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By ROGER EMILE STOUFF
When former Sheriff David Naquin was first elected to office, he called in all employees for a conference.
Mark Hebert, recently retired sheriff, said everybody had to reapply by appointment.
“I was real active in the campaign,” Hebert recalled, but on the opposite team. “I always supported my bosses (at the time Sheriff Huey Bourgeois). We talked, and Naquin said, ‘Well, you might not be doing what you’ve been doing, but I’ll have something for you.’
“And I said, ‘Good, because I’m ready to move up the ladder.’”
And he did.
His road to law enforcement was one of necessity. “I’m a prodigy of the oil field,” Hebert said. “In the early 80s, when the oil field fell, I was looking for a job, doing two or three jobs at a time. My father in-law was a reserve (officer) in Baldwin and talking about law enforcement. I thought, ‘Well, law enforcement don’t pay a lot of money.’”
Hebert continued taking jobs as he could find them, but needed stability. His first child was on the way and he put in an application at the sheriff’s office and was eventually hired. “I was so excited to look at my payroll check: It was the same as my unemployment check.”
Though he said he had no intention of staying with the department, he began to enjoy the job. “I was a young guy. It was fun, I really liked it, and did all I could to excel at it. I made that career change early on and tried to live within my means.”
He started part-time, patrolling Cypremort Point, Burns Point and transferring prisoners, then moved to full-time under Sheriff Chester Baudoin.
In 1986 he was promoted to shift supervisor, then called the deputy in charge, and soon grew anxious to get back to “boots on the ground” so he actually stepped down. “I got back out and then in 1989 we started the narcotics task force, I stayed there until 1994.”
After that he moved to investigations and was promoted to lieutenant in charge of west St. Mary investigations. He was approached several times by the chief deputy to move to the jail. “I thought, too many wardens have come and gone, it’s got to be a problem with that job, so I was reluctant to take it,” Hebert said. “The chief came to me about the third time and said the sheriff really wanted me to take that job. So I took it.”
He surrounded himself with people who knew the ropes in running the old jail on the seventh floor of the courthouse. “It’s a very rewarding career,” he said. “There’s a lot to learn, a lot to learn, especially when we moved out to Centerville. It’s like running a city. You run a food service program, back then we ran our own medical program, work release program, you hold court inside…it was a challenge, and I love that. My motto was ‘I’ll never fail’ and I was always a hands-on guy.”
After Hebert served eight years as warden, Sheriff Naquin announced that he intended to retire, “We discussed the possibility of someone running, and I had aspirations. It was a slow methodical process getting out, meeting people.”
He won the following election in 2011. In 2014, just prior to the end of the election cycle, his wife Jill was diagnosed with cancer.
“That was a blow,” he said. “I was fortunate. We ran, and that second election was hard on me. I spent a lot of time with Jill, where I needed to be. I put faith in God, faith in the public, that the services we provided were to their liking the first four years. I didn’t spend a lot of money, or raise a lot of money, and it went well.”
Hebert said he feels blessed to be at a point in his career where he could retire. “Even if I wasn’t, I’d have made the decision to go home when I did. That’s where I needed to be and that’s where I was going.”
When he was first elected, he hit the ground running after learning from Naquin various aspects of the department’s operations. He was always involved with attorneys regarding litigations issues as well.
“In that seat, everybody has their own vision,” Hebert said. “Naquin had his vision and I wholeheartedly supported that vision. There were some things I might have done different, but you don’t question the sheriff; he got elected for a reason and you give him a hundred percent.”
A big part of Hebert’s vision was achieving Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. “That is a road map to success that a lot of law enforcement agencies don’t take advantage of,” he said. “It forces you to maintain standards of excellence in every little division you have, whether it be water patrol, finances, the jail, your evidence division…they come in and check you. The staff hated it…the CALEA people said they’d hate it.”
It was a long process that the department achieved in record time. “We just did our mock audit for this year and we were successful,” Hebert said. “Scott (Anslum) will get the accreditation in July. Scott is the guy I brought in when we first got the book and the manual…I brought him in at the entry level.”
That achievement and being warden were Hebert’s most rewarding experiences as sheriff.
Finances were often a frustration. “All the technology out there, all these things that can really enhance your investigations, cost money,” Hebert said. “We’ve always managed to streamline and we’ve upgraded a lot of our investigation tools and programs that have been a real success. We’ll always find ways.”
Technology won’t replace manpower and skills, he said. The department has been able to expand on its services: Two patrol boats, a command post, about $100,000 in diving gear for five certified divers, and those divers are trained as investigators as well. “Our department is well-diversified.”
In almost eight years as sheriff, Hebert said the issue of finances is often the most difficult hurdle. “You want to provide the best level of service, but it requires money,” he said. “Today taxes are not a friendly thing. Law enforcement is a service. You can streamline and be the most efficient man there, but if you’re losing a half million dollars of revenue every year, or a million, there’s no way to make it up. There’s no profit in services.”
Hebert said he never politicized the sheriff’s department’s needs, he only tried to get out the message. “We went from a $14 million budget to $11 million,” he noted.
Though he’s retiring, he said he’ll stay engaged with the parish. “I’ve been in law enforcement for almost 35 years. I’m not going to walk away from it. I’m going to do all I can to help the parish, get behind endeavors that can enhance any law enforcement agency in the parish. I respect the people that dedicate their lives doing it. I’ll always be a major part of that, even if it’s just on the ground giving moral support or helping get a message out. At the end of the day, I always just want to thank the people who supported the best interests of the parish to have good law enforcement. A lot of officers, they don’t get the credit, or the sacrifices they make, or in the financial world, because they chose to do something that is rewarding instead of financial.”

