Arrests Expected After High School Student Hangs Noose At Ball Field

Arrests are anticipated in the case of a Westminster Christian Academy student who hung a noose at the school’s baseball field. St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says three black boys were arguing with three white boys at the ball field last week when things escalated.

“Name calling and picking at each other, and it got serious. One of the boys, the only 18-year-old in the group, fashioned a noose, and of course in Louisiana that’s a felony,” Guidroz said.

Both the victims and the suspect are refusing to speak without attorneys. Guidroz says the noose was hung on the batting cage at the field. He says all 6 of the boys are friends who play on the same baseball team, and the argument just got out of hand.

“The name calling started as playful, and it got serious, and the name calling got worse. Next thing you know they’re mad at each other, and it’s come to where we are today,” Guidroz said.

Guidroz says fashioning a hangman’s noose is a felony that carries a penalty of a $5,000 fine and at least a year in jail. He anticipates an arrest will be made soon, but he says they don’t want to hinder anyone’s future.

“These are kids that are in high school that have potential for a future, both the black and the white kids, and we certainly want to do what we can to not interfere with their educational climb,” Guidroz said.

The school issued a statement saying it in no way condones the use of such racially insensitive language, behavior, or symbolism.