By JIM BUTLER

Police allege, again, that Roderick Turner has tried to kill someone.

Turner, 32, of Alexandria was booked Friday on an attempted manslaughter charge.

He is accused of shooting someone, for some reason, at a residence on Pin Oak Drive in south Alexandria last Wednesday.

The victim’s injury was classified as minor.

Out on bail from an April arrest on burglary and domestic abuse battery charges when booked last week, Turner has twice before been accused of attempted murder.

In July 2021 he was charged with attempted 2nd-degree murder, being a convicted felon possessing a firearm and domestic abuse battery. He was released to DOC custody a year later.

Records show that in October 2020 he was arrested for alleged possession of a firearm, CDS possession and parole violations. He was released to DOC in December.

On August 14, 2019 he was charged with attempted 1st-degree murder, aggravated assault with firearm, narcotics charges and parole violations. He was released to DOC in December that year.

In April 2019, police claimed, he shot into a car at 13th & Magnolia streets that had a five-year-old in it.

He had been released in February from a five-year stretch for felony firearm possession, getting early out for time served in parish lockup awaiting dispensation of the case.

By JIM BUTLER

At some point we’ll probably be told more. Meanwhile we know Caleb Cheatham is in Rapides custody with a $207,700 bail set.

The 21-year-old Bossier City man was booked early Friday on 30 counts of burglary. Where and when the burglaries occurred hasn’t yet been disclosed.

Cheatham, already a convicted felon, is also accused of illegally having a machine gun, two counts of illegally possessing stolen firearms, two counts of theft of firearms and theft of a motor vehicle.

Non-weapons charges include two of contributing to delinquency, two of evidence tampering, resisting, felony flight and a litany of traffic charges.

Cheatham’s adult rap sheet dates to July 2021 in Caddo Parish. Then in December that year he was charged with aggravated battery, illegally carrying weapon and possession of a stolen firearm.

He was arrested again in August 2022 before allegedly trying to run over an officer approaching his vehicle after a traffic stop in January 2023.

After striking the officer, Cheatham and his passenger fled from Shreveport into Bossier City, where Cheatham’s vehicle struck a parked auto.

A rifle and two handguns were recovered from Cheatham’s ride, officers said. Cheatham was chased down with help of a K-9 officer.

BATON ROUGE — One of the great all-time entrepreneurial stories belongs to a pair of LSU basketball walk-ons.

While riding the end of John Brady’s bench hand-checking the water cooler as a pair of non-scholarship basketball guards, Jack Warner and Brandon Landry had a dream to open their own sports bar after graduation.

They used LSU road trips as opportunities to visit sports bars across the nation, especially the South, for design and menu ideas.

In 2003, they opened Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, a sports bar/restaurant within walking distance of Tiger Stadium. It gradually earned the honor of the nation’s best sports bar from ESPN in 2012.

Today, there are 78 Walk-On’s in 15 states. Walk-Ons even sponsored Shreveport’s Independence Bowl from 2017 to 2019.

Yet all of the above may have never happened for Warner and Landry if upcoming NCAA legislation expected to be rubberstamped in time for the 2025 recruiting calendar year had been in place.

The NCAA is getting taken to the woodshed every time it gets sued. It first resulted in a transfer rule fit for gypsies and made them paid mercenaries thanks to NIL deals with no enforceable parameters.

The latest NCAA white flag-waving surrender – dramatically increasing scholarships in all sports while lowering roster limits – will make success stories like walk-ons Warner and Landry extinct.

College football now has a limit of 120 players on its roster including 85 on scholarship, meaning there is ample roster room for walk-ons though they may never play or eventually earn a scholarship or even dress out for games.

All indications are major athletic conferences are signing off on NCAA legislation that caps the roster at 105 while awarding 20 more scholarships (from 85 to 105), meaning every player on the roster would be on scholarship.

Scholarship increases filling rosters in every sport with scholarship-only athletes would eliminate walk-on programs. Thus, the post-college business success stories of overlooked or late-developing athletes like walk-ons Warner and Landry won’t happen under the new legislation.

Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney is another former walk-on. He played two years at Alabama as a walk-on wide receiver under head coach Gene Stallings before receiving a scholarship.

