William Randall “Randy” Reviere
July 16, 1958 - February 6, 2026
District Attorney Collin Sims reports that on Monday, February 2, 2026, 27-year-old Marrio Haynes, Jr. of Covington, Louisiana was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 60 years following his conviction for the 2023 murder of 23-year-old Juwarren Martin. The sentencing took place in Division J before the Honorable Vincent J. Lobello.
Click here for previous related stories
In a packed courtroom, Judge Lobello handed down the following sentences:
Judge Lobello ordered the sentences for Counts 2 and 3 to run consecutively to the life sentence, effectively totaling Life plus 60 years. During the proceedings, Judge Lobello addressed Haynes directly, stating, “You have zero remorse for what you did. It was the most cowardly act that I’ve seen.”
The sentencing was marked by emotional testimony from the family of Juwarren Martin. One family member spoke to the lasting void left by the defendant’s actions, noting that Martin’s son must now grow up without a father. “You’re a coward,” the family member told the defendant. “Your life had potential and you threw that away – nobody else but you.” Another family member also addressed the court, expressing her disdain for the defendant’s lack of sympathy throughout the trial. Haynes declined to make a statement before the court.
The sentencing follows a guilty verdict returned by a St. Tammany Parish jury on January 8, 2026. The evidence presented at trial by Assistant District Attorneys Tiffany Dover and Shelby Stoop detailed a “deadly ambush” on December 26, 2023.
Following a verbal grievance involving Haynes’ girlfriend, Megan Ayanna Coleman, and the victim’s sister, Haynes sought out Martin at a gas station in Lacombe. Armed with an AR-15 style rifle, Haynes approached Martin from behind and fired a single fatal shot into his torso. Haynes, a previously convicted felon, was later apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service in Kentwood, Louisiana.
“Today’s sentence ensures that Mr. Haynes will never again be a threat to the peace and safety of our community,” said District Attorney Collin Sims. “This was a calculated, cold-blooded execution of a young man. While no amount of time can return Juwarren to his family, we hope this life sentence provides them with the justice they deserve. My office remains committed to holding violent offenders fully accountable for their actions.”
The co-defendant in this matter, Megan Ayanna Coleman, is charged with Principal to Second Degree Murder and Obstruction of Justice. Her trial is scheduled to begin in April 2026. She is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO) reports the February 5, 2026 arrest of 47-year-old Chad Basso, an Independence man, for having an inappropriate relationship with a teenager. Basso was booked on one count of Carnal Knowledge of a Juvenile.
In the past few days, TPSO was alerted to allegations of sexual abuse involving Basso. Detectives determined that Basso met an individual online last year who was actually a 15-year-old from Tangipahoa Parish. Basso was an area school teacher at the time, but the teen is not a student at the school where Basso is employed.
The investigation confirmed Basso and the teen eventually met in person and had a sexual relationship including interactions at Basso’s home. A warrant was then issued for Basso’s arrest and he was taken into custody.
***All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty***
This investigation is still ongoing and includes the full cooperation of the Tangipahoa Parish School System.
Sheriff Gerald Sticker encourages parents to closely and consistently monitor their children’s activities and conversations on the internet, especially on social media.
The Washington Parish School System invites homeschool students to participate in LEAP testing
this year!
To sign up, contact the school within your district by March 2, 2026 if you would like your child to participate.
If you have questions, please reach out to your local school for additional details.
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office reports that 30-year-old Maricia Casnave of Lacombe has been identified as the victim of a fatal crash with multiple additional injuries that occurred in the Hammond area last week. Just after 7 p.m. on Thursday (January 29, 2026), TPSO was notified of a one-vehicle crash at the traffic circle on North Hoover Road and Sisters Road.
The initial investigation revealed that a 2011 Toyota Camry was traveling south on North Hoover when it entered the roundabout at Sisters Road at a high rate of speed. The vehicle lost control, traveling into the yard of a business, where it hit a tree. Casnave, the front seat passenger, was not wearing a seatbelt and died at the scene. Four other people in the vehicle, including a juvenile, were all unrestrained and were hospitalized with various levels of injuries. Two remain hospitalized today (February 5, 2026).
