Nathaniel Williams
Sheriff of St. Helena Parish
In office
June 2007 – present
Preceded byRonald "Gun" Ficklin
ConstituencySt. Helena Parish, Louisiana
Personal details
Born1956
East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materLouisiana State University
ProfessionLaw enforcement

Nathaniel "Nat" Williams (born May 18, 1956) is an American law-enforcement officer who is the current sheriff of St. Helena Parish, Louisiana,[1] and the first African American ever elected to hold that position in the parish's history.[2]

Background

Williams was born in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, and graduated from high school there. He is a graduate of the Louisiana State University Basic Training Academy, in Baton Rouge, the D.E.A. Training Academy and has received Police Internal Affairs training, as well as Police Supervisory training.[3] He was first employed by the Sheriff's Department on May 8, 1990, when he started as a patrolman, working his way through the ranks to Chief of Operation.[3] He was the chief criminal deputy sheriff when he was appointed acting sheriff following the resignation of the elected sheriff in early 2007.[4] He then won the October 2007 primary election for sheriff,[5] garnering 51.6% of the vote in a five-candidate field.[6][7] Williams was re-elected to a fourth term in 2019.[8]

Controversies

In the past 11 years, three elected sheriffs and one deputy sheriff in St. Helena Parish have been convicted and sent to jail.[2] In 1997, Sheriff Eugene Holland was found guilty of misuse of government funds and property and using prison inmates for personal labor. His replacement, Chaney Phillips, served for only a year before he was convicted for fraud and money laundering that he committed while Parish Assessor. Ronald "Gun" Ficklin took over the Sheriff's office in 1998.[9] Ficklin, the sheriff Williams replaces, resigned after pleading guilty in federal court last year. Ficklin admitted that he worked with a stolen car ring and had state prisoners housed in the parish jail work as his personal race car pit crew.[6][10] On June 26, 2008, detectives with the Louisiana State Police arrested Jessie Hughes a deputy with the St. Helena Parish Sheriff's Office on charges of molestation of a juvenile and aggravated rape.[11] Williams suspended then fired Hughes as a result of the allegations.[12]

Sheriff Williams recently stated that he will arrest members of citizens patrols that are carrying "assault weapons" and has described them as threats to the community.[13] A group of citizens from the 1st and 6th Wards of St. Helena Parish threatened armed vigilante patrols and check points in the community to control unwanted outsiders. The area was having a lot of thefts. A reporter with The Baton Rouge Advocate asked Sheriff Williams about the vigilante patrols and part of his reply was printed and it went viral prompting a threatening letter from the NRA. Once in context and explanations provided, the matter subsided. Many of the Sheriff's Office employees belong to the NRA and the NRA even provided $3,000 seed money for the Sheriff's Office to buy a drug dog.

As sheriff

Given the 11-year history of corruption in the sheriff's office, Williams has indicated any further criminal activity would not be tolerated.[2] Williams has also said that he would revive a plan to build a new 150-bed jail, add road deputies to improve response time and drug interdiction as well as step up speed limit enforcement on highways.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "St. Helena Parish". Louisiana Sheriff's Association. Archived from the original on 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  2. 1 2 3 Gates, Paul (2008-06-27). "First African-American sheriff in St. Helena Parish history sworn-in". WAFB channel 9. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  3. 1 2 "Sheriff Nathaniel "Nat" Williams". St. Helena Parish Sheriff's Office. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  4. ↑ Lemoine, Debra (2007-02-02). "St. Helena chief deputy takes over, plans to run". The Advocate, Capital City Press. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  5. ↑ "Candidates for Election Date: 10/20/07 Parish of St. Helena". Louisiana Secretary of State. Archived from the original on 2012-08-06. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  6. 1 2 "First black sheriff in St. Helena Parish". Associated Press. 2008-06-29. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  7. ↑ "Sheriff Nathaniel "Nat" Williams". sthelenaso.org. Archived from the original on 27 June 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  8. ↑ Charles Lussier (12 October 2019). "Williams easily reelected St. Helena sheriff for a fourth term". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  9. ↑ Brown, Penny (February 5, 2007). "St. Helena sheriff pleads guilty to role in illegal chop shop". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  10. ↑ "Sheriff pleads guilty in chop shop case". Associated Press (via Yahoo! News). February 6, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  11. ↑ "St. Helena Parish Sheriff's Office Deputy Arrested". Louisiana State Police. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  12. ↑ "Deputy arrested on child rape charges". WWL-TV (New Orleans). Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  13. ↑ "St. Helena Sheriff Threatens Gun Owners". 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011.
  14. ↑ Mitchell, David J. (2007-10-27). "St. Helena Parish sheriff-elect discusses his agenda". The Advocate, WBRZ, Louisiana Broadcasting. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
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