It led to a coaching career for Swinney, who has won two national titles at Clemson.

“If (he) Stallings doesn’t see me (as a walk-on), I can’t imagine how different things would have been,” Swinney said recently at the Atlantic Coast Conference media days.

“Walk-ons just want to be part of the team. They want to help you practice. Last season, Florida State had so many players opt out of its bowl game it would have had to forfeit if it wasn’t for all the walk-ons available for the game.”

Current LSU running back Josh Williams first joined on their 2019 national championship team as a walk-on.

“I bet on myself,” said Williams, who earned a scholarship in 2020 and enters his sixth season as Tiger having played in 47 games with 10 starts and 1,011 career rushing yards and 11 TDs.

While it seems like a scholarship increase should create more opportunities for walk-ons to earn free college rides (a misnomer term considering the sweat equity invested by non-scholarship athletes), that’s not necessarily so.

Why?

Because of the NCAA’s inability to lasso any common sense and set parameters for its transfer and NIL rules which have worked hand in hand to professionalize college sports overnight.

It has forced head coaches to increasingly shop in the transfer portal for immediate, experienced talent if they can’t sign their share of blue-chip high school recruits.

It means a barely recruited player, like two-star rated 2017 football recruit Justin Jefferson, probably these days don’t even get the chance to sign a Division 1 scholarship.

Yes, the same former LSU record-breaking wide receiver about to start a fifth NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings after signing a four-year, $140 million contract ($110 million guaranteed) in June.

Current LSU head coach Brian Kelly said he has been in discussions with his recruiting staff and general manager Austin Thomas about operating under the expected increase of scholarships.

“Do you all of a sudden start throwing out 30 more scholarship offers (to sign 20 players)?” Kelly said. “I don’t know that I’m comfortable doing that at this point because we’ve evaluated a lot of players and offered scholarships to several players.

“We have to be very, very intentional in how we do this. We’re going to have all options vetted and be ready to move strategically when and if it gets to that final ruling by the courts.”

Since athletic departments have to pay their schools for scholarships, paying for 20 is another added expense piled on the plate of athletic directors who soon will have to deal with revenue sharing by athletes as well as begging rich donors for cash to stockpile in collectives to buy athletes.

It means wading into every gushing fountain of cash possible, maybe tapping into past forbidden advertising revenue sources such as corporate sponsor logos sewn on school jerseys.

Maybe a future LSU uniform will contain a logo created from Shreveport’s old SPAR Stadium which had my all-time favorite signage on one of its outfield walls.

CADDO RADIATOR WORKS. . .BEST PLACE IN TOWN TO TAKE A LEAK.

I’d buy that jersey in a heartbeat.

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

Arrests are accusations not convictions.

August 1

Weapons

Eric Branch, 23, Pineville — illegal carrying dangerous weapon 2 counts, burglary 2 counts, criminal trespass, $30,500;

Jerry Craig, 36, Natchitoches — felon in possession of firearm, firearm with drugs, disturbing the peace/violence, possession, paraphernalia, contempt, $26,500 bail.

This date: 18 arrests, 6 with one or more contempt charges.

August 2

Weapons

Caleb Chatham, 21, Bossier City — firearm possession by convicted felon 2 counts, machine gun handling, illegal possession stolen firearm 2 counts, theft of firearm 3 counts, burglary 30 counts, contributing to delinquency 2 counts, theft of motor vehicle, felony flight, reckless operation, obstruction highway aggravated, littering, obstruction evidence tampering, resisting, open container, no headlight, running stop sign 2 counts, running flashing red light 4 counts, no license plate light, no signals, improper lane usage, $207,700 bail;

Charles Smith III, 28, Alexandria — aggravated assault with firearm, contributing to delinquency, $2,000 bail;

Roderick Turner, 32, Alexandria — attempted manslaughter, $75,000 bail.

Other

James Burlew, 17, Deville — battery 2nd degree, criminal damage, $10,500 bail;

Quaderius Bush, 22, Alexandria — 1st degree rape 2 counts, criminal conspiracy, no bail set. 

