By Bonnie Culverhouse
When Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker received a video via text message Wednesday, concerns about last weekend’s trail ride shooting came flooding back.
The video flyer advertises a trail ride Sunday, August 7, on Shiloh Road in Doyline. The event is sponsored by DLW Transportation LLC and the flyer depicts trail riding and rap music.
Before Wednesday was over, Parker had his investigators checking with the property owners and organizers, who had not filed permits for the event.
“The owner/organizer has been contacted,” Parker said Thursday morning, “They’re working and cooperating with us.”
Parker said that person was talking with investigators and is willing to go to the Webster Parish Police Jury office to fill out permit papers.
“They say they were initially going to put on a small roping-type community event, which we don’t want to discourage,” said the sheriff. “Then somebody saw that opportunity to put out this flyer and make it into a bigger deal.”
Parker said the owner told him that was not going to happen.
“It was somebody taking advantage of the situation or an opportunity to put something else out there,” he said.
The permit will show parish law enforcement the type of event that will be hosted, as well as the number of attendees expected. It will also let them know who is responsible, if another tragedy occurs as in the Cotton Valley shooting that injured 3 persons last weekend.
“It’s about educating the public,” Parker said. “These things need to be done 30 days prior to the event, not the week of or two or three days beforehand. I’ve got to get off-duty deputies to come in on their days off. We have to scramble to make sure we have traffic control down there. We just want to do the right thing, but we need cooperation from the people who want to do these events.”
Parker said he talked to some Doyline residents who are concerned about the event.
“They just want something small,” he said, “and I don’t want to discourage that.”
A similar event in Cotton Valley last weekend ended in a fight and gunshots. The event was un-permitted, therefore, no law enforcement was present.
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