This investigation is ongoing pending possible criminal charges. The TPSO is asking anyone with information about this incident, who witnessed the crash or who stopped to help at the scene, to contact detectives at 985-748-8147 ext. 2081.
The TPSO wants to remind all drivers that while not all crashes are survivable, wearing seat belts correctly can be the difference between life and death and can significantly reduce the severity of injuries sustained in a crash.
February 4, 2026 Burning Memo - Fire Safety Conditions
We are currently experiencing very dry conditions, and much of the vegetation across Washington Parish is dormant and highly combustible. With seasonal dry vegetation and windy conditions, outdoor burning poses a serious risk. Just this past weekend, our parish responded to three separate fires. Forecasts also show little to no chance of rain over the next several days, which will only increase the danger. We strongly urge residents to be mindful of these conditions and to avoid burning at this time. A single spark can quickly turn into a dangerous situation. Please help us protect lives, property, and our first responders by using extra caution during this dry period.
Washington Parish President
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO) is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a suspected drug dealer following a joint operation this week that uncovered numerous deadly narcotics as well as weapons.
Ledeven “Phat” Edwards, age 35, is currently wanted on three counts of Possession with Intent to Distribute Schedule II narcotics and one count each of Possession of Schedule I narcotics, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Weapons While in Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substances (CDS), Convicted Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Creation/Operation of a Clandestine Lab, and Resisting an Officer.
Following months of investigating, TPSO Narcotics detectives, assisted by the Hammond Police Department and the DEA’s Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (F.O.R.T.), conducted a search warrant at a home on James Road in Amite where Edwards was confirmed to have been selling Fentanyl, Meth, Marijuana, and various prescription pills.
That search turned up fentanyl, marijuana and evidence of drug production and distribution. In addition, detectives found a semi-automatic gun with a 90-round drum magazine as well as a 30-round magazine for a different weapon not on site at the time of this operation.
Edwards is a convicted felon and is considered armed and dangerous. If you know where Edwards is, please contact our Criminal Investigations Office at 985-902-2088. If you’d prefer to share information anonymously, you can do so through Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa’s tip line at 1-800-554-5245 or visit www.tangicrimestoppers.com and click on the P3 Tips icon or Submit A Tip! Tips submitted directly through Crimestoppers may be eligible for a cash reward.
***All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty***
Reported by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office
“𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮'𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤... 𝙮𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣"
That line came from a message we received from a local citizen who wanted to make sure two deputies were recognized after rescuing him and two others during dangerous conditions on the water.
In his message, he described how on Saturday morning his boat’s anchor slipped while duck hunting, causing the vessel to drift nearly two miles away away from them while they were in the marsh. With temperatures well below freezing, strong winds around 25 mph, and rough water, the three hunters were left stranded in a marshy area and facing the very real threat of exposure.
He went on to say the deputies who responded were “covered in ice head to toe” and that he didn’t feel he got the chance to properly thank them for stepping in without hesitation.
Saturday morning around 8:30 a.m., Deputy Joey Schwindling of our Marine Division was dispatched to the Goose Point area of Lacombe. Deputy Schwindling deployed a Sheriff’s Office mud boat, despite being covered in water and ice from the rough waves, he safely rescued all three individuals, bringing them out of the dangerous conditions.
After the hunters were safe, Deputy Schwindling and Sergeant Jared Mire returned to the area and retrieved the unmanned boat, returning it to its owners.
Because when conditions are at their worst, service doesn’t stop.
It’s almost time to let the good times roll! 🥳
🎭 MARDI GRAS PARADE
📅 Saturday, February 7
🕛 Parade starts at 12PM
📍 Hwy 38
👑 Featuring King & Queen Congressman Cleo and Debra Fields
🎺 Special appearances by the Southern University Band, Bogalusa High School Band, and Amite County Band
Bring the family, grab your beads, and come celebrate Mardi Gras Kentwood-style! 💜💛💚
On Wednesday (January 28, 2026), detectives with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office Narcotics Unit conducted an investigation into illegal drug activity by 51-year-old Wilfred James Deas, a suspected drug dealer residing in the 59000 block of North Preachers Oak Lane in Slidell. Contact was made with Deas, who has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1993 that includes convictions related to violent felonies, narcotics, and weapons offenses.