Next on tap with Mardi Gras tableaus Saturday are the krewes of Dionysus and Hannibal. Two more balls are on Feb. 10.
The Krewe of Amani will celebrate 20 years of revelry during this Carnival season.
Six area Mardi Gras parades will be held in succession starting Feb. 9 and ending on Mardi Gras Day.
Ball patrons are reminded that tableaus begin promptly and everyone should be seated prior to the krewe’s stated start time.
Krewe of Dionysus
The Krewe of Dionysus will host its 39th coronation at 8 p.m. on Feb. 3 at the Berwick Civic Complex. The public may view the coronation free from the balcony.
A farewell appearance will be made by King and Queen Dionysus XXXVIII Mark Spradling and Kathie Spradling.
Dionysus will hold its alternating parade in Berwick this year at 2 p.m. Feb. 10.
The procession will line up on Gilmore Drive and turn on John Street, Robichaux Street, Mount Street, Gilmore Drive, right on La. 182, Tournament Boulevard, Fairview Drive then to Pattie Drive, where it will disband at Berwick Junior High School.
Dionysus will have a After Parade Dance at the Berwick Civic Complex. Tickets are $20 a couple and are available from krewe board members.
Krewe of Hannibal
The Krewe of Hannibal will hold its 38th tableau at 8 p.m. Feb. 3 at the auditorium. This is an invitation-only event for all viewing.
Bidding adieu will be royalty XXXVII King Hannibal Marcell Walker and Queen Cleopatra Chasity Bell.
Krewe members will participate in the Dionysus, Krewe of Amani and Siracusa/Greenwood Community parades.
Krewe of Amani
The Krewe of Amani celebrates 20 years with its coronation at 8 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Patterson Area Civic Center. Tableau viewing is by invitation only.
Making a farewell appearance will be King and Queen Amani XX Dale Piggott and Neva Francis-Jennings.
Amani will hold its Lundi Gras parade at 2 p.m. Feb. 12 in Patterson. The procession will line up at Patterson High School and proceed down La. 182 (Main Street) and end at the Place Norman Shopping Center.

Krewe of Hephaestus
The oldest-chartered area krewe, the Krewe of Hephaestus, will hold its 58th carnival court at 8 p.m. Feb. 10 at the auditorium. Balcony viewing is free.
Taking to the stage for a final appearance will be King and Queen Hephaestus LVII David Patterson and Grace Pecoraro.
Krewe members will parade at 2 p.m. Fat Tuesday in Morgan City. The procession will organize on Sixth and Sycamore streets and proceed down Sixth Street to Marguerite Street, Ninth Street, Clothilde Street, and Victor II Boulevard, ending at the auditorium on Myrtle Street.
Hephaestus will hold an After Parade Dance at the auditorium. Tickets are $30 and are available from krewe members. Music will be by “The Groove.”

Siracusa/Greenwood
The Siracusa/Greenwood Community Mardi Gras Parade will also be held at 2 p.m. Fat Tuesday in Siracusa Subdivision near Morgan City.
Participants will line up on Siracusa Road at 1 p.m. and proceed to James Street and Grace Street before ending at the Siracusaville Recreation Center.
Anyone wishing to participate or for information may call Leroy Trim or Mary Jones at 985-385-4224.
Parade Summaries
—Krewe of Adonis: Friday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., Morgan City.
—Krewe of Dionysus: Saturday, Feb. 10, 2 p.m., Berwick.
—Krewe of Galatea: Sunday, Feb. 11, 2 p.m., Morgan City.
—Krewe of Amani: Monday, Feb. 12, 2 p.m., Patterson.
—Krewe of Hephaestus: Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2 p.m., Morgan City.
—Siracusa/Greenwood Parade: Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2 p.m., Siracusa Subdivision.

September 11, 1925 - January 31, 2018
Leewood L. Hebert, 92, a resident of Houma, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, at Terrebonne General Medical Center.
Leewood was born Sept. 11, 1925, in Ville Platte, the son of Paul and Clarissa Deshotel Hebert.
He will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by two children, Juanita Hebert Guidry and husband Darrell of Houma, and Jerry Hebert and companion Judy Hebert of Mamou; nine grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; three step-great-grandchildren; and 11 great-great-grandchildren.
Leewood was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Clarissa Deshotel Hebert; his wife, Helen Ortego Hebert; one son, Melvin Hebert; three brothers; and three sisters.
Funeral services will be held at noon on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, at Twin City Funeral Home with a visitation being held from 10 a.m. until service time. Following services, Leewood will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery.

PRAYER
Area pastors hosting Community/Unity Prayer services at 6 p.m. Tuesdays at alternate churches. Feb. 6 will be One Faith Fellowship International, 5314 La. 182 West, Patterson. All churches and public invited.

GOLF FUNDRAISER
That Just Takes the Cake Golf Tournament is April 28 at St. Mary Golf & Country Club. Three-man teams compete. Cost $300, team; mulligans, $5. For info call Oren Dupre, 985-498-2926; Barry Bolner, 985-384-8500 or Jim “Twister” Williams, 985-759-8802. Silent Cake Auction held in club house. Benefits the American Heart Association; money stays local.

GOLF SPONSORS
Sought for That Just Takes the Cake Golf Tournament April 28 at St. Mary Golf & Country Club. Three-man teams compete. Sponsorship available: gold, $2,500; silver, $1,000; team, $300; player, $100; hole sponsor, $100; beverage cart, $300; mulligans, $5. Benefits the American Heart Association; money stays local. For sponsorship info call Gwen Luc, 985-372-8520.