This date: 16 arrests, 2 including one or more contempt counts.

August 3

Weapons

Jevonta Moore, 32, Alexandria — aggravated assault with firearm, possession, no insurance, $600 bail;

Other

Dominique Davis, 24, Alexandria — theft, battery, $1,500 bail;

Saidrick McCree Jr., 26, Alexandria — theft, resisting, contempt 3 counts, $6,500 bail;

Jonathan Ryder, 25, Deville — battery on officer, resisting, contempt, $2,500 bail;

Cameron White, 23, Ball — violation protective order 1st 2 counts, $2,000 bail. 

This date: 19 arrests, 7 including one or more contempt counts. 

Arrests are accusations not convictions.

August 1

Kenneth Jones, 43, Alexandria — possession, driver’s license required, tail lamps must be red, obstruction/evidence tampering, $1,700 bail;

Gerald Luke, 28, Alexandria — possession with intent, contraband penal facility, remaining on premises, $100,250 bail;

Lindsey McCann, 43, Pineville — possession 2 counts, domestic abuse battery, contempt, $3,000 bail;

Austin Page, 23, Pineville — possession, paraphernalia, cancelled plate, running stop sign, $2,200 bail;

Matthew Thompson, 49, Pineville — possession, contempt 5 counts, parole violation, $5,000 bail.

August 2

Natalie McGraw, 22, Pineville — possession 2 counts, firearm with drugs, no bail set;

Mason McLaughlin, 19, Boyce — possession, criminal trespass, burglary, $4,500 bail;

Gage Smith, 22, Pineville — possession, firearm with drugs, seat belt violation, $100 bail. 

August 3

Carleone Batiste, 33, Alexandria — possession, firearm with drugs, paraphernalia, improper lane, $1,100 bail;

Andre Casson, 38, Pineville — possession, flight, tint violation, $600 bail;

Hunter Smith, 22, Deville — possession, firearm with drugs, criminal conspiracy, misrepresentation during booking 2 counts, criminal damage, seat belt violation, suspension/revocation, resisting, theft, $17,700 bail. 

August 5, 1928 – August 2, 2024

Funeral services celebrating the life of Burl Hanson (Hank) Hathorn will be held at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at Calvary Baptist Church Alexandria with Reverend Todd Strain officiating.

Visitation will be at Hixson Brothers Funeral Home, Alexandria on Monday, August 5, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and will resume on Tuesday, at Calvary, from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Park under the direction of Hixson Brothers, Alexandria.

Mr. Hathorn, 95, of Alexandria passed away on August 2, 2024, at Brookdale Senior Living.

Hank Hathorn was the devoted and beloved husband of Dorothy L. Hathorn for 72 years and with her raised four children.

Living in the Poland community, Hank was raised during the depths of the Great Depression. The youngest son of seven children, his childhood consisted of fieldwork and school, usually in that order. Those early years were a strong influence in his life and from them, he learned the value of hard work, doing your best, and having a strong faith in God.

Hank attended LSU Baton Rouge by working on the campus dairy farm; a year later he enlisted in the Army, serving two years and achieving the rank of sergeant. After military service, he entered the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science where he was the valedictorian of his class.

In 1950, he married the love of his life, Dorothy, and after a second stint in the Army Reserves at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, they came back to Alexandria where he served as a mortician and funeral director at Hixson Brothers Funeral Home for 39 years. Coming from his country background, Hank became a valued member of the funeral profession as he was able to relate to people from all walks of life.

He often said: “A good funeral director does not just arrange a funeral; he should be a minister to the family and walk with them through their most trying time.” Hank Hathorn was in every sense of the word a “minister”. He gently guided and consoled hundreds of families through their darkest days becoming a spiritual counselor and friend to all he served.

Hank also had a passion for teaching. He spoke to civic and church groups about his profession and for many years served as a guest speaker on “Death and Dying” for sociology classes at Louisiana College.

Always active in church, Hank and Dot were long time members of Emmanuel Baptist and Calvary Baptist Churches. He was a deacon, served with the Levites and participated in the Home Care Program. At Calvary, Hank was a well-known church greeter who welcomed everyone with a hearty “Good Morning!”