A search warrant was obtained for Deas’s residence, which led to the discovery and seizure of the following items: 53 grams of marijuana, 35 grams of crack cocaine, 1 gram of powder cocaine, 11 unlawfully possessed Suboxone strips, 53 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl designed to resemble 30mg Oxycodone, a stolen Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun, a digital scale used to weigh illegal narcotics, and an assortment of baggies used for street-level drug distribution.
Deas was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center on the appropriate charges.
***All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty***
It has been a cold week for Louisiana agriculture, and that’s the theme of this week’s show. A stretch of unusually cold weather has brought freezing temperatures, ice, and sleet, impacting livestock, farm infrastructure, crawfish production, and specialty crops from north to south. From how farmers are protecting animals and crops to what the cold could mean for the weeks ahead, we take a closer look at agriculture across the state.
Managing Winter Weeds in Lawns
Good cultural practices are the foundation of good weed management. If turfgrass isn’t healthy, bare or thin spots provide openings for weed growth. Healthy turfgrass is better able to compete with weeds.
For lawns, good cultural practices include applying fertilizer at the recommended times and rates, mowing at an appropriate height, and having the soil pH (acidity or alkalinity) within the optimum range for the type of turfgrass that you have. It also involves avoiding or reducing soil compaction by, for example, core aerating from time to time.
People sometimes wait until weeds are really obvious to do something about them, but if you’re going to use an herbicide, it’s better to do it while weeds are small. Post-emergence herbicides are more effective at this stage. (Post-emergence herbicides are what we use once weeds are present. Pre-emergence herbicides are used to prevent seed germination.)
Not only are weeds easier to kill when they’re small, but it’s important to kill them before they flower and produce seed. Annual weeds and many perennial weeds come back from seed. (Seeds of cool-season weeds generally begin germinating around October in southern Louisiana.) If weeds are allowed to go to seed, there is more potential for problems in the future.
The winter weed I probably get the most questions about is lawn burweed, or “stickers.” Lawn burweed produces spines as it produces seeds. Once the spine is there, even if you manage to kill the plant with an herbicide, this spine will still be there to stick in feet that run barefoot around the yard.
Lawn burweed is a broadleaf annual weed, as are chickweed and henbit. There are a number of tools in the in the toolbox for managing cool-season broadleaf weeds in turf.
Herbicides containing the combination of 2,4-D, dicamba, and mecoprop are commonly available and effective on a wide range of broadleaf weeds. Combinations of penoxulam, sulfentrazone, 2,4-D, and dicamba have become available in home lawn herbicides, as well. Metsulfuron is likewise effective on a wide range of broadleaf weeds.
There are herbicides with the above-mentioned ingredients can be used on most of the warm season turfgrasses that we grow, including centipedegrass, zoysiagrass, bermudagrass, and St. Augustinegrass. (Some products cannot be used on the St. Augustinegrass variety Floratam.) Check the label of a product to make sure it's labeled for the type of turfgrass you have before using it.
Besides broadleaf weeds, we have some weeds that are grasses. Annual bluegrass is a common cool-season annual weed that tends to be a problem in areas with compacted soils.
It can be hard to kill a grassy weed that is growing in turfgrass, and there are more pre-emergence than post-emergence herbicide options for managing annual bluegrass in centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass. However, atrazine is an option in some cases. It has both pre-emergence and post-emergence activity on annual bluegrass and is effective on many broadleaf weeds, as well.
At least one home lawn atrazine product is only labeled for use on centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass, but some commercial atrazine-containing herbicides are labeled for use on zoysiagrass and bermudagrass, also. Do not use atrazine over the root zones of trees or shrubs.
When using post-emergence herbicides, it’s important to use them on weeds that are actively growing. Warm days (temperatures above 60 degrees F) in January and February are generally good times to use a post-emergence herbicide for winter weeds, if needed.
Be sure to read and follow label instructions when using any herbicide or other pesticide.
Let me know if you have questions.
Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages
Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).