilson -- one of five defendants in a federal corruption case involving fraud in maintenance work on Bossier schools -- did not play out in a vacuum.
Wilson didn't need to be facing criminal charges because he was on parole for a violent-crime felony. Jailed for parole violation would keep him away from his and his partner's business, which was making millions from air conditioning work on Bossier Parish schools.
Wilson was also saying he had friends in the right places in Bossier Parish.
And then a key piece of evidence against him didn't look right. There were suspicions it was altered.
The domestic violence charges would eventually be dismissed by the district attorney.
The FBI and Bossier sheriff's detectives have been asking questions.
KTBS Video
Read the entire story here

Cyber Bullying on the Rise

Reprinted with permission from Louisiana Divorce & Family Law Blog
by M. Samantha McAllister

As more individuals are being arrested for cyberstalking, law enforcement officials have noticed that this kind of harassment, or "cyber bullying," is on the rise in this country. Teenagers are using social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook to bully their peers on a regular basis. Half of all children have been cyber bullied by a peer according to a 2004 survey by wiredsafety organization online. Sadly, even adults are using the Internet to harass, stalk, bully and threaten. Hiding under the anonymity of the Internet, it is easy for these predators to attack you or your children.
The 2006 death of 13-year-old Megan Meier prompted Missouri lawmakers to update a state harassment law so that it now covers bullying and stalking done through electronic media, like e-mails or text messages. If you are not familiar with Megan's story, a former friend (along with help from other classmates) of Megan Meier created a fake Myspace page for a boy named "Josh" and began messaging Megan regularly, with the intentions of beginning a relationship with her. One day, "Josh" wrote to Megan that "the world would be a better place without you" and other mean-spirited messages. Megan's mother discovered Megan hanging in the closet with a belt around her neck.
Missouri's law prompted several other states to create laws and policies against "cyber bullying." In 2007, the Arkansas legislation passed a law allowing school officials to take action against cyber bullies even if the bullying did not originate or take place on school property. The law gave school administrators much more freedom to punish those individuals who sought to harass their fellow students. The progressive state of Oregon really delves into the details of cyber bullying. The laws passed in recent years in Oregon expand the boundaries of what constitutes cyber bullying to include those actions which “substantially interfere” with the education of the young person. Vermont has added a $500 fine for cyber bullying offenses to their already stringent laws on the matter. There is currently a bill being discussed that would increase the reach of the school’s powers regarding cyber bullying when the action puts the individual’s ability to learn (or health and safety) at risk. Other states with new policies for cyber bullying include New York, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Iowa and Idaho.
If you or your child are being cyber bullied or cyber stalked, there are several actions you can take:
1) Call your local authorities. Print out all messages, ims, texts, and/or emails and show them to the police. The police can use your complaint to gather any other admissible evidence from your computer, if need be. The police may find enough evidence to issue a warrant for "cyberstalking" and the bully could face jail time.
2) File a complaint. Most cyber bullying behavior -- harassment, threats, invasion of privacy, stalking -- are violations of a web site or Internet service provider's "terms of service."
3) Contact your child's school and/or the child's parents. Many schools are integrating policies to punish students for cyber bullying. Often, a phone call to parents or a certified "cease and desist" letter is enough to end the bullying.
4) Identify the cyber bully and block them -- block email addresses, access to social networking pages, etc. Cut off the cyber bully's avenues to harass you or your child.
And finally, contact an experienced family law attorney. Attorneys are seeing these kinds of cases more and more, and can file a suit against the party for harassment, slander, and other causes. Make sure you keep a good record of all the emails, messages, text messages and other forms of communication for your case. Print everything out and save it.
No matter what action you choose to take, remember, cyber bullying is a serious issue and you can stop a cyber bully before it is too late!

M. Samantha McAllister graduated summa cum laude from LSU-Shreveport, earned a Masters in history from Louisiana Tech and received her Juris Doctorate and Bachelor of Civil Law degree from LSU, Paul M. Hebert School of Law. She practices family law in Bossier City.

