From the Desk of the District Attorney, December 2025

As we enter a New Year, the state of our young people, the future of our community, remain foremost on my mind.  In the latter half of 2025, I noticed a troubling trend of an increase of females populating the 24-bed Caddo Parish Juvenile Detention Center.  In prior decades, zero to one females occupied the jail at any given time.   Suddenly  in 2025 almost half of the inmates at any given time were female.  There was a high of nine at one point of seventeen inmates.   As I write this report, there are seven total inmates in the detention center, with  three being female.  Two weeks ago there were nine total inmates, with four being female.

Juvenile females inmates are not there for the typical juvenile pre-trial crimes of car stealing, possession of guns or use of guns, burglary, or property damage.   The female inmates, overwhelmingly if not exclusively, are there for domestic violence, simple battery or being ungovernable.  

For years, my office, the juvenile court and  school officials have witnessed an unsettling trend where females now commit the majority of school fights.    And long before the recent Halloween group street fight in the early morning hours in Shreveport downtown that was sensationalized by social media “news sites,” causing a press conference of outraged city officials, we have seen identical fights on the streets and sidewalks of the early morning bars, most often involving females fighting each other, and a gaggle of miscreant males egging the women on and filming the fights for laughs and social media broadcast.

The coarseness of modern culture is something that I and all other District Attorneys battle every day. I would hope that in 2026 the music artists these young ladies look up to, some of whom are mothers themselves, will stop promulgating lyrics of violence or revenge.   I also challenge our radio station programmers and local DJs who provide the soundtrack to the lives of these young people, to cease supporting music that glamorizes  violence.

While the easy answer is that “culture” has caused the sudden influx of arrests of female juveniles in our community, it is not the complete answer.  The increasing negative behavior by females has been going on for at least a decade.    The late 2023 closure for budgetary reasons of the Johnny Gray Jones Youth Shelter is the direct cause.  The youth shelter, which was located in Bossier Parish,  had been open for 30 years and held about 30 children.  It was used to house runaways and youth accused of low-level crimes.   It housed teenage girls who had physical altercations with their mothers or siblings, and could not be returned home safely by law enforcement.    Now, instead of placement at the youth shelter to cool off and receive counseling, these females are arrested and placed in juvenile jails and prosecuted for crimes.   The  closure of the Council on Alcoholism and Drug  Abuse (CADA)’s  in-patient drug treatment facility for youth, leaving no in-patient facility in this area,  also has exacerbated the problem of housing and treating troubled youth in our community.

The annual $1.5 million dollars at issue that caused the closing of Johnny Gray Jones is  a bitter pill to swallow.   When our state can find $800,000 per month to pay a football coach to not coach, I hope that in 2026 our state leaders find a way to prioritize providing for troubled youth.

Now, to the actions of our office and staff in the last month of 2025:

The month began with several victories in legal actions involving crimes of a domestic nature against women.

• On December 8, a Shreveport man convicted in late October of fatally beating his domestic partner in March 2023, was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. 

District Judge Chris Victory meted out the mandatory hard-labor sentence to Brandon Wayne Lindsey, 36, for the death of 23-year-old Heaven Weed. The sentence must be served without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

On March 2, 2023, Ms. Weed was brought to Ochsner LSU Health hospital by her mother after she was found unconscious and unresponsive at her home. Her extensive injuries included swelling of the brain, fractured ribs, lacerations and bruising all over her body. She was so stiff it took several emergency personnel to move her from the car to the treatment area. Surveillance video showed her at a local nightspot with Lindsey the night of March 1 to early March 2. 

Police responding to Ms. Weed's residence, where Lindsey had been living about a month, noted a strong smell of bleach and other cleansing products, including Clorox wipes and Fabuloso. Officers documented blood spatter in the living room, kitchen and pantry and noted multiple locations where blood appeared to have been wiped. Crime scene investigators recovered multiples items from the washer, including a mattress topper, pillow and towel, all containing the victim’s blood. Lindsey's clothing worn at the club also contained the victim’s blood. Police retrieved both vehicle GPS and phone data that placed Lindsey at the victim’s home from 1:30 a.m. until 11:07 a.m. Lindsey went to work but returned to Ms. Weed's residence around 11:45 a.m. His phone and vehicle remained there until the victim's mother came home around 8 p.m. Upon her arrival, Lindsey left, saying “she’s messed up.” The victim was at the residence with Lindsey about 18 hours, when the mother took her to the hospital. 

