Ted Riser - Revision history

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Political life

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Political life

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Political life

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 [[Category:Louisiana People]]
 [[Category:Politicians]]
 [[Category:Business People]]
 [[Category:Former Democrats]]
 [[Category:Republicans]]

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 '''Larkin Theodore Riser, Jr.''', known as '''Ted Riser''' (born March 3, 1949), is a former [[sheriff]] of Webster Parish in northwestern [[Louisiana]]. He served two terms as [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] from 1996 to 2004 but at some point after leaving office, he switched to [[Republican Party|Republican]] affiliation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Home/Home?uid=3405671|title=Larkin Riser 71073, March 1949|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=April 1, 2019}}</ref>
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 ==Background==
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 Riser and his wife, the former Gloria Butler (born February 1952), also known as Jan B. Riser, have a son, Larkin T. Riser, III (born January 1985) of Bossier City.
-Jan Riser is one of two children and the only daughter of Joe Butler (1924-2013), a former mayor of Dubberly in south Webster Parish, and his wife, the former Elsie Brunson (born June 1933).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ShreveportTimes/obituary.aspx?pid=167056484|title=Joe Butler obituary|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
+Jan Riser is one of two children and the only daughter of Joe Butler (1924-2013), a former mayor of Dubberly in south Webster Parish, and his wife, the former Elsie Brunson (born June 1933).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ShreveportTimes/obituary.aspx?pid=167056484|title=Joe Butler obituary|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
 Riser is one of three principals in the Louisiana Law Hunting Club, Inc., which was established in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizapedia.com/la/LA-LAW-HUNTING-CLUB-INC.html|title=Louisiana Law Hunting Club, Inc.|publisher=bizapedia.com|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
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 ==Political life==
-−
 Riser resigned after twenty-one years with the state police to run for sheriff. He based much of his campaign on the restructuring of the parish jail and penal farm to halt recurring jailbreaks. He also focused on crimes against elderly citizens and a sound law-enforcement agenda to encourage the location of business and industry into Webster Parish.<ref name=riserrunsforsheriff>"Riser resigns to seek office of sheriff", ''Minden Press-Herald'', July 7, 1995, pp. 1, 3.</ref>On October 21, 1995, he won the two-candidate [[primary]] election to succeed the retiring Sheriff [[Royce L. McMahen]], a Democrat and a [[veterinarian]] from Springhill in northern Webster Parish near the [[Arkansas]] border. He defeated fellow Democrat and McMahen's chief deputy, Thomas Dale "Tommy" Kemp, Sr. (born August 1941), known as "The Singing Deputy" because of his talent in [[gospel music|gospel]] and country music.<ref>"Singing deputy will entertain at banquet", ''Minden Press-Herald'', January 24, 1975, p. 1</ref> Riser polled 7,935 votes (53.7 percent) to Kemp's 6,848 (46.3 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10211995/10211995_60.html|title=Results for Election Date: 10/21/1995 Webster Parish|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref><ref>''Minden Press-Herald, October 23, 1995, p. 1.</ref> The sheriff collects [[property tax]]es, enforces criminal law in the parish outside of the  municipalities, and with his staff of deputies is recognized as the most powerful political officer in the parish.