A vital part of the community, Hank was a member and past president of the Downtown Lions Club when they sponsored the Lions Club Rodeos on MacArthur Drive. He also supported the Salvation Army, serving on its board of directors.

Hank was a sportsman who loved squirrel hunting in Latanier and duck hunting on Saline Lake. An expert duck caller, he won first place in the Rapides Wildlife Association’s annual duck-calling contest in 1966. During retirement, fishing became an even bigger part of his life as he and Dot hosted family and friends at their camp on Toledo Bend. A great storyteller, he would tell his grandsons, “Don’t worry about the fish that get away; we can make them as big as we want.” As a husband, father, and grandfather nothing was more important than family. He leaves a legacy of devotion to God and a love of family that is being passed on.

Hank Hathorn was preceded in death by his wife Dorothy L. Hathorn; his parents, James Madison Hathorn, Sr. and Sarah Williford Hathorn; brothers, James M. Hathorn, Jr., Donald J. Hathorn, Jr., Dr. Fred Hathorn, Roane E. Hathorn, and sister, Rettie Hathorn Lincecum.

Those left to cherish his memory include his children, Dr. Thomas (Mary) Hathorn of Pineville, Dr. Kathy (Scott) Barclay of Melbourne, FL; Janet (Mark) Bryant of College Station, TX; Greg (Samantha) Hathorn of Huntsville, AL; Eleven grandchildren and Fifteen great-grandchildren; sister, Vivian Chelette of Arlington, TX; numerous nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers are Chris Hathorn, Mike Hathorn, Benjamin Wood, Jonathon Hathorn, Jeffrey Hathorn, Scott Barclay, Mark Bryant and Thomas R. Zabasky.

Honorary Pallbearers are Ed Hixson, Donald Lightfoot, Leslie Lightfoot, Julian Perry, and Bruce Robinson.

The family would like to thank the staff at Brookdale Senior Living and Compassionate Care Hospice for their loving care and support.

By Jeanni Ritchie

Check out your local Whataburger this week as they gear up to celebrate National Whataburger Day on Thursday, August 8.

Restaurants across America are decorated this week to show their customer appreciation in honor of the annual celebration.

In 1950, Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton opened the first Whataburger restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas. The name ‘Whataburger’ was chosen to convey the immense size and deliciousness of their hamburgers. To stand out from other fast food places, they wanted a name that would make customers say ‘What a burger!’ hence the birth of the term.

Whataburger spicy ketchup debuted as a limited time only menu item in 2012 and became part of the permanent menu in 2013. Whataburger’s Spicy Ketchup, along with eight other signature Whataburger sauces, can now be found on grocery store shelves across the country.

As of 2024, Whataburger continues to thrive with over 1000 locations in fifteen states. Besides the sauces, the chain has introduced various menu items and collaborations to cater to changing tastes and trends, while still staying true to its original ‘Whataburger’ concept.

This year they are celebrating #NationalWhataburgerDay with the limited Birthday Shake. Customers can order the free birthday cake-flavored shake on August 8 by downloading the Whataburger app.

“The Birthday Shake tastes like fun,” Whataburger SVP and Chief Marketing Officer Scott Hudler said. “With its signature orange color, whipped cream, and sprinkles, it looks like a party in a cup. The icing on the shake is that Whataburger Rewards program members can celebrate this milestone with us by getting their shake entirely for free, no purchase necessary. It’s like inviting hundreds of thousands of your closest friends to your birthday party!”

In addition to the free shake, Whataburger is celebrating with its communities by fulfilling $74,000 worth of teacher supply wish lists throughout August as part of the Whataburger Feeding Student Success charitable giving program. Do you know a teacher who could use a little love? On Aug. 8, Whataburger will post on “X” (formally Twitter) asking its followers to nominate teachers in their lives who could use some help buying school supplies for the new year. The brand will fulfill wish lists until $74,000 is spent!

Jeanni Ritchie is an orange-loving former educator who is delighted in this year’s Whataburger celebration! She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.

By JIM BUTLER

A different approach may be needed for Jamarcus Blake.