After a week in the hospital, Ms. Weed died from her closed-head traumatic brain injury. Her organs were donated. 

A previous girlfriend of Lindsey's testified of the abuse she suffered at his hands for years, with injuries including black eyes, fractured ribs and a broken jaw. She recounted instances where he dragged her by her hair, kicked her in the head and struck her with his fist in her face. Her injuries were so significant she experienced seizures as a result. She testified she had to get dental implants due to damage to her teeth. She also testified about the cycle of abuse and her eventual escape. 

Lindsey was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Victoria Washington and Courtney Ray. He was represented by Michael Enright and Katie Miller.

The case was docket No. 394124.

• On December 5, a Caddo Parish jury took under four hours to determine that a man forced himself upon an unwilling female acquaintance in at attempt at sex. 

Jurors in District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.'s court returned a responsive unanimous guilty verdict on Welton J. Guidry, 35, on the charge of attempted third-degree rape. On January 8, 2025, the female victim came to the front desk at the Shreveport Police Department to report that she was raped by Guidry, her intimate partner. After telling officers what happened, she was taken Ochsner LSU Health hospital for further treatment. Sex Crimes detectives responded to Ochsner to interview the victim and learned that Guidry and the victim were at the Royal Inn motel in the 1900 block of North Market Street when Guidry asked the victim to have sex and, when denied, forced himself on her. The victim was able to push Guidry off, but he ultimately pinned her legs down and continued sexual intercourse. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners used a Physical Evidence Recovery Kit and obtained DNA from the victim that was tested by the North Louisiana Crime Lab and confirmed as Guidry's DNA. Six witnesses, including the victim, testified.  

Guidry was sentenced December 16 to serve 12 and a half years in prison at hard labor without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence and must register as a sex offender for 15 years upon release. 

Assistant District Attorneys Chase Burgess and Jason Waltman prosecuted Guidry, who was represented by the Caddo Parish Indigent Defender's office. 

The case was Docket No. 406278.

• On December 3, a Shreveport man accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with a 12-year-old girl was unanimously convicted of sexual battery of a juvenile under age 13. Jurors in District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.'s court deliberated less than two hours before returning their verdict against Tyler I. Ford Sr., 29. 

  
  

On September 21, 2023,  Ford's girlfriend found a suspicious note on his phone, which referenced meeting in the bathroom to “do it” and also referenced giving someone shoes or money. When confronted about the note, Ford claimed it had previously been sent to a former girlfriend.  Based on the content of the note, his girlfriend suspected the note had been sent to the 12-year-old victim. When the child’s mother questioned the girl, she disclosed that Ford had been sexually abusing her for several years. The girl was interviewed at the Gingerbread House and that recorded interview, along with the note, was introduced into evidence at trial. Six witnesses, including the child, her mother and the adult sister, testified that Ford committed the crime of sexual battery of a juvenile under the age of 13.

Ford also was sentenced December 16, to serve 50 years in prison at hard labor, with at least 25 years to be served without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. Upon release must register as a sex offender for life.

Assistant District Attorneys Jason Waltman and Ashlin Thomas prosecuted the case. The Caddo Parish Indigent Defenders office represented Ford.

The case was Docket No. 399851.

• A former Caddo Parish man who raped and impregnated a female family member was convicted in Caddo District Court December 18. He faces up to life in prison with the possibility of another 50 years being tacked on when he returns for sentencing January 27, 2026.

  
  

Larry Darby, 61, was unanimously found guilty by jurors in District Judge Chris Victory's court. He was convicted in Texas in 2022 for assaulting a stepchild and most recently lived in the Lone Star state, but he lived in Caddo Parish at the time of these crimes; he also lived in Bossier City earlier, according to Caddo Court records.

