The 318: Officer jaw broken after Caddo Jail attack, Shreveport buys movie studio
Did you catch Gary Clark, Jr. at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium Thursday night? The 37-year-old Austin, Texas native used his bluesy virtuoso guitar style and signature falsetto singing to woo the crowd with some of his most well-known songs, including "Bright Lights," "Pearl Cadillac" and "Our Love."
Officer injured after accused violent offender breaks her jaw
Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator is sounding off about the overcrowding at Caddo Correctional Facility.
The violence from long-housed inmates became real, again, on Monday when 25-year-old Willie Lee Rochelle attacked two officers.
The injured officer sustained a broken jaw in the altercation.
This incident is the third time in the three years Rochelle's been housed at the jail that he has become violent with staff.
“Three years awaiting trial is ridiculous,” Prator wrote in a press release earlier this week. “It is well-established that to deter crime the punishment must be swift and certain. Law enforcement is doing its job by making arrests, but between dismissals and delays there is nothing swift or certain about justice in Caddo Parish.”
Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator believes a spike in violent crime seen in Shreveport and in local jails in recent years is caused by an increasingly common practice of postponing trials amongst local judges and district attorneys.
Animation, visual effects company bringing jobs to Shreveport's Millennium Studio
The City of Shreveport's purchase of the long-defunct Millennium Studios and its housing of an animation company was announced at a press conference by Mayor Adrian Perkins Thursday afternoon on the studio's campus.
Animation and visual effects company Troubled Muse will make the move to Shreveport to operate from Millennium Studios and promises to bring 53 jobs to the area in year one paying an average salary of $74,000.
Troubled Muse will create original content for film and television, specializing in animation, visual effects, and motion capture.
Southern University of Shreveport will be offering film production classes and apprenticeships with the hopes of building a world-class film production employee base.
Winter weather causes schools, roads and more to close
Once the National Weather Services said Thursday night that a wintry weather system would be entering Caddo and Bossier Parish overnight causing icy roads, the Louisiana Department of Transportation announced it would close a number of roads while a number of area schools also announced they would be closing.
LaDOTD closed I-49 North, I-220, I-49 Urban at LA526, Benton Road Overpass, and 7300 block of West Bert Kouns.
In education, closures were announced by the Caddo Parish School District, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Northwestern State University’s Shreveport campus, and The Bossier Parish Community College campus.
Caddo Parish commissioners approve $100,000 Ring surveillance camera distribution program
Caddo Parish commissioners approved an ordinance at their Tuesday work session that would allow the Parish to give out potentially $100,000 worth of Ring doorbell surveillance cameras to citizens.
The program was created to deter violent crime.
Participants will be required participating residents to register their devices with the Shreveport RealTime Crime Center and give law enforcement access to the footage, according to the ordinance approved for the initiative. The first year would be a pilot program.
“The data and information will help us decide if this is a program we want to carry on after the first year,” said commissioner Lyndon B. Johnson.
Check out The 318 every Sunday for a summary of the biggest headlines of the past seven days.
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If you'd like to know more about art, food and entertainment from this week, check out Life in the 318.
Kendrick Dante writes for the USA Today Network and is a government watchdog reporter in Shreveport, Louisiana. He enjoys cooking, concerts, and content. Email him at kdbrown1@gannett.com or connect on Twitter @kendrickdante.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: The 318: Officer injured after attack at Caddo Jail attack
