NATCHITOCHES, La. (Nov. 2, 2026) — A Natchitoches man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder following a fatal stabbing over the weekend.

According to the Natchitoches Police Department, Darrell Davis, 33, is accused in the death of Tamela Berguin, 55.

Police said the incident occurred around 6 p.m. Saturday in the 1500 block of Amulet Street in Natchitoches.

Investigators reported that Davis was taken into custody inside the residence without incident and was booked into the LaSalle Correctional Center.

The case remains under investigation.

Sheriff Aaron Mitchell reports sex offender compliance checks were conducted Saturday night, October 31, 2026, throughout Sabine Parish.

Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Coordinator Deputy H. Pardee, Patrol Deputies, and Louisiana Probation & Parole Agents conducted compliance checks at 50 registered sex offender residences.

All but one offender were found to be in compliance with Louisiana state registration requirements. One offender was not home at the time of the compliance check and is suspected of moving without properly notifying Deputy Pardee. This incident remains under investigation.

Sheriff Mitchell commends Patrol Deputies and Dispatchers for their extra effort, assistance, and coordination during the compliance checks.

Sheriff Mitchell also thanked Louisiana Probation and Parole Agents along with the Many Police Department and Zwolle Police Department, for their assistance and continued cooperation in monitoring registered sex offenders throughout Sabine Parish.

Sex Offender Coordinator Deputy Pardee stated the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office will continue conducting random compliance checks throughout the year to help ensure registered sex offenders comply with Louisiana state law.

The Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Aaron Mitchell, his Command Staff, and Deputies received the FBI LEEDA Trilogy Award.

FBI LEEDA (Law Enforcement Executive Development Association) is an independent nonprofit educational organization dedicated to continuing leadership training, education, and networking for law enforcement and public safety executives. The mission of FBI-LEEDA is to advance the science and art of law enforcement leadership and promote the exchange of information to improve law enforcement management practices through training, education, and networking among police professionals.

Sheriff Mitchell and 35 of his Deputies, as well as other law enforcement leaders from the area completed the Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) course this week. ELI is part three of the three-step leadership series that makes up the FBI-LEEDA Trilogy. This cutting-edge program is designed for executive-level law enforcement leaders and focuses on the challenges facing our profession today.  This highly-interactive program follows the FBI-LEEDA “Cops Talking to Cops” model of professional development. The Institute uses a wide-range of source materials and calls upon participants’ own professional experience to facilitate individual development and learning.

The following is a list of topics covered in the ELI program:

• Trends in law enforcement, implications of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing,
• Leadership case studies,
• Performance and risk management,
• Command discipline and liability,
• Public trust and legitimacy, bias and diversity,
• Employee wellness,
• Power, transformational leadership, social and emotional intelligence. 

To earn the FBI-LEEDA Trilogy award, law enforcement officers must complete advanced training through the FBI LEEDA Supervisor Leadership Institute (SLI), Command Leadership Institute (CLI) and Executive Leadership Institute (ELI). Each of the three training classes contains intensive and immersive programs designed for law enforcement supervisors. Sheriff Mitchell and his Deputies in attendance this week completed the SLI and CLI courses during the last couple of years.

The Sheriff’s Office also received the Agency Trilogy Award. The Agency Trilogy Award recognizes public safety agencies whose entire Command Staff have completed the FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Leadership series — the SLI, CLI, and ELI.

Sheriff Mitchell said he is proud and fortunate to have personally completed this “Trilogy” of courses. Sheriff Mitchell also commends all his Deputies for their commitment and dedication to this leadership training and the further advancement and professionalism of the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Baton Rouge – Governor’s Representative for Highway Safety and Executive Director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission (LHSC) Lisa Freeman has proclaimed the week of November 1–7, 2026 as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week® in Louisiana. Drowsy Driving Prevention Week® is a national campaign led by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

Freeman calls on all citizens to prioritize sleep and only drive when alert and refreshed. NSF’s 2025 Drowsy Driving Survey cited data which indicates that drowsy driving is implicated in one in five motor vehicle crashes resulting in a fatality.

“The end of Daylight Saving Time offers an opportunity to bring a lesser recognized behavioral driving issue to light,” Freeman said. “For example, over 60% of adults in the U.S. report driving drowsy. Those adults who are also parents drive drowsy 70% of the time, with parents of teenagers and multiple children most likely to get behind the wheel while sleep deprived.”

“Family members take care of each other, it’s just our way in Louisiana. Something else Louisianans do well is looking out for other families in our communities because they are our friends and neighbors,” Freeman said. “To reduce drowsy driving, families can share vehicles and coordinate trips to minimize effects of sleep deprivation. Also, families should prioritize sleep and communicate openly when a household driver has experienced poor sleep. When one member is sleep-deprived, the safety of the entire household can be at risk.”

Drowsy driving occurs when a driver is behind the wheel while they are too tired or fatigued to remain alert. Often referred to as ‘the fourth D’ along with drunk, drugged, and distracted driving, LHSC is committed to raising awareness of drowsy driving and its inherent dangers for Louisiana road users. From 2020–2024, Louisiana experienced 58 fatal crashes due to drowsy driving, which comprised 2% of all fatal crashes during the period. Because there are challenges measuring drowsy-driving crashes, NSF and LHSC believe the real public health burden of drowsy driving is much larger.

According to the NSF Drowsy Driving Consensus Working Group, sleep-deprived motor vehicle operators are unfit to drive. Thus, the NSF recommends that people should get the sleep they need to drive alert, which for most adults is an average of 7–9 hours at night. Getting less than 4 hours of sleep increases crash risk as much as a BAC of roughly 0.12. This is the equivalent of consuming 2–3 (female) or 3–4 (male) alcoholic drinks in a sitting. To learn more about drowsy driving in particular and better sleep health in general, visit the National Sleep Foundation website at https://www.thensf.org/.