The jury found Darby guilty of aggravated rape, two separate counts of aggravated incest and sexual battery. The charges stemmed from the sexual abuse of a biological female relative and brings accountability in a case that began in 2005 and was revived after new corroborating evidence came to light.

Evidence presented at trial established that Darby began assaulting the victim in 2003. He repeatedly attacked her when she was between the ages of 12-18. Jurors heard testimony detailing the abuse, which resulted in serious injuries to the victim. She testified that anytime she tried to resist him, Darby would beat and strangle her. The beatings resulted in the victim losing all of her upper teeth and half of her bottom teeth. She also showed jurors permanent scars on her neck that resulted from Darby’s attacks.

The sexual attacks ultimately resulted in him impregnating her, and she was forced to carry and bear his child.

Aside from the victim, witnesses included an expert in forensic DNA analysis and law enforcement officers who investigated the case in 2005 and in 2022. 

The scientific evidence, DNA, proved that Darby was the father of the woman's child. This scientific evidence played a critical role in the case’s revival after the original investigation stalled years earlier.

During the trial, evidence also was introduced regarding Darby’s prior convictions in Texas in 2022 for assaulting a stepchild, further establishing a pattern of conduct involving the sexual abuse of children.

"This verdict affirms what the victim has known for years," Caddo Parish District Attorney James E. Stewart Sr. said. "While time passed, the truth did not change. Justice delayed does not have to be justice denied."

At his January 27 sentencing, Darby faces a life sentence for the aggravated rape conviction, up to 20 years in prison at hard labor for each of the two aggravated incest convictions and up to 10 years, also at hard labor, for the sexual battery conviction.

Prosecutors with the Caddo DA's Special Victims Unit emphasized that the outcome reflects the jury’s careful consideration of the evidence and the courage it took for the victim to come forward and testify. The case underscores the importance of listening to survivors and ensuring that systems respond appropriately when children disclose abuse.

Assistant District Attorneys Ron Christopher Stamps and Britney A. Green prosecuted Darby. He was defended by John Bokenfohr.

The case was docket No. 396478.

A Shreveport man facing trial on numerous counts in Caddo District Court pleaded guilty December 16, rather than risk enhanced sentencing when his criminal history would be exposed during the legal process.  

Jeremy Shaquille Oneal, 34, facing charges of felony aggravated flight from officers and simple criminal property damage in District Judge Ramona Emanuel's court, was to face a jury of seven women and five men. The case, in docket No. 398664, concerned events of November 11, 2023, when Shreveport police attempted to pull him over for failure to use a turn signal on Jewella Avenue at West 70th Street. After officers activated their lights and sirens Oneal led police on a pursuit with speeds in excess of 25 mph over the posted speed limit, driving west in the eastbound lanes, leaving the roadway and subsequently wrecking his vehicle on Gaywood Lane.

After the jury was sworn and testimony had begun, Oneal chose to plead guilty as charged to all the cases he had pending in Caddo District Court. Besides the immediate charges, he also pleaded guilty as charged to domestic abuse battery (third offense); domestic abuse child endangerment, violation of a protective order with battery of a protected person; and domestic abuse battery with a dangerous weapon. He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor resisting a police officer. 

For the immediate charges, he faces up to five years in prison at hard labor for aggravated flight from officers and up to two years at hard labor for criminal property damage. For domestic abuse battery third offense he faces up to five years at hard labor; for domestic abuse child endangerment ha faces up to three years at hard labor; for violation of a protective order with battery of a protected person he faces up to two years at hard labor; and for domestic abuse battery with a dangerous weapon he could be sentenced to up to 10 years at hard labor.

He will return to Judge Emanuel’s courtroom for sentencing February 19, 2026.

Assistant District Attorneys Fernando Grider Jr. and Senae D. Hall prosecuted Oneal. Defense attorneys were Royal Alexander and Silver Sanders.

Numerous docket numbers were involved in the cases.

A second area teenager who allegedly robbed an elderly woman at gunpoint early last month with an accomplice also will be tried as an adult.