He was booked Wednesday on two counts of felony domestic abuse battery, criminal damage, assault, false imprisonment and violation of protective order 1st offense.

Bail was set at $50,500.

This arrest is the seventh time he has been booked on a first-offense protective order violation since July 2020.

Those arrests also included an assortment of related, violence-oriented allegations.

How the calculation stays at first offense is a judicial system math question.

According to La R.S. 14, first-offense violation of a protective order is a misdemeanor. Second is a felony.

By JIM BUTLER

A decade ago skeptics wondered about Alexandria staying in the hotel business.

Their concerns, it turns out, missed the mark.

The city’s 10-year association with a hotel management group that assumed oversight of what was then Alexander Fulton Hotel is ending with what is now Holiday inn Downtown’s sale.

According to Mayor Jacque Roy, who rolled the hotel dice in a previous term, part of the new deal is a 15-year commitment to retaining the Holiday Inn flag, among the most recognizable brands in the hospitality industry.

The hotel, opened as a Hilton in the 1980s, was renamed after Alexandria’s founder when the city took it over.

When the expiring deal was reached in 2014, the Hotel Bentley was on the cusp of reopening under a new owner.

The availability of both and the Randolph Riverfront Center sparked a revitalization of the city convention and meetings business.

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE – On the first day of preseason training camp opening his 35th season as a college head football coach, LSU’s Brian Kelly felt a range of emotions.

First, there was surviving a heat index of around 100 degrees as the Tigers finished their Thursday morning workout.

“I was lightheaded today out there,” Kelly admitted afterward in his post-practice press conference.

Secondly, Kelly still eagerly anticipates watching his program develop from year to year, finally getting to a point where he can teach the Xs and O’s rather than first developing a disciplined winning culture.

“It’s the development of your team, what they look like and how they handle themselves,” Kelly said. “For instance, we don’t take our helmets off (in practice) for water breaks.

“In my first season as a head coach (in 1991 at Grand Valley State), I had guys taking their helmets off and throwing them each other.”

Finally, it bolstered Kelly’s confidence when Matt Mauck, LSU’s starting quarterback on the 2003 national championship team, gave the current-day Tigers high marks after he attended Thursday’s practice.

“I was really impressed,” Kelly said, “when a guy like Matty Mauck come up to you and say `Coach, that was impressive for day one in terms of the way your guys looked.’ He’s being honest with you. He’s not going to blow smoke.”

Thursday was the first of 19 practices before LSU enters game week preparation for the Sept. 1 season opener vs. USC in Las Vegas. Kelly was reasonably happy after practice No. 1.

“The (player) leadership understanding of how important it is to compete even when you’re not in a full equipment situation really resonated for me today,” Kelly said. “I was really, really happy about the speed. I was really happy about the execution.

“I was pleased with the competitiveness, the focus of how they went through each and every drill.”

Graduate student running back John Emery Jr. and senior starting cornerback Zy Alexander, who sustained season-ending knee injuries in 2023, are slowly working back in the mix.

“John’s (medically) clear for everything,” Kelly said. “When you have a knee, you need to experience some things like getting tripped up in the hole or cutting off of it and feeling the scar tissue.

“Alexander’s got to go through planting (his foot) and cutting, so he’s full go. But he’s in the process of getting back into football activities. It takes time before you feel real comfortable.”

Kelly announced sophomore defensive back Javien Toviano has been re-joined the team after being reinstated by the university. He had been suspended July 12 on a video voyeurism charge for recording him having sex with a woman.

East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said Toviano’s case remains under review.

“He’s back in football activities, and we’ll kind of get him going again back in the mix as he works through his legal matters,” Kelly said of Toviano.

Among the Tigers’ true freshmen class, 6-foot-7 inch, 245-pound tight end Trey’Dez Green is one Kelly said could made an immediate impact.

“He certainly looks the part, right? He controls his body really well and has a great deal of confidence. He doesn’t look out of place, in any shape or form, from a physical standpoint, but he’s picked things up very well for a guy that has not played this game very long. It’s coming to him.

“I don’t want to stand here today on Day 1 and say he’s gonna play in the first year. But my experience has told me that guys that transition quickly with his kind of physical attributes tend to show real quick.”