 Riser attributed his victory to [[God]]: "We fought a good fight, and Mr. Kemp fought a good fight. He was a very formidable opponent, and I feel like it was one of the cleanest races in the state." Kemp, who came to speak at Riser's victory rally, had thirty years experience in law enforcement at the time of his defeat.<ref>"Riser wins Sheriff's race:, ''Minden Press-Herald'', October 23, 1995, p. 1.</ref> He sworn into office in a ceremony at the Minden Civic Center on July 1, 1996. Judge Scott Crichton, a Minden native who was later elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court, administered the oath.<ref>"Riser sworn in as WP sheriff", ''Minden Press-Herald'', July 2, 1996, p. 1.</ref>
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 Under Riser, a new $7.3 million state-of-the-art prison, the Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center, named for Dorcheat Bayou and located within the former Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant, or Camp Minden, west of Minden, was constructed to house up to 340 prisoners. Because the land on which the center lies is formerly United States Army property, Riser depended on then [[U.S. Senator]] [[Mary Landrieu]], a Louisiana Democrat defeated in 2014 by Republican [[Bill Cassidy]], to break through the federal regulations: "She was a real champion for us. She ... helped us get through everything that had to be done in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zoominfo.com/CachedPage/?archive_id=0&page_id=273750645&page_url=//www.press-herald.com/news/0327news.html&page_last_updated=2002-03-28T09:42:40&firstName=Ted&lastName=Riser|title=Dorcheat Center Ready at Last|publisher=''Minden Press-Herald''|author=Josh Beavers|date=March 28, 2002|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
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 In 2003, Riser was handily unseated by his fellow Democrat and former deputy, Gary Steven Sexton<ref>KTBS-TV, October 21, 2003.</ref> (born April 1953) of Shongaloo in central Webster Parish. Sexton received 8,610 votes (64.2 percent) to Riser's 4,814 (35.9 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10042003/10042003_60.html|title=Results for Election Date: 10/4/2003: Webster Parish|publisher=stateicresults.sos.la.gov|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref> After four terms, Sexton will step down as sheriff in July 2020.
 In 2009, Riser was hired as a part-time deputy by Sheriff Charles Mahier McDonald, Jr. (born December 1954), a Democrat from Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://domino.ethics.state.la.us/EthicRu2.nsf/ecfd553acd8f6446862567f9006e60b6/57a4f99d627cbbbd862574f200550737?OpenDocument|title=Larkin T. "Ted" Riser, Jr.: Ethics Board Docket No. 2008-658|publisher=domino.ethics.state.la.us|date=October 30, 2008|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref> based in Rayville, ninety-six miles from Riser's home in Sibley. In March 2012, then Governor [[Bobby Jindal]] reappointed Riser as an at-large member of the board of directors of the Correctional Facilities Corporation Board.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?md=newsroom&tmp=detail&articleID=3353|title=Governor Bobby Jindal Announces the Reappointments to the Correctional Facilities Corporation Board of Directors
 |date=March 22, 2012|publisher=gov.louisiana.gov|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref> Established by the legislature in 1985 to build and equip prisons for lease to the state, the corporation raises funds through revenue bonds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zoominfo.com/s/#!search/profile/person?personId=38045906&targetid=profile|title=Riser named to board of prison corporation|publisher=zoominfo.com|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
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 ==References==
 {{reflist}}

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 | term_start=July 1996
 | term_end=July 2004
-| preceded=Royce L. McMahen
+| preceded=[[Royce L. McMahen]]
 | succeeded=Gary Steven Sexton
 | birth_date=March 3, 1949
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 ==Political life==
-Riser resigned after twenty-one years with the state police to run for sheriff. He based much of his campaign on the restructuring of the parish jail and penal farm to halt recurring jailbreaks. He also focused on crimes against elderly citizens and a sound law-enforcement agenda to encourage the location of business and industry into Webster Parish.<ref name=riserrunsforsheriff>"Riser resigns to seek office of sheriff", ''Minden Press-Herald'', July 7, 1995, pp. 1, 3.</ref>On October 21, 1995, he won the two-candidate [[primary]] election to succeed the retiring Sheriff Royce L. McMahen, a Democrat and a [[veterinarian]] from Springhill in northern Webster Parish near the [[Arkansas]] border. He defeated fellow Democrat and McMahen's chief deputy, Thomas Dale "Tommy" Kemp, Sr. (born August 1941), known as "The Singing Deputy" because of his talent in [[gospel music|gospel]] and country music.<ref>"Singing deputy will entertain at banquet", ''Minden Press-Herald'', January 24, 1975, p. 1</ref> Riser polled 7,935 votes (53.7 percent) to Kemp's 6,848 (46.3 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10211995/10211995_60.html|title=Results for Election Date: 10/21/1995 Webster Parish|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref><ref>''Minden Press-Herald, October 23, 1995, p. 1.</ref> The sheriff collects [[property tax]]es, enforces criminal law in the parish outside of the  municipalities, and with his staff of deputies is recognized as the most powerful political officer in the parish.