Javonta Black of Bossier City, 16, accused in a November 7, 2025 south Shreveport armed robbery, will be transferred from juvenile court to face prosecution in adult court. As a result of my decision, Black was ordered December 10 by Caddo Parish District Court Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr., to be transferred from the Caddo Parish Juvenile Detention Center to Caddo Correctional Center to await trial.

Black is accused of the armed robbery of a 62-year-old female resident of a Millicent Way apartment complex. Black and Cortavion Ester, also 16, are alleged to have accosted the victim, with both wearing ski masks and one pointing a gun at the victim, who arrived home around 11:30 p.m. to her apartment, robbing her of her cell phone, car keys and car. 

Investigation that night located the stolen car in the MLK area, and calls the following morning from concerned citizens who observed males in a MLK-area field attempting to tear off a vehicle’s license plate led Shreveport police investigators to the vehicle and to Ester who was found walking near the area and still wearing the clothing described by the victim the night before. Ester admitted his involvement. Further investigation led police to Black’s involvement. Ester previously was transferred by District Attorney Stewart to face prosecution in adult court for the armed robbery.

The Louisiana Children's Code, Article 305, provides for the divestiture of juvenile court jurisdiction upon review by the District Attorney for offenders aged 15 years or older for a number of criminal acts, including armed robbery. 

In its session that ended December 18, the Caddo Parish Grand Jury returned five true bills against four Shreveport men, and notably no-true-billed another man.

The no-bill was in connection with the death of a man following a fight in downtown Shreveport in January. Discovery in the case revealed there was insufficient evidence to try the man arrested in connection with the death and that self-defense could not be discounted.

Trevor Moses, 26, was identified by a witness as a suspect in the January 26, 2025, assault on Christopher J. Temple, 43, of Webster Parish. Mr. Temple was struck in the face in the 400 block of Commerce Street following an early morning altercation. After being struck, he fell and the back of his head hit the concrete. He was transported to Ochsner LSU Health hospital for surgery and then was sent to The Carpenter's House Hospice, where he succumbed to his injuries February 15, 2025. He was Shreveport's fifth homicide for the year.

Surveillance footage from the Real-Time Crime Center corroborated the witness's account but did not show Moses delivering the actual blow that knocked Mr. Temple down. Mr. Moses was initially charged on a warrant for second-degree battery and surrendered to authorities February 10, 2025. 

Discovery included surveillance video showing the victim striking Mr. Moses without provocation several times earlier outside a nearby bar prior to the fatal encounter, as well as 14,000 pages of Mr. Temple's medical records that revealed he still had a blood-alcohol level of .205 on January 28, 2025, two days after the incident. Investigation also determined the two men did not know one another and never had met prior to their altercation.

As for the true bills returns, two indictments concerned Jon'Darius Tyruse Scott, 25, of Shreveport, who faces trial on a charge of second-degree murder and on a separate but related charge of illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities. His murder indictment, No. 411315, concerns the July 27, 2025 gunfire slaying of Hailey McDonald. The second indictment concerns the use of a weapon in that slaying. Ms. McDonald, 16, was inside a business in the 1700 block of North Market Street when she was struck by gunfire. She was rushed to Ochsner LSU Health hospital, where she died.

Two indictments for second-degree murder concerned the August 3, 2025 death by gunfire of 26-year-old Sherpatrick Washington. Docket No. 411303 charges Lloyd Noland Graggs, 33, in connection with this crime, while Docket No. 411243 charges Dion Lakarl Randle, 54, for his part in this death. Ms. Washington was shot multiple times in the 1000 block of Dalzell Street.

The final indictment, No. 411463, charged Jacobi Chevez Hughes, 30, with second-degree murder in connection with the September 6, 2025 slaying of Kalisia Franklin. A second count with that true bill charged Hughes with battery on a dating partner-child endangerment in connection with that slaying, due to the presence of a six-month-old child at the scene. Ms. Franklin, 27, was killed during an apparent domestic violence incident with Mr. Hughes, her boyfriend.

Also in December, Louisiana State Police investigations into two fatal Shreveport Police shootings in May concluded, with no further action warranted.

