Washington Parish Deputy Sheriffs at Back-to-School Bash at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Mt. Hermon

On Monday (August 4, 2025) night, District One Commander Captain Kevin Bond and Deputy First Class Mitchell Nesmith attended the first-ever back-to-school bash at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Mt. Hermon.

As representatives of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office, Bond and Nesmith spoke to the children in attendance about the dangers of social media and the internet, and reminded them to be themselves as they return to school this week.

“It’s a dark world that we live in nowadays. You’re going to see other kids doing things at school that are ‘trending’ or popular, but you don’t have to do something just because everyone else is doing it. Just be yourself. In our culture, we praise people for putting others down, but you can be the ones who lift others up. We all plug in our phones every night to recharge; make sure you’re plugging yourself in to the man upstairs and recharging yourself too,” Capt. Bond said.

Speaking to the parents in the audience, Pastor Saulsberry said, “YOU run your household, YOU control the cell phones, and it’s your job to be the parent as our kids go back to school. Kids these days face a lot of challenges that we didn’t have to worry about years ago. Don’t dismiss their concerns, be involved in their lives, and we can prevent a lot of the trouble before it ever gets started.”

DFC Nesmith added, “You can be the person that does the right thing, and if you see someone messing up or doing something they aren’t supposed to, tell your teachers, tell your parents, or tell us at the Sheriff’s Office. We are all here to help you and keep you safe in any way that we can.”

A big thanks goes out to Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church for inviting us out to participate in their back-to-school services and for providing school supplies for the children in attendance.