+Riser resigned after twenty-one years with the state police to run for sheriff. He based much of his campaign on the restructuring of the parish jail and penal farm to halt recurring jailbreaks. He also focused on crimes against elderly citizens and a sound law-enforcement agenda to encourage the location of business and industry into Webster Parish.<ref name=riserrunsforsheriff>"Riser resigns to seek office of sheriff", ''Minden Press-Herald'', July 7, 1995, pp. 1, 3.</ref>On October 21, 1995, he won the two-candidate [[primary]] election to succeed the retiring Sheriff [[Royce L. McMahen]], a Democrat and a [[veterinarian]] from Springhill in northern Webster Parish near the [[Arkansas]] border. He defeated fellow Democrat and McMahen's chief deputy, Thomas Dale "Tommy" Kemp, Sr. (born August 1941), known as "The Singing Deputy" because of his talent in [[gospel music|gospel]] and country music.<ref>"Singing deputy will entertain at banquet", ''Minden Press-Herald'', January 24, 1975, p. 1</ref> Riser polled 7,935 votes (53.7 percent) to Kemp's 6,848 (46.3 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10211995/10211995_60.html|title=Results for Election Date: 10/21/1995 Webster Parish|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref><ref>''Minden Press-Herald, October 23, 1995, p. 1.</ref> The sheriff collects [[property tax]]es, enforces criminal law in the parish outside of the  municipalities, and with his staff of deputies is recognized as the most powerful political officer in the parish.
 Riser attributed his victory to [[God]]: "We fought a good fight, and Mr. Kemp fought a good fight. He was a very formidable opponent, and I feel like it was one of the cleanest races in the state." Kemp, who came to speak at Riser's victory rally, had thirty years experience in law enforcement at the time of his defeat.<ref>"Riser wins Sheriff's race:, ''Minden Press-Herald'', October 23, 1995, p. 1.</ref> He sworn into office in a ceremony at the Minden Civic Center on July 1, 1996. Judge Scott Crichton, a Minden native who was later elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court, administered the oath.<ref>"Riser sworn in as WP sheriff", ''Minden Press-Herald'', July 2, 1996, p. 1.</ref>

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 |date=March 22, 2012|publisher=gov.louisiana.gov|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref> Established by the legislature in 1985 to build and equip prisons for lease to the state, the corporation raises funds through revenue bonds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zoominfo.com/s/#!search/profile/person?personId=38045906&targetid=profile|title=Riser named to board of prison corporation|publisher=zoominfo.com|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}

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 ==References==
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 {{DEFAULTSORT:Riser, Ted}}
 [[Category:Louisiana People]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:33, April 1, 2019
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		+	{{template\|This article was revised from {{{site\|Wikipedia}}} but the text was originally written by BHathorn (under the name) and does not include alterations made by others from that site.\|background=#aff\|category=Copied Articles}}
	{{Infobox officeholder		{{Infobox officeholder
	\| name=Larkin Theodore "Ted" Riser, Jr.		\| name=Larkin Theodore "Ted" Riser, Jr.

