GUIZERIX: Something’s in the water in Vicksburg, but law enforcement made quick work

Published 4:00 am Wednesday, February 23, 2022

After the events of last weekend, I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t leave town again.

Everyone and their mother — literally — decided to commit a crime in my absence, making for a messy weekend for local law enforcement and for our newsroom staff at The Post. From a man robbing a local business and injuring its owner, to an argument between two women at Walmart turning violent, it seemed as though tensions were high.

I’m not here to complain about the high crime rate or criticize our society for creating an environment where bad things happen to undeserving people. I’m also not here to criticize our local law enforcement officers.

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Instead, I wanted to use this week’s column to recognize the hard work of the men and women at the Vicksburg Police Department and Warren County Sheriff’s Office over the weekend.

The mayhem began on Friday, when a man and a woman — not two women, as some media outlets reported — were lured to Vicksburg under the guise of purchasing a car and ended up being robbed at gunpoint. It’s a wonder they weren’t seriously hurt or killed, but VPD made sure to get the word out to others, even reaching out the following day to make sure the public knew the suspects are not thought to be residents of the McAuley neighborhood where the incident took place.

On Saturday morning, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office was on the hunt for a suspect who was out on parole for murder and violated the terms of his parole. He led officers on a high-speed chase in the Bovina community before fleeing on foot and ultimately being tracked down with the help of K-9 officers.

Then, the owner of Michel’s Record Shop, Timmie Fedell, was assaulted Saturday when her store was robbed, allegedly by a man from Leland. As horrible as the assault and robbery was, the Vicksburg Police Department made quick work of the case, arresting the suspect in the act of breaking and entering at the Divine Donuts shop on Clay Street several hours later.

In all honesty, I thought the lawbreakers might take the Sabbath Day off as a day of rest. But apparently, there’s no rest for the wicked (or the reporters covering crime).

Around noon on Sunday, a call came in reporting shots fired at Walmart. There are several scenarios that ran through my mind: perhaps it was an accidental discharge of a firearm, a disgruntled employee or maybe a robbery attempt gone bad.

I have to say, “Two women getting in an argument and one playing quick-draw, hitting someone who wasn’t the intended target” was not on my weekend crime Bingo card.

But once again, our first responders and law enforcement officers rose to the occasion, with two off-duty fire department officers administering first aid to the gunshot victim until ambulances arrived. The suspect turned herself in to the Madison Parish Sheriff’s Office not long after.

Thus ended our weekend crime spree, one that was equal parts challenging and remarkably busy.

Thank you to our law enforcement officers for working tirelessly this past weekend, and every day, to keep us safe. Here’s hoping you get to take a well-deserved break soon.