Press Release from Washington Parish Sheriff Jason Smith
Ten people were arrested and booked into the Washington Parish Jail this morning (September 17, 2026) following simultaneous arrest and search warrants executed at multiple locations in Bogalusa. Two of those arrested are charged with second degree murder. Four of the people were arrested for various violations unrelated to this investigation.
The investigation began with three overdose deaths in Washington Parish. Our deputies did not close those cases as overdoses. They worked them as homicides.
Over the course of that work, deputies developed intelligence identifying six people and multiple locations tied to a drug distribution network operating in and around Bogalusa. As the scope grew beyond what my office could carry alone, we brought in partners. This morning, those partners delivered.
Dozens of electronic devices, firearms, and records that were seized during these searches are now being examined, and that work is just beginning. Among the seized items, more than one kilogram of suspected fentanyl was recovered.
Arrested and booked into the Washington Parish Jail:
- Savannah Stephens — Second-Degree Murder, Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Conspiracy
- John Stewart — Second-Degree Murder (as a principal), Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Conspiracy
- Whitney Sykes — Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Conspiracy, Money Laundering
- Randy King Jr., also known as "Weezy" — Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Conspiracy, Money Laundering
- Joshua King, also known as "MoneyMakinJosh" — Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Conspiracy, Money Laundering
- Brandon Lotts — Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule I, II, and IV Controlled Dangerous Substances, Conspiracy, and Transactions Involving Proceeds from Drug Offenses
What today means
Over this summer, three families in this parish have buried someone. Today, two people are charged with murder.
That is the change everyone should understand. A fatal overdose is no longer a closed file in this parish. It is a homicide investigation, and it will be worked like one.
Today's charges reflect what we can prove today, but the investigation is open and ongoing. We will continue to look for anyone who did business with these individuals. People who come to us first will have options that the people we come to later will not.
Our partners
We achieved this level of cooperation because we worked on building relationships before we needed them. We’ve made these relationships a priority for the last two years and I am grateful for the assistance of the Fentanyl Overdose Response Team of the DEA’s New Orleans Division; District Attorney Collin Sims of the 22nd Judicial District; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Slidell Police Department; the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; the Bogalusa Police Department; Customs and Border Patrol, New Orleans Air and Marine Branch; the Division of Probation and Parole under the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections; the Louisiana Army Reserve and National Guard; the Harrison County Sheriff's Office; Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office; U.S. Secret Service; and the Louisiana State Police.
Our deputies
This started with our deputies, and it should be said that they made this happen. They developed the information, built the relationships that produced it, and turned it into intelligence a federal task force could act on. That is difficult work, done over months, mostly without anyone watching, and I am proud of them.
Going forward
Bogalusa is worth the effort. The people who live there are entitled to the same expectation of safety as anyone else in this parish, and I intend to keep working until they have it. We are not finished in Bogalusa, and we are not doing it alone. Any agency, any pastor, any business owner, any neighborhood association, any parent, and any person with information who wants the same things I do has me on their team. I do not care who gets credit for a safer Bogalusa. I care that it gets safer and my door is open to anyone who shares that goal.
All charges are accusations. Every person named in this release is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Press conference
Media will have the opportunity to ask questions at a press conference at 11:00 a.m. On Friday, September 18, 2026 at the Washington Parish Courthouse in Franklinton.
Sheriff Jason Smith
No comments:
Post a Comment