Vernon Parish District Attorney, Terry Lambright reports the recent Grand Jury Indictments of two Vernon Parish residents. Ozell Craft was arrested by the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office on December 22, 2023, after an arrest and extradition from the State of Arkansas. Craft was charged by Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office with one count of second degree murder after the body of Tamika Cannon was discovered near her home near the intersection of Louisiana Highway 28 and Louisiana Highway 469.

The matter was presented to the Grand Jury by Assistant District Attorney Wayne Bush.  After hearing testimony from witnesses, the Grand Jury returned an indictment for second degree murder against Craft.  He now faces formal arraignment in court on the charge of second degree murder and will be scheduled for trial. The defendant faces a mandatory life sentence for second degree murder if convicted.

Assistant District Attorney Ronald Seastrunk presented to the Grand Jury a case involving James Karlson. On August 2, 2023, Karlson was arrested by Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office for molestation of a juvenile, indecent behavior with a juvenile, second degree rape and oral sexual battery. The Grand Jury, after hearing all of the testimony, returned an indictment against Karlson for first degree rape. Karlson will also soon be arraigned and set for trial as well.