Bossier Parish Police Jury members voted unanimously Wednesday to seek an injunction to prevent a weekend event advertised as a Friday 4-wheeler ride and a Saturday trail ride, with musical performances scheduled later both evenings.
With the vote, the police jury authorized the parish attorney to file for an immediate injunction in 26th Judicial District Court against the promoter and the landowner.
According to flyers advertising the trail ride, the location of the event is listed as 165 Fullwood Rd., Princeton. Jury members also voted to close Fullwood Rd. to all but local traffic for the two days.
Parish Administrator Bill Altimus told the jury that an application for the event, reportedly sponsored by Bossmane Riding Club, had been denied in April. Altimus said a committee that studies such requests had found serious problems with past similar
events.
Major Charles Gray with the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office said the department has no problems with a trail ride, but pointed to an incident that occurred in DeSoto Parish last weekend as a reason for concern.
News reports show that during a similar trail ride/concert in Grand Cane on Saturday, June 12, gunshots were fired and one person was wounded. EMTs responding to the scene could not get to the victim because of the crowd size and traffic at the site.
“We don’t want happening here what happened in DeSoto Parish,” Gray told the jury. We have no problem with trail ride, it’s the after-party that goes on.”
BPSO Chief Duane Huddleston said attempts to contact promoters of the event have been unsuccessful.
“We have contact information, but we have not been able to contact them at all,” he said. “When the original permit was denied we thought it was over, but we kept seeing on social media that the party is still on.”
Huddleston said DeSoto Parish has experienced shooting incidents at two similar events. He, too, said the trail rides are not the problem.
“Those (rides) start early but this is really an outdoor concert. That’s the event where shootings are occurring across the state,” he said. “Thousands show up, they’re drinking, some have weapons and there are arguments.
That’s when problems arise.”
A flyer for the event claims wrist bands for admittance have sold out.
“Social media sites are saying the party is still on and that the parish has blessed it, which is not true,” Huddleston said. “An injunction will be the best issue for us. We will have deputies there and we can turn people around.”
In other business at Wednesday’s meeting, police jury members:
- Awarded bid for Bay Hills subdivision construction entrance improvements project, in accordance with bids received June 11, 2021.
- Awarded bid for Belmere subdivision entrance improvements project, in accordance with bids received June 11, 2021.
- Awarded bid for Project No. 2019-127, realignment of Linton Road bridge over Flat River, in accordance with bids received June 15, 2021.
- Agreed to rebid for Project No. 2019-128, White Oak ditch improvements, in accordance with bids received June 15, 2021.
- Approved application of Rodolfo Vargas, El Patio Bossier, to the Bossier City-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission, for a conditional use approval for the sale of high and low content alcohol for on premise consumption at a restaurant located at
5515 Airline Drive, Bossier City. (Located on Airline Drive next to Hartz Chicken Buffet.)
- Approved application of the Bossier City-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission to review and approve the Alcohol Density Conditional Use Overlay District.
- Scheduled a public hearing on July 21 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of Kingston Plantation subdivision, Unit No. 9, being a plat relocating the front building setback of Lots 237-239 of correction plat of Kingston Plantation
subdivision, Unit No. 5. (Located off Smokehouse Loop.)
- Scheduled a public hearing on July 21 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of Water’s Edge, Cypress, Phase 2 subdivision, Unit No. 2, being a replat of Lots 63-68, Water’s Edge, Cypress, Phase 2 subdivision. (Located
off Fritchton Street.)
- Scheduled a public hearing on July 21 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of Montgomery Suburban Acres subdivision, Unit No. 1-B, being a resubdivision of Lots 29, 30 and 31, Montgomery Suburban Acres subdivision. (Located
off Linton Road.)
- Accepted report on meeting of the Consolidated Waterworks/Sewerage District No. 1 Board of Appeals.
- Adopted an ordinance amending Ordinance No. 4747, previously adopted on November 6, 2019, to reflect creation of certain alphabetical splits required by the Louisiana Secretary of State.
- Adopted an ordinance establishing new precinct polling places for the Parish of Bossier to reflect creation of certain alphabetical splits required by the Louisiana Secretary of State.
- Adopted a Citizen Participation Plan/Citizen Complaint Procedure, and approved the appointment of Parish Administrator as Citizen Complaint Officer in connection with the FY 2022 and FY 2023 Louisiana Community Development Block Grant Program.
- Adopted a resolution of acknowledgement and consent of the City of Bossier City dated May 6, 2021, in accordance with La. R.S. 33:180.
- Tabled until July 21 an appointment to the Board of Commissioners for Bossier Parish Fire District No. 7 for term expiring July 31, 2021.
- Approved Bossier Parish Levee District Encroachment Permit No. 2021-08 for the Consolidated Waterworks/Sewerage District No. 1 of the Parish of Bossier, in connection with a new force main in St. Charles Court Village subdivision, Unit No. 9.