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 During his time as sheriff, Riser seemed repeatedly at odds with the Webster Parish Police Jury, the parish governing body akin to the county commission in most other states. The dispute centered over the housing and reimbursement of the costs of prisoners. Riser accused the police jury of not paying its bills after the jurors offered barely half of what the sheriff said was owed. The police jury, led by its president, Charles Roger "Charlie" Walker, Sr. (1931-2015) of Doyline in south Webster Parish, subsequently sued Riser, whom it accused of allowing his employees and inmate crews to sabotage the vacant parish penal farm; the damages rendered the facility inoperable for further use as a jail.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zoominfo.com/s/#!search/profile/person?personId=38045906&targetid=profile|title=Ted Riser|publisher=zoominfo.com|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref><ref>KTBS-TV, [[Shreveport]], Louisiana, July 30, 2003.</ref>Josh Beavers, former publisher of ''The Minden Press-Herald'', said that Walker handled the controversy with Riser fairly: "Through all of the turmoil, I never felt like Mr. Walker was trying to be subversive. He was always honest, always open."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press-herald.com/walker-remembered-as-father-leader-and-friend/|title=Walker remembered as father, leader and friend|publisher=''Minden Press-Herald''|accessdate=March 16, 2015}}</ref>
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 Under Riser, a new $7.3 million state-of-the-art prison, the Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center, named for Dorcheat Bayou and located within the former Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant, or Camp Minden, west of Minden, was constructed to house up to 340 prisoners. Because the land on which the center lies is formerly United States Army property, Riser depended on then [[U.S. Senator]] [[Mary Landrieu]], a Louisiana Democrat defeated in 2014 by Republican [[Bill Cassidy]], to break through the federal regulations: "She was a real champion for us. She ... helped us get through everything that had to be done in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zoominfo.com/CachedPage/?archive_id=0&page_id=273750645&page_url=//www.press-herald.com/news/0327news.html&page_last_updated=2002-03-28T09:42:40&firstName=Ted&lastName=Riser|title=Dorcheat Center Ready at Last|publisher=''Minden Press-Herald''|author=Josh Beavers|date=March 28, 2002|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>

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 In 1999, Riser won his second term by a similar margin as his first when he defeated former sheriff's deputy Thomas Cameron "T. C." Bloxom, Jr. (1929-2014), a native of Mansfield DeSoto Parish, but a  long-term Minden resident. Riser polled 7,552 votes (54.3 percent) to Bloxom's 6,351 (45.7 percent). Bloxom had become a deputy in 1956 under [[J.  D. Batton]] and continued in that role under successor Sheriffs O. H. Haynes, Jr., and Royce McMahen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10231999/10231999_60.html|title=Results for Election Date: 10/23/1999: Webster Parish|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=September 19, 2014}}</ref> One of the best known of law-enforcement officers in Webster Parish, Bloxom was also the appointed Minden Fire Department chief from 1971 to 2008 and the elected city police chief from 1990 to 2010, a position that he held during his second race for sheriff against Riser in 1999.<ref>"T. C. Bloxom, long-time Minden fire chief, dies", ''The Shreveport Times'', July 14, 2014.</ref> In 1983, Bloxom had unsuccessfully challenged McMahen in the latter's bid for a second term. He polled 4,425 votes (25.5 percent) to McMahen's 11,090 (64 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10221983/10221983_60.html|title=Results for Election Date: 10/22/1983: Webster Parish|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
