Two men charged in Vernon Parish newspaper deliveryman attack

VERNON PARISH, La. (KALB) - Two men have been charged in the Dec. 17 attack on a newspaper deliveryman in Vernon Parish.

Douglas Paul James, 32, and Dillon Mathew James, 24, are each facing charges of second-degree battery in the Dec. 17 assault on Woodie Blanks, 67, in Vernon Parish. Back in December, Blanks was delivering newspapers, when around 3 a.m. on Catfish Hut Road he reached a house that requested he hand-deliver the paper because the customer had mobility issues.

Blanks said when he was returning to his vehicle, he was stopped by a group of men. He said the men questioned him about what he was doing, before assaulting him. Blanks sustained multiple serious injuries to his face and eyes. According to a GoFundMe set up for Blanks, he has had to have multiple surgeries, and he could permanently lose vision in his left eye.

Douglas and Dillon James were later arrested for the attack. The Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office did not release their mugshots on its Facebook page, though KALB was able to obtain a mugshot of Dillon James that was attached to his bill of information.

The sheriff’s office also failed to include the two mens’ names in the week’s arrest report at the time, unlike they usually do for crimes committed in the area.

On Tuesday, Feb. 22, while in court for the first time, the two both pleaded not guilty to the battery charges. The alleged attackers will appear in court again for pre-trial on May 3, with a trial set to start on May 16.

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