HAMMOND, LA (WAFB)- Authorities arrested six convicted sex offenders on May 10 for failing to register.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office went out early that morning with arrest warrants for 12 people and caught half of them.

"Convicted sex offenders are required to perform registration obligations, which includes providing accurate personal information to the public," said Sheriff Daniel Edwards. "This roundup is our latest attempt to insure that Tangipahoa Parish families have the information about convicted sex offenders that they need to keep safe."

Deputies arrested:

• David Lee Beauchamp, 52
• Billy Joe Hart, 44
• Kevin Lee Jarrell, 40
• Zemmon Quillian, 54
• Sedrick Watts, 42
• Kelcy Williams, 34

Law enforcement officers also performed surprise compliance checks at the homes of 53 registered sex offenders.

"Our goal in conducting these types of operations is to send a message to area convicted sex offenders that compliance with sex offender registration laws is expected and required," Edwards added.

         HAMMOND – If the budget bill (HB1) currently moving through the Louisiana Legislature is not amended, Southeastern Louisiana University is slated to lose $16.5 million in state appropriations. 
        This will bring Southeastern’s total state funding reductions since Fiscal Year 2008/09 to $45.6 million, or 58 percent. As the current budget proposal stands, total reductions in state general fund support for all of higher education since FY 2008/09 would reach $585 million.
        “Over the past four years, we have absorbed significant reductions in our state support, and greatly streamlined our operations as a result,” said President John L. Crain.  “A reduction of this size, particularly given the magnitude of reductions already absorbed, would have a cataclysmic impact on the university and would drastically impair our ability to serve our students and communities.”