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 During his time as sheriff, Riser seemed repeatedly at odds with the Webster Parish Police Jury, the parish governing body akin to the county commission in most other states. The dispute centered over the housing and reimbursement of the costs of prisoners. Riser accused the police jury of not paying its bills after the jurors offered barely half of what the sheriff said was owed. The police jury, led by its president, Charles Roger "Charlie" Walker, Sr. (1931-2015) of Doyline in south Webster Parish, subsequently sued Riser, whom it accused of allowing his employees and inmate crews to sabotage the vacant parish penal farm; the damages rendered the facility inoperable for further use as a jail.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zoominfo.com/s/#!search/profile/person?personId=38045906&targetid=profile|title=Ted Riser|publisher=zoominfo.com|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref><ref>KTBS-TV, [[Shreveport]], Louisiana, July 30, 2003.</ref>Josh Beavers, former publisher of ''The Minden Press-Herald'', said that Walker handled the controversy with Riser fairly: "Through all of the turmoil, I never felt like Mr. Walker was trying to be subversive. He was always honest, always open."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press-herald.com/walker-remembered-as-father-leader-and-friend/|title=Walker remembered as father, leader and friend|publisher=''Minden Press-Herald''|accessdate=March 16, 2015}}</ref>

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 Riser's grandfather, Clarence Riser (1893-1925), a native of Natchez, [[Mississippi]], was killed, along with a brother-in-law, in a sawmill explosion in Ouachita Parish in northeastern Louisiana. Riser's father, Larkin Riser, Sr., known as L. T. Riser (January 10, 1922 &ndash; July 15, 2015), was three years old at the time.<ref name=jrriser/> Ola Magee Riser, the mother of Riser, Sr., then married his step-father, Clem Matthews. Riser, Sr., was among the last surviving members of the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] and served in the [[United States Army]]. He retired after forty years of employment at the Roundtree Olds Cadillac dealership in [[Shreveport]], Louisiana. He was a long-time [[deacon]] at the Heflin [[Southern Baptist|Baptist Church]] in Heflin in south Webster Parish and an active fisherman and gardener. He is interred at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in [[rural]] Creston in [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches Parish]].<ref name=risersrobit>{{cite web|url=http://press-herald.com/larkin-theodore-riser-sr/|title=Larkin Theodore Riser, Sr.|publisher=''Minden Press-Herald''|accessdate=July 16, 2015}}</ref>
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 Larkin's mother, the former Bessie Mae Scallion (born September 1928), resides in Heflin, as does his sister, Annette Williford and her husband, Tommy. Riser has a brother, Dennis Riser of Selma, [[Alabama]].<ref name=risersrobit/><ref name=jrriser>{{cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120266985=|title=Joseph R. Riser (Great-grandfather of Larkin T. Riser, Jr.)|publisher=findagrave.com|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
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 A former officer of the Louisiana State Police, Ted Riser resides in Sibley south of [[Minden, Louisiana|Minden], the seat of government for Webster Parish. Riser has resided in Webster Parish continuously since 1974. He has taken numerous [[bicycle]] trips throughout the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zoominfo.com/CachedPage/?archive_id=0&page_id=6911570198&page_url=//www.press-herald.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8233:riser-to-speak-at-thursday-meeting&catid=34:local-news&Itemid=69&page_last_updated=2013-12-13T12:56:59&firstName=Ted&lastName=Riser|title=Riser to speak at Thursday meeting|publisher=''Minden Press-Herald''|date=December 11, 2013|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref> Riser attended [[Louisiana Tech University]] in [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]] and listed a Shreveport address while there in his junior year in 1970. This indicates that he likely graduated from high school in Shreveport.<ref>[[Louisiana Tech University]], ''Lagniappe'' (1970), Junior class, p. 111.</ref> He has also resided in [[Bossier City]], Louisiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intelius.com/results.php?ReportType=1&formname=name&qf=Larkin&qmi=T&qn=Riser&qcs=Sibley%2C+LA&focusfirst=1|title=Larkin Theodore Riser|publisher=intelius.com|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref> In 1971, Louisiana Tech awarded him the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; the next year he entered into police training.<ref name=riserrunsforsheriff/>
-−
 Riser and his wife, the former Gloria Butler (born February 1952), also known as Jan B. Riser, have a son, Larkin T. Riser, III (born January 1985) of Bossier City.
