Convicted armed robber escapes Caddo sheriff custody after medical visit
A man convicted of armed robbery and suspected of two murders escaped from Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office custody late Monday after a medical visit in Shreveport. The CPSO immediately launched a search. The escapee is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office immediately or call 911.
Benefit concert planned for Boston Pace
A benefit concert for 7-year-old Boston Pace, who has a mass on his brain, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 3- 9 pm at the Lagniappe Event Center in Alexandria featuring country and Southern music performers from Louisiana, Texas and Nashville. Tickets for the benefit concert are $25 for general admission. Doors open at 2 p.m., with the concert scheduled from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Lagniappe Event Center, 7521 Coliseum Blvd. in Alexandria. Tickets will be available online and at the door. Online tickets are available through Eventbrite at Eventbrite.
Troopers investigating fatal two-vehicle crash in Bossier Parish
Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop G responded to a two-vehicle crash on Sept. 15 around 4:15 am on Interstate 20 west of Louisiana Highway 157. The crash claimed the life of a 35-year-old man from Bossier City.The preliminary investigation revealed that a 2006 Honda Civic was traveling west on Interstate 20. For reasons still under investigation, the Honda exited the roadway, collided with a guardrail, reentered the roadway, and subsequently collided with a westbound 18-wheeler.The driver, who was restrained at the time of the crash, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the 18-wheeler was properly restrained and sustained no injuries. Impairment is not suspected; however, standard toxicology samples were taken and submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.
23 defendants receive 293 years in prison in Claiborne Parish drug trafficking case
On September 8, 2026, Jesse Thomas of Haynesville, Louisiana, became the last of 23 RICO defendants to plead guilty as charged to the crime of racketeering for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization that had operated in Claiborne Parish since 2018. Thomas’s guilty plea followed pleas from 22 other co-conspirators, including Demontre Robinson, Dedarian Robinson, Ashley Morgan, Cheryl Bragg, John Michael Jackson, Corey Scott, Jelisha Warren, Demond Maddox, Nicholas Willis, Falante Hill, O’rillian Guidry (of Los Angeles, California), Deonte Frazier, Derrick Bradford, Rontrell Sturdivant, Dexter Washington, Georgerick Coleman, Fernando Grider, Rick Jones, Jr., Yul McGee, Alonzo Jackson, Jamie Rockett, and Donnell Mitchell. The 23 RICO defendants received an aggregate total of 293 years of jail time for their crimes, and a major drug ring has been taken off the streets of Claiborne Parish.
Two men killed in execution-style shooting on Mansfield Road; suspect vehicle sought
The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office has identified the two men killed in a double homicide in the 6500 block of Mansfield Road in southwest Shreveport early Saturday morning as LaJames Smith, 31, and David Young, 26. Officers responded around 12:09 a.m. Saturday to reports of a shooting and found a vehicle that had crashed into a building with both men suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They were transported to Ochsner LSU Health, where they were pronounced dead. Video from the Real Time Crime Center showed the victims’ vehicle traveling at high speed before crashing. About 40 seconds after the crash, a suspect vehicle arrived, and an unidentified person got out and fired multiple rounds into the crashed vehicle before fleeing. Smith and Young’s deaths are Shreveport’s 31st and 32nd homicides of 2026. A gray SUV is sought in connection with the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to contact Shreveport-Caddo Crime Stoppers at 318-673-7373.
Investigators make second arrest in insurance fraud investigation
CALDWELL PARISH – Louisiana State Fire Marshal (SFM) investigators yesterday arrested 39-year-old Kandi Barnett of Columbia in connection to an insurance fraud scheme involving a residential fire in Columbia in June. She is charged with one count of Insurance Fraud. Barnett is the second person implicated in the crime. Last month, on August 24, 2026, SFM investigators arrested 64-year-old Cynthia Lisenby of Columbia and charged her with one count of Insurance Fraud. Investigators determined Barnett and Lisenby were part of an insurance fraud scheme in connection with the house fire.
Shreveport man convicted of raping juvenile relative; sentenced to life
A Shreveport man has been convicted of raping a juvenile relative and sentenced to life in prison by a Caddo Parish judge. Additional details on the defendant’s identity and specific charges are expected from the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office as the court record becomes publicly available.