The Marksville Weekly News from Marksville, Louisiana • 12

Page 6, Section II. Thursday, September 13, 2007, THE MARKSVILLE WEEKLY NEWSTHE BUNKIE RECORD Sheriff's office one of largest businesses in parish 200th Adversary of Avoyelles I jovernment The APSO has 24 road deputies working throughout the parish. This is up from 12 road deputies in 1980. There arc currently six road deputies per shift working in the parish. APSO has 80 patrol units used by all the departments.

Three people are part of the narcotics division. The narcotics division has an office in Moreauville and handles drug cases in the parish. There are seven detectives working for APSO handling murder, theft, burglary, child abuse and other serious crimes that occur in the parish. The number of detectives also increased from 1980 when there was only one detective. The sheriff created a seperate governing law enforcement district which is under his control and not the police jury in the early 1990s.

Therefore, the jail property now belongs to the sheriff office and not the police jury as in past years. A 911 communications system was also created within the district. The law enforcement district contracts out for the ambulance service, which is currently Acadian Ambulance. "This sheriff's office is a major business along with law enforcement," Harry Normand. Chief Deputy of APSO said.

"APSO has grow tremendously in the last 25 years." Normand said the future hold many new demands for the sheriff office. He said these new demands will be a great challenge to the next sheriff. He added the department wiD need to stay with and improve technology to help the department succeed. The handling of the budget will be the biggest priority with the next sheriff," Normand concluded. "Finding a trainable work force is harder and harder and will be even bigger for the next sheriff." The current main prison facility for the parish is located in Marksville on Tunica Drive across the street from the intersection with Preston Street.

Normand said the present building as built during the administration of "Potch" Didier. but renovations were done in 1985, including increasing the size of the facility. Normand feels the facility will need to be increased in the near future to handle the growing department. Editor StUe: In March of 2007 Avoyelles Parish turned 200 yean old. The parish was created in 1807, the sixteenth of the original 19 parishes created by the Orleans Territorial Legislature.

Throughout the year, The Marksville Weekly Sews and Bunkie Record will continue to run articles about the different public agencies throughout the parish. Some of the agencies are elected by the people of the parish while others are appointed by the elected bodies. Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office (APSO) is one of the largest businesses in Avoyelles Parish and the second largest government agency in the parish. The only parish governmental agency larger is the Avoyelles Parish School Board. The majority of growth with the sheriff department came under the administration of current Sheriff William O.

"Bill" Belt. Sheriff Belt was first elected in 1980 and when he took over the department there were 46 employees. The APSO has now grown to have 400 employees with a monthly payroll of $580,000. The' budget of the sheriff's office has grown from 5750.000 in 1980 to a current budget of $12 million. The bigeest increase in the budget comes from the housing of state inmates in the four parish prisons.

When Sheriff Belt took over. APSO had one jail located in Marksville, but now along with the expanded main jail there are three satellite prisons located throughout the parish with a total of 1 ,200 inmates. The three satellite prisons are located in Bunkie, Cottonport and Simmesport. Most of the inmaies in the parish jails come from the state of Louisiana. Out of the current 1.200 being housed, there are 1.082 state inmates.

The parish receives $23 a day for each state inmate housed in Avoyelles Parish. Another big area of revenue is the work release program. The parish has in which there are over 200 inmates currently enrolled. The program brings in an estimated $1 million a year in revenue to the APSO. Timeline of nine main jail buildings for Avoyelles 1822 1st mention of a prison injury records 1835 New parish prison planned 1844 $3,000 for jail house (brick).

Sold old one. 1 848 Contract to build parish prison 1 860 Jail burned by inmate 1860 Jail built on Washington St. property 1879 New jail built, N.E.corner, old site sold 1907 New jail built N.W.corner 1927 Jail moved to top of new courthouse 1979 Current jail built on Tunica Drive property 1990 Satellite prisons opened at closed school sites Avoyelles Parish Sheriffs iff I i Ik mm- If I II I ini G. P. Voorhies Ludger Barbin Thomas P.

Frith 1852-killed night elected A. B. Coco Cora. Voorhies 1829 C. D.

Brashear 1837-1838 1855 1864 1847, 1850 vj it -jc mm t' mm i LiZ II I C. P. Couvilhon 1924-28 Isaac Johnson 1904-1908 Olirier Coco 1908 -1910 Amet Guillot 1916 -1923 jme J. Ducote 1868-1870 Seventh Avoyelles jail building, served 1879-1907 on northwest corner of courthouse square Adolph Saucier 1895-1904 Pi If mm I 17 I i iri tvlT- 111! J. Ben Gremillion Julius Jeansonne G.

T. Saucier T-Jack Jeansonne F. O. "Potch" William 0. Belt 1928-31 1932-1936 1936-1940 1940-1956 Didier 1956-1980 1980- irnk m.

mm. William Harvey 1814 SosteneRiche 1816 Joseph Kimball 1817 J.Morgan ....1819 Josiah McCleaveland 1821 Julien Deshautelles 1824 Rezin Bowie George Gorton argued over job of circa 1827 Cornelius Voorhies .1 829 Eleazer G. Paxton 1835 Charles Duvall Brashear 1 837 William Edwards 1838 F. Barlow 1839 William Edwards 1840 Gradingho P. Voorhies 1841 Fabius Ricord 1843 Gradingho P.