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

Arrests are accusations not convictions.

July 31

Jamarcus Blake, 31, Pineville — felony domestic abuse 2 counts, violation protective order 1st, criminal damage, assault, false imprisonment, $50,500 bail;

Kayden Downey, 17, Walker — felony criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass, criminal damage, criminal mischief, $7,000 bail;

Donald Jones Jr., 68, Cheneyville — vehicular homicide/DWI, $100,000;

Austin Trapp, 24, Pineville — battery on dating partner/pregnant, aggravated assault/ burglary, aggravated assault with firearm, criminal conspiracy, home invasion, $100,000 bail.

This date: 9 arrests, 5 including one or more contempt counts.

By JIM BUTLER

Kendrick Anderson Jr. appears to have made a career choice when he reached 18, perhaps sooner.

Anderson, 23, of Alexandria was jailed Tuesday on four counts of possession of drugs with intent to distribute.

Along with traffic charges in the 9 a.m. incident that include flight from officers, that pushed his bail to $78,900.

He posted bond Wednesday afternoon.

As an 18-year-old Anderson was arrested on two possession/intent counts as well as having a firearm while allegedly possessing drugs.

Exactly seven months later he was again booked on possession charges and of having a firearm at the same time.

By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine

You don’t have to watch very long at a Peabody Magnet football game to find one of the best athletes in Rapides Parish.

Check the Warhorses offense. He’s there at wideout, liable to go the distance at any time.

Watch the Peabody defense. He’s there in the secondary, making plays and worrying quarterbacks.

Don’t skip special teams. He’s as dangerous a return specialist as there is for many, many miles around.

Class of 2025 Athlete TJ Hullaby is a game-breaking performer who seems to have a magnetic pull into the end zone.

On offense, he caught 15 touchdown passes last year.

Defensively, Hullaby turned in a couple of pick-sixes.

He housed three kick returns.

That’s 20 TDs for a guy who does NOT touch the ball nearly every play like a stud running back or a quarterback does.

Offensively, Hullaby led all Rapides Parish receivers with 58 catches, 989 yards and 15 TDs. He was an easy pick – the toughest thing was to figure out what position to choose for him — on the Rapides Parish Journal All-Parish Team at receiver.  He was first-team All-District 2-4A. He was honorable mention All-State Class 4A.

Colleges have taken note, and the Class of 2025 talent already has several offers. He could play on either side of the ball at the next level, and figures to be involved in the return game.

Hullaby is also an all-district basketball player for the state champion Warhorses, whose great coach, Charles Smith, is headed to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in October.

TJ has legit 4.45 speed in the 40-yard dash and in track, ran a 22.9 in the 200 meter dash last spring.

He is 6-0, 165, so he’s not going to run between the tackles. But he can run away from almost anybody.

I asked TJ about the colleges who have offered him a scholarship and this is what he had to say about each one:

Northwestern State – “I haven’t really been in contact with them since they offered me but I like the vibe there.”

ULM – “I love the energy and atmosphere they show me there and the coaching staff is amazing.”

Texas Southern – “I would like to say thank you to (assistant head coach and receivers coach) coach (Jerwin) Wilson. He’s been there for me since Texas Southern offered me.”

Central Arkansas – “I love the coaching staff there and I’d like to say thank you to (receivers) coach (Jamar) Johnson for pushing me and having those talks with me throughout the summer.”

Graceland – “I want to thank coach Fuse (passing game coordinator and receivers coach Donald Fusilier) for giving me an opportunity with his 7×7 team and offering me from his school.”

Hullaby’s hobbies are gaming and shopping. Asked about a major for college, “I’m leaning to electrical engineering,” he said.

That’s fitting for one of the more electric players not only in Cenla, but all of Class 4A statewide this fall.

Contact Lee at lbrecheen@aol.com

Lee Brecheen has been covering high school football and recruiting in Louisiana since the early ‘90s. He is owner of Louisiana Football Magazine and can be followed on Twitter @LeeBrecheen. He hosts a YouTube show, The Sports Scouting Report with Lee Brecheen. Previews of all state high schools are available on lafootballmagazine.com.