Young men who desecrated property acknowledge fault
The young men responsible for two incidents involving the desecration of road signs and damage of mailboxes in Dubberly offered a public apology Thursday to the residents.
The apologies occurred during a public meeting held in the Police Jury room at the Webster Parish Courthouse.
Webster Parish District Attorney Schuyler Marvin, who hosted the event, welcomed a capacity crowd, including Dubberly Police Chief Charles Mims, who was targeted by some of the graffiti.
Marvin said his intent for the meeting was to open a dialogue to discuss the racial tension caused by the spray painted road signs and provide a forum in which the accused, if they so chose, could make a statement. Marvin also stressed that anything said during the meeting would not be used against the young men in a court of law.
The six arrested in connection to the racist and sexual remarks spray painted on numerous road signs were charged with various counts of felony criminal damage to property and hate crimes.
Two others, Casey Ryan Harlon, 18, of Heflin and Ethan Cody Harris, 18, of Dubberly, were not involved with the painting of the road signs, but were charged with criminal damage to property for damaging mailboxes.
All of the accused except two were present and joined by their parents and attorneys. Ethan Harris, who was not charged for spray painting signs and Dustin Butler, who is currently completing boot camp, did not attend.
Harlon told the packed house he had made a “bad decision” and he was truly sorry for his actions. He said thanks to the support he has received from the community and his church, he believed he can be a “better man.”
Jeffery Allan Anderson, Jr., 19, of Sibley, apologized for the stress he had caused the residents of Dubberly and said he needed to “grow up” and take responsibility for his actions.
Dustin Butler, who was not present, took it upon himself to apologize to residents soon after the incident occurred. His parents, Alan and Sandy Kimmell, attended the meeting and again offered an apology on behalf of their son.
“He made a stupid decision just like everyone in this room has in some part of their lives,” said Kimmell, who again asked, on her son’s behalf, for the community to forgive his actions.
Brandon Michael Bookston, 19, of Dubberly, apologized to those present, saying he had offended the community and his neighbors and had brought shame to himself. He also gave his word that he would never do anything of this nature again.
Craig Ryan Bourn, 20, of Heflin, told the crowd he was sorry for painting the signs, adding it was not his intention to scare or offend anyone.
Brandon Ryan Deloach, 19, of Dubberly, apologized and said his actions had brought him shame. In addition, the recently enlisted young man said his behavior was already affecting his future, as the Air Force had declined his service.
Most of the Dubberly residents present indicated their desire for the young men to understand the effect their actions had on the community.
Resident Frankie Jacobs said she was very hurt when she read the graffiti-covered signs. What made it worse was that her six-year-old granddaughter, who could read, was with her at the time.
“She asked me what does KKK and the N word mean,” said Jacobs.
She also commended Dustin Butler for taking the initiative to apologize to the community.
“That was a good move on his part,” she said, adding that she did not believe the young men’s lives should be ruined because of their actions.
Many others agreed with Jacobs, but stressed the accused should face the consequences as allowed by law. Resident Johnny Charles said he would like to see the young men’s sentence include diversity and cultural training. “That would go a long way for what they’ve done,” he said.
There were five pastors present at the meeting, representing Dubberly, Heflin and Sibley.
Pastor James E. Smith of Galilee Baptist Church said he would like to see something positive come out of the situation. He encouraged the entire parish to work together to address racial conflict.
Marvin brought up the Ministerial Alliance, at which time Smith informed him that the group had not held a meeting in several years.
The annual meeting included a parish-wide assemblage of ministers who shared an evening meal followed by a speaker.
“They would talk about the need for unity and other issues facing the community,” said Marvin. “That was a great thing — I attended several of those meetings over the years.”
Marvin said if Smith would plan a meeting, he would foot the bill.
All of the ministers present, including Bistineau Baptist Church Pastor Mike Welch and Sibley Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Jeff Franklin, who spoke during the meeting on behalf of two of the young — members of their congregation — met following the meeting to discuss what they can do to promote unity within the parish.
Following the meeting, Marvin said it took a lot of courage for the young men to stand before those they offended, and he believed that each of them had offered a sincere apology.
Marvin did not want to compare Dubberly’s incident with what occurred in Jena in 2006 but said he wanted to address the racial tension that had developed — something the city of Jena failed to do.
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