Voorhies .1847, 1850 Aurelien B. Coco 1852 (Elected but murdered night of election) Adolphe D. Coco 1854 Adolphe V. Saucier. 1 895, 1 900 E.

B. Coco (Died in 1904) 1904 Isaac Johnson 1904 Oliver Coco 1908 Dr.A.TillouBarbin ....1910 (Oct. 10 oath as coroner acting sheriff) Amet Guillot 1910, 1912, June 1916 1920 Casiuier Preston Couvillion .1924 J. Benjamin Gremillion 1 928 Dr. Sylvan DeNux (Coroner) .1931 Julius J.

Jeansonne .1 932 G.V. Saucier 1936 J. W. Jack" Jeansonne, 1 940, 1944, 1952 Dr. Henry J.

Kaufman (Coroner)1956 F. O. "Potch" Didier, Jr. 1956 1960,1964,1968, 1972,1976 William O. "Bill" Blt 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000,2004 Ludger Barbin .1 855 Pierre P.

Normand .1 860 Thomas Poindexter Frith 1864 Fielding Edwards 1865 JohnW.Creagh 1866 Jerome J. Ducote .1868 Alexander Noguez 1870 (Avoyelles first Black sheriff) Pierre Magloire 1872 (Appointed, Black) Anatole L. Barbin 1873 Fabius Ricord 1874 William B.Messick 1875 Anatole L. Barbin 1877 Charles Gray 1877 Hilary DeCuir 1878 Leon Gauthier 1880 Louis A. JofTrion .1884 Clifton Cannon 1888 1892 Dr.

Tom Roy, acting as Eighth Avoyelles jail building, served 1907-1927 on northweast corner of courthouse square Diversity of men and backgrounds have filled the office of sheriff of Avoyelles held since 1814 The high office of Sheriff of Avoyelles, like in any rural Louisiana town, is one of prestige and power. With deputies on the payroll, the sheriff has long been considered one-of the most influential politicians in any parish, especially at election time. The earliest known sheriff in Avoyelles was in 1814, when an English speaking American named William Harvey held the office. Another early American "wanna be" sheriff of Avoyelles was Rezin Bowie, brother of the Alamo hero, who historians say was mad when he lost the election to George Gorton. Being sheriff in the 1800s was a dangerous job.

At least three Avoyelles sheriffs were murdered. Gorton was murdered in the 1840s, William Edwards in the 1860s and A. B. Coco the night he was elected. The Messick and Barbin family, which produced each a sheriff, were often the subject of pistol duels on Main Street in Marksville which made area newspapers.

The second term of Sheriff Clifton Cannon was cut short by his death in 1895. Research by former Sheriff Fabius O. "Potch" Didier indicates that Ernest Baldwin Coco of Moreauville died the same year he was elected sheriff in 1904, at the age of 49. At least three times doctors have served as sheriff as the coroners were called in to be acting sheriffs in the demise of the current office holder. The first sheriff to hold more than two terms was Amet Guillot, who served 14 years.

He was eclipsed by T-Jack Jeansonne who served 16 years, then "Potch" Didier with 24 years. T-Jack was the younger of a father-son team of sheriffs of the early 1900s. Sheriff Didier made history when he did something no other sheriff in Avoyelles Parish has ever done. He served time in his own jail. Not only that, he ran a re-election campaign from his jail cell and won! Didier was re-elected to a fifth term while serving his 90 day sentence in his own jail.

The case revolved around a scrap copper dealer who became missing on the courthouse grounds. It was alleged that the Didier was providing protection. Some said it was political. Some said he was a crook. The two sides squared off.

Didier was eventually found guilty of the misdemeanor malfeasance of failing to report a crime. And the national news media was there to record it all. The story made the evening newscasts around the nation and headlines in major American newspapers. It seemed that nowhere in America but Avoyelles Parish could such a colorful scenario evolve. Didier, whose ancestor namesake Fabius Ricord served as sheriff in the 1 800s, hired the first Black deputy, Thomas Foster in 1956, as well as the first woman deputy, Verdie Bielkewicz Lemoine.

He began the Junior Deputy program in schools, getting children involved in social issues. Dider was a state trooper in his youth, as was his successor, William "Bill" 0. Belt. The current sheriff, Bill Belt, holds the record of longest years of service, elected for seven terms, totaling 28 years. Duiing his tenure, he greatly expanded the prison system, turning the office into a money making operation in housing out of parish prisoners.

Belt opened satellite prisons in school buildings that were closed during the 1988 consolidations. This expansion meant jobs to hundreds of deputies. Among Belt's major pet projects were the founding of an emergency 9-11 center and parish wide ambulance service, both funded in parish wide tax elections. He also sponsors a popular summer youth camp providing a structured fun experience for Avoyelles Parish youth. Belt was honored in 1987 by being named Avoyellean of the Year by 77i Avoyelles Journal for his accomplishments.

1 I Erff', tf-i, ypfeaag Current main Jail of Avoyelles on Tunica Drive In Marksville, built in 1979.