District Attorney, Asa A. Skinner reported that Judge Vernon B. Clark, Division A of the 30th Judicial District Court, imposed sentences in two felony cases on August 13, 2010.
Darrell Wayne Westmoreland, of Leesville, was convicted by a Vernon Parish jury on February 11, 2010 of having committed simple arson. Ten of the twelve jurors voted to find him guilty of starting four separate forest fires on or about February 25, 2008.
Clark ordered Westmoreland to pay a $1,000 fine and costs of court and sentenced him to serve six years in prison. Although the prison sentence was suspended and Westmoreland was placed on supervised probation for three years, Clark also ordered him to serve one year in the Vernon Parish Jail as a condition of his probation. Restitution to three different owners of fire damaged timber totaled $20,825 and was ordered to be paid as another condition of probation. Before imposing sentence Clark denied the defendant’s post trial motions for a directed judgment of acquittal.
“You set a fire to a forest in Vernon Parish, whether it’s national forest, government owned forest, or whether it’s privately owned forest, and you’re not going to get a slap on the wrist. You’re going to get a severe punishment and you better consider that before you strike a match and set fire to woods,” Clark told Westmoreland in imposing the sentence.
Prosecution of the case was handled by Assistant District Attorney Ronald Seastrunk. Westmoreland was represented by Elvin C. Fontenot, Jr.
Cory R. Howard, of Leesville, was sentenced to serve five years in prison for possession of schedule II cocaine and ordered to pay costs of court. He was also sentenced to six months in jail for possession of paraphernalia and thirty days in jail on a traffic violation of no headlights. He was also ordered to pay court costs on both of those offenses.
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District Attorney, Asa A. Skinner reported that Judge Vernon B. Clark, Division A of the 30th Judicial District Court, imposed sentences in two felony cases on August 13, 2010.
Darrell Wayne Westmoreland, of Leesville, was convicted by a Vernon Parish jury on February 11, 2010 of having committed simple arson. Ten of the twelve jurors voted to find him guilty of starting four separate forest fires on or about February 25, 2008.
Clark ordered Westmoreland to pay a $1,000 fine and costs of court and sentenced him to serve six years in prison. Although the prison sentence was suspended and Westmoreland was placed on supervised probation for three years, Clark also ordered him to serve one year in the Vernon Parish Jail as a condition of his probation. Restitution to three different owners of fire damaged timber totaled $20,825 and was ordered to be paid as another condition of probation. Before imposing sentence Clark denied the defendant’s post trial motions for a directed judgment of acquittal.
“You set a fire to a forest in Vernon Parish, whether it’s national forest, government owned forest, or whether it’s privately owned forest, and you’re not going to get a slap on the wrist. You’re going to get a severe punishment and you better consider that before you strike a match and set fire to woods,” Clark told Westmoreland in imposing the sentence.
Prosecution of the case was handled by Assistant District Attorney Ronald Seastrunk. Westmoreland was represented by Elvin C. Fontenot, Jr.
Cory R. Howard, of Leesville, was sentenced to serve five years in prison for possession of schedule II cocaine and ordered to pay costs of court. He was also sentenced to six months in jail for possession of paraphernalia and thirty days in jail on a traffic violation of no headlights. He was also ordered to pay court costs on both of those offenses.