 Jan Riser is one of two children and the only daughter of Joe Butler (1924-2013), a former mayor of Dubberly in south Webster Parish, and his wife, the former Elsie Brunson (born June 1933).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ShreveportTimes/obituary.aspx?pid=167056484|title=Joe Butler obituary|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
-−
 Riser is one of three principals in the Louisiana Law Hunting Club, Inc., which was established in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizapedia.com/la/LA-LAW-HUNTING-CLUB-INC.html|title=Louisiana Law Hunting Club, Inc.|publisher=bizapedia.com|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 Riser resigned after twenty-one years with the state police to run for sheriff. He based much of his campaign on the restructuring of the parish jail and penal farm to halt recurring jailbreaks. He also focused on crimes against elderly citizens and a sound law-enforcement agenda to encourage the location of business and industry into Webster Parish.<ref name=riserrunsforsheriff>"Riser resigns to seek office of sheriff", ''Minden Press-Herald'', July 7, 1995, pp. 1, 3.</ref>On October 21, 1995, he won the two-candidate [[primary]] election to succeed the retiring Sheriff Royce L. McMahen, a Democrat and a [[veterinarian]] from Springhill in northern Webster Parish near the [[Arkansas]] border. He defeated fellow Democrat and McMahen's chief deputy, Thomas Dale "Tommy" Kemp, Sr. (born August 1941), known as "The Singing Deputy" because of his talent in [[gospel music|gospel]] and country music.<ref>"Singing deputy will entertain at banquet", ''Minden Press-Herald'', January 24, 1975, p. 1</ref> Riser polled 7,935 votes (53.7 percent) to Kemp's 6,848 (46.3 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10211995/10211995_60.html|title=Results for Election Date: 10/21/1995 Webster Parish|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref><ref>''Minden Press-Herald, October 23, 1995, p. 1.</ref> The sheriff collects [[property tax]]es, enforces criminal law in the parish outside of the  municipalities, and with his staff of deputies is recognized as the most powerful political officer in the parish.
-−
 Riser attributed his victory to [[God]]: "We fought a good fight, and Mr. Kemp fought a good fight. He was a very formidable opponent, and I feel like it was one of the cleanest races in the state." Kemp, who came to speak at Riser's victory rally, had thirty years experience in law enforcement at the time of his defeat.<ref>"Riser wins Sheriff's race:, ''Minden Press-Herald'', October 23, 1995, p. 1.</ref> He sworn into office in a ceremony at the Minden Civic Center on July 1, 1996. Judge Scott Crichton, a Minden native who was later elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court, administered the oath.<ref>"Riser sworn in as WP sheriff", ''Minden Press-Herald'', July 2, 1996, p. 1.</ref>
-Even more deputies subsequently joined in a suit against Riser and former Sheriff McMahen, who died in 1999, regarding the calculation of overtime pay under the [[Fair Labor Standards Act]] of 1938. The sheriffs were sued personally as well as in connection with their job duties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://federal-circuits.vlex.com/vid/allen-vs-shrfs-dept-webster-18417974|title=Allen vs. Sheriffs Deputies of Webster Parish  (United States Appeals Court for the Fifth Circuit)|date=2001|publisher=federal-circuits.vlex.com|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref> Riser ordered the testing of inmates at the former penal farm for drug abuse. When no abuse was uncovered, speculation increased that the inmates had been getting narcotics from visiting relatives.<ref>Clint Land, "Sheriff to look into Penal Farm drug abuse rumor", ''Minden Press-Herald'', August 8, 1996, p. 1.</ref>
+Upon taking office, Riser dismissed several deputies who had worked openly for Kemp in the 1995 election. These deputies sued for violation of rights through political retaliation but soon dropped their case. Riser then sued under the Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Award Act of 1976 to gain reimbursement of his legal fees accrued in the suit. However, he was rebuffed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, based in Shreveport, on grounds that the issue was not a [[civil rights]] matter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-5th-circuit/1179104.html|title=Dean v. Riser|publisher=caselaw.findlaw.com|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