Bossier School Board needs to explain

KTBS has run a couple of stories (one of which we commented on) about School Board attorney Patrick Jackson. The questions about Jackson are his relationships with Air Repair and Cochran Construction. Air Repair and its owners, of course, were among those indicted for fraud a couple of weeks ago.
Cochran Construction has been sued by the school board over roofing problems at Haughton Middle School.
Jackson was present during a closed-door meeting last March where school system administrators gave Air Repair a $1 million, no-bid contract to do mold remediation and repairs at the Haughton school.
Jackson said he didn't recommend hiring Air Repair but acknowledged it looks bad because he was present while one of his clients -- the School Board -- was deciding whether to hire another client -- Air Repair -- to fix something built by another client -- Cochran Construction.
Jackson said nothing improper was done.
"Sometimes when grenades go off, innocent people get shrapnel," he said. "And I think that's what's happened here."
It appears that this goes beyond Jackson’s representation of Cochran and Air Repair. Jackson is also a partner with Carl Cochran in CC&J Development Co LLC.

From the Louisiana Secretary of State Corporation Database:
Charter/Organization ID: 36525715K
Name: CC&J DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.L.C.
Type Entity: Limited Liability Company
Status: Active
Annual Report Status: In Good Standing Last Report Filed on 07/16/2008
Mailing Address: C/O PATRICK R. JACKSON, 1463 AIRLINE DRIVE, BOSSIER CITY, LA 71112
Domicile Address: 1463 AIRLINE DRIVE, BOSSIER CITY, LA 71112
File Date: 08/23/2007
Registered Agent (Appointed 8/23/2007): PATRICK R. JACKSON, 1463 AIRLINE DRIVE, BOSSIER CITY, LA 71112
Manager: CARL S. COCHRAN, 405 EAST TEXAS STREET, BOSSIER CITY, LA 71111
Manager: CHRISTOPHER C. COSSE, 338 JANIE LANE, SHREVEPORT, LA 71106
Manager: PATRICK R. JACKSON, APLC, 1463 AIRLINE DRIVE, BOSSIER CITY, LA 71112

How could the School Board allow someone who was so conflicted to represent them in matters regarding construction?
There are still a lot more questions than answers, and the School Board needs to come clean now.

Barack Obama: 44th President of the United States

The Official Poster

Video from wesawthat You Tube channel

Times Snub?

Interesting article in internet version of The Times, predicting that Don “Bubba” Williams may run against Lo Walker. I wouldn’t be surprised if Walker has an opponent this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is Williams.
The Times goes on to say that “here is a look at who could be representing you for the next four years.” They then list Hizzoner and 6 of the 7 current councilmen.
Do they know something about David Montgomery that the rest of the public doesn’t know, or are they merely snubbing him for whatever reason?

Captured: Sex Offender flees from Benton Police

A known sex offender led Benton Police on a chase Thursday after fleeing a children's playground in his vehicle.
Henry Lee Taylor, 50, of Benton, was arrested for aggravated flight, resisting an officer, battery of an officer, no driver’s license, expired insurance, expired registration and switched plates.
At approximately 1:33 p.m. Thursday, Benton Police Assistant Chief Gene Hillen received a call in reference to a sex offender in the area where children play and an elderly woman lived. Upon arriving in the area, Hillen noticed a red Dodge truck that was identified as belonging to Taylor, a registered sex offender.
Read the whole story in the Press-Tribune

We Saw That story on Roy Brown causes stir

KTBS reported on the story of Roy Brown, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for first degree robbery. According to Channel 3, Brown, 54, of Audrey Lane, pleaded guilty in Caddo District Court to robbing the Capital One bank in December 2007. Brown admitted walking up to a teller with one of his hands under his jacket and telling her it was a "stickup."The teller handed the man three stacks of bills and he took a single $100 bill, told her he was homeless and left, police said.Brown surrendered to police the next day, telling them his mother didn't raise him that way.Police let him sober up and interviewed him two days later. Police said Brown told them he needed money to stay in a downtown detox center, had nowhere to stay and was hungry -- so he walked up the street and robbed the bank.

The Alexandria blog We Saw That reported on the story and has received a lot of attention from it. It is linked all over the world.
Read the blog and check out the response on We Saw That.