On May 10, at approximately 7:10 p.m., Kuanikwa Ware placed a 911 call to the Shreveport Police Department in reference to her brother, 44-year-old Ricardo Ware, fatally shooting her husband, 35-year-old Randall Jack, in the 8800 block of Yancey Place in Shreveport. Mrs. Ware indicated her brother was walking around in the street in front of the residence, still armed with the gun. At approximately 7:12 p.m. officers were dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, they encountered Mr. Ware standing in the middle of the street in front of the residence, still armed with a gun. Ware was encouraged by relatives and the police to drop his weapon. Ware responded to police, “It’s between us.” Police and relatives continued to ask Ware to drop the gun. Six tasers were deployed in an effort to take him down, while police and relatives continued to encourage him to drop the gun. Ware yelled to one officer, “Whatever man,” turning towards the officer, discharging his weapon. That’s when the officers returned fire. 

One week later, on May 18, at approximately 1:49 p.m., Shreveport Police officers Dustin Kennemer and Ashley Heflin were dispatched to the corner of Cotton and Marshall streets, downtown, in reference to a man armed with a gun attempting to carjack a vehicle. Three minutes later, the officers arrived in the 300 block of Crockett Street and located a man matching the description given by dispatch. The officers encouraged Brandon Dewayne Davenport, 32, to show his hands and get on the ground. Davenport then lifted his t-shirt, pulling a gun, and pointed it toward the officers. That’s when police fired a taser, then several shots. Davenport’s family said he had mental health issues.

Our office marked some happy and festive moments in December as well.

• Continuing a tradition that dates to my first year in this office, on December 15 we presented hundreds of deserving Caddo Parish students with new bicycles in time for Christmas.

Kindergarten students benefitted this year, with almost 160 bikes given to kindergarten students at Walnut Hill Elementary School, and 90 going to kindergarteners at J.S. Clark Elementary.

Sponsoring the event this year with our office were Patrick C. Williams, the Law Office of Yves M. Verrett, III, Susette Bryant, Roxanne Williams, Red River Pump Specialists, Inc., Monique Metoyer, Lori Graham Attorney at Law, Horseshoe Casino & Resort, Bally’s Casino Shreveport, Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers, Ebonee Norris Norris Law Group, Patterson Gaming, Shann Jackson Law Group, Patrick R. Jackson Professional Law Corp., The Hill Law Firm, Richard E. Hiller Law Office, Scott Crichton, Casten & Pearce, Wilkinson, Carmody & Gilliam Attorneys at Law, Tommie’s Novelty Gaming, Food Junction, Ronald J. Miciotto Attorney at Law, Monarch One, Mark Miciotto, Stockwell Professional Plaza, ALB Ventures, Tim Huck, Holland J. Miciotto Law Office, Cypress Research, AG Bailey Enterprises, Timothy H. Brown, Broadmoor Timber, Navdeep Samra, John E. Settle Jr., Justin Smith, James K. Elrod, Ross Owen, Dr. Tonya M. Clayton Healing Grace Medicine, Jaqueline Scott Attorney at Law, William Douglas, Monica Mickle and Academy Sports Manager “Doug.”

• On December 18, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court was the setting for deserved pats-on-the-back for four students whose improved attendance and grades earned praise from court officials.

  
  

The students, accompanied by family members, were present to pose for photos and accept gift cards. They were introduced by court staffers who have been helping them through challenges facing many area students. The four Caddo Parish schools students, from elementary school-aged to GED programs-age, received Christmas gift card awards. 

We should be joyful that these young people have taken positive steps. They have a lot in front of them. We just give them a push and a little help. I want them to continue that road forward. 

Juvenile Court Judge Natalie Howell also offered words of encouragement to the young scholars.

"I just couldn't be prouder of each of you," she said, noting the improvement the students have made in attendance and grades. "I try to encourage you because you all are worth it. It doesn't matter where you begin; you just have to show up. More than half the battle is showing up. And once you are there, it will get better. It will get easier. You are examples of that. Don't ever give up. Keep working hard, keep pushing forward." 

On those happier notes, I wish you all a Happy New Year!

James E. Stewart Sr.

Caddo Parish District Attorney