-In 1996, Republican]] [[Governor]] [[Mike Foster]] appointed Riser to the 21-member Louisiana Highway Safety Committee, which oversees law enforcement grants.<ref>"Riser named to highway safety committee", ''Minden Press-Herald'', November 20, 1996, p. 1.</ref>
+In 1996, Republican [[Governor]] [[Mike Foster]] appointed Riser to the 21-member Louisiana Highway Safety Committee, which oversees law enforcement grants.<ref>"Riser named to highway safety committee", ''Minden Press-Herald'', November 20, 1996, p. 1.</ref>
-In 1999, Riser won his second term by a similar margin than his first when he defeated former sheriff's deputy Thomas Cameron "T. C." Bloxom, Jr. (1929-2014), a native of Mansfield DeSoto Parish, but a  long-term Minden resident. Riser polled 7,552 votes (54.3 percent) to Bloxom's 6,351 (45.7 percent). Bloxom had become a deputy in 1956 under [[J.  D. Batton]] and continued in that role under successor Sheriffs O. H. Haynes, Jr., and Royce McMahen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10231999/10231999_60.html|title=Results for Election Date: 10/23/1999: Webster Parish|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=September 19, 2014}}</ref> One of the best known of law-enforcement officers in Webster Parish, Bloxom was also the appointed Minden Fire Department chief from 1971 to 2008 and the elected city police chief from 1990 to 2010, a position that he held during his second race for sheriff against Riser in 1999.<ref>"T. C. Bloxom, long-time Minden fire chief, dies", ''The Shreveport Times'', July 14, 2014.</ref> In 1983, Bloxom had unsuccessfully challenged McMahen in the latter's bid for a second term. He polled 4,425 votes (25.5 percent) to McMahen's 11,090 (64 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10221983/10221983_60.html|title=Results for Election Date: 10/22/1983: Webster Parish|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
+In 1999, Riser won his second term by a similar margin as his first when he defeated former sheriff's deputy Thomas Cameron "T. C." Bloxom, Jr. (1929-2014), a native of Mansfield DeSoto Parish, but a  long-term Minden resident. Riser polled 7,552 votes (54.3 percent) to Bloxom's 6,351 (45.7 percent). Bloxom had become a deputy in 1956 under [[J.  D. Batton]] and continued in that role under successor Sheriffs O. H. Haynes, Jr., and Royce McMahen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10231999/10231999_60.html|title=Results for Election Date: 10/23/1999: Webster Parish|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=September 19, 2014}}</ref> One of the best known of law-enforcement officers in Webster Parish, Bloxom was also the appointed Minden Fire Department chief from 1971 to 2008 and the elected city police chief from 1990 to 2010, a position that he held during his second race for sheriff against Riser in 1999.<ref>"T. C. Bloxom, long-time Minden fire chief, dies", ''The Shreveport Times'', July 14, 2014.</ref> In 1983, Bloxom had unsuccessfully challenged McMahen in the latter's bid for a second term. He polled 4,425 votes (25.5 percent) to McMahen's 11,090 (64 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10221983/10221983_60.html|title=Results for Election Date: 10/22/1983: Webster Parish|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref>
 During his time as sheriff, Riser seemed repeatedly at odds with the Webster Parish Police Jury, the parish governing body akin to the county commission in most other states. The dispute centered over the housing and reimbursement of the costs of prisoners. Riser accused the police jury of not paying its bills after the jurors offered barely half of what the sheriff said was owed. The police jury, led by its president, Charles Roger "Charlie" Walker, Sr. (1931-2015) of Doyline in south Webster Parish, subsequently sued Riser, whom it accused of allowing his employees and inmate crews to sabotage the vacant parish penal farm; the damages rendered the facility inoperable for further use as a jail.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zoominfo.com/s/#!search/profile/person?personId=38045906&targetid=profile|title=Ted Riser|publisher=zoominfo.com|accessdate=September 18, 2014}}</ref><ref>KTBS-TV, [[Shreveport]], Louisiana, July 30, 2003.</ref>Josh Beavers, former publisher of ''The Minden Press-Herald'', said that Walker handled the controversy with Riser fairly: "Through all of the turmoil, I never felt like Mr. Walker was trying to be subversive. He was always honest, always open."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press-herald.com/walker-remembered-as-father-leader-and-friend/|title=Walker remembered as father, leader and friend|publisher=''Minden Press-Herald''|accessdate=March 16, 2015}}</ref>