(Over the course of the next few weeks, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).
by Malcolm Butler
When Logan and Landon Hunt were growing up, like most parents Bill and Renee Hunt had the best seat in the house as the identical twins formed a life-long best friend relationship.
That brotherly bond is now stronger than ever as both 41-year-olds juggle jobs, civic responsibilities, and their respective families.
“It was fun to have a front row seat to watch,” said Renee. “They did have that twin language that you hear about identical twins having. They could understand each other where Bill and I couldn’t understand them. It was really interesting.”
Growing up on Northwood Place behind Hillcrest Elementary, the dark-haired dynamic duo did everything together.
“Anything outside from what I remember,” said Landon, who is Chief Deputy at the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office. “We always stayed outside whether it was in the woods behind the house, fishing in the pond back there … we would hop on bikes and ride.”
“We ran the roads,” said Logan, who is in his second term as the District 5 representative on the Lincoln Parish Police Jury. “We fished in ponds and creeks and road bikes and 4 wheelers and tried to stay out of trouble. Frog gigging and fishing. Baseball.”
Mom knows better than anyone the connection Logan and Landon have always had.
“They are the best of friends, and they always have been,” said Renee.
According to Landon and Logan, growing up as an identical twin was special.
“It was like always having your best friend with you at the house at all times,” said Landon. “You remember how much fun it was to have your best friend over as a kid? Well, we had it all the time.”
“Back then and now, the best part is having a best friend that is always there,” said Logan. “You always had your best friend right there, even today. A built-in best friend. We were inseparable.”
Neither remembers a time when they got into a fight with each other as boys, but both stressed they have always had each other’s back.
“I can think of some times when someone else was at it with one of us and we came together, but I can’t think of a time where we tied up,” said Landon. “You mess with one of us, you got both of us.”
Renee remembers such a time when they were at A.E. Phillips Laboratory School, a day when she and Bill got a call from the principal.
“They had to stay home for a few days,” said Renee. “A kid picked on one of them one too many times. The principal called me and said, ‘You are going to have to come get the boys and they are going to have to stay home a couple of days, but this needed to happen.’
“They definitely had each other’s backs, and they always have.”
At an early age, Landon and Logan were introduced to civic duty as both Bill and Renee served as volunteers at the Lincoln Parish Fire District. Both boys got involved at an early age as volunteers as well.
“We were volunteer fire fighting together with mom and dad in the late 1990s,” said Logan, who remembers he and Landon participating in a cadet program with the Choudrant Fire Department when they were 16-years old. “When dad started doing that then Landon and I started doing it. I think that’s where some of the public service mindset started … right there with the Lincoln Parish Fire District.
“But once we got a taste of it …”
Although Renee believes that seeing their parents volunteer in different ways helped set an example, she said both boys were naturals when it came to giving back.
“They grew up with a servant’s heart,” said Renee. “They both have a real volunteering spirit.”
After both graduated Ruston High in 2001, they went their separate ways really for the first time ever with Logan attending Louisiana Tech and Landon heading to LSU-Eunice.
Logan, who is the oldest of the two by 16 minutes, joined the Shreveport Fire Department after earning his forestry degree from Tech. He worked for the SFD for “six or seven years” before returning to Ruston to serve as a youth minister at Trinity Methodist Church for a few years.
Currently he works for Roseau Companies, a company focused on alternative investments with the majority of his time right now dedicated to an industrial recycling/waste to energy project in Kansas.
He and his wife Megan have six children, including Ethan (19), Cooper (18), Carlisle (10), Elizabeth (9), Catterson (7), and Sincere (2). Ethan and Cooper were adopted, and Sincere is being fostered by the couple.
In 2019, Logan decided to run as a representative for District 5 on the Lincoln Parish Police Jury.
“I was interested in government,” said Logan. “I went to a few meetings when I was part of the Lincoln Leadership Group. I got interested in what I saw and heard.
“I thought it was time for some new ideas and some fresh ideas and some business-minded forward thinking.”
Logan is beginning his second year of his second term on the police jury and has developed a strong reputation among his police jury peers.
“Logan has the heart of a public servant,” said Lincoln Parish Policy Jury President Glenn Scriber. “He is not in it for himself or for notoriety. He has that friendly attitude that makes him very easy to work with and he knows how to get things done.”
He serves as the chair of the Long Range Planning and Economic Development Committee as well as the Subdivision Code of Ordinance Committee for the police jury. He also sits on the Health and Welfare Services Committee, the Personnel/Benefits Committee, the Public Property & Buildings Committee, and the Solid Waste & Recycling Committee.
“He’s a tremendous asset for Lincoln Parish, and I count it as an honor to work beside him on the Police Jury,” said Scriber. “We as a parish are lucky to have him.”
Landon began working for the Grambling State Police Department in 2004 and then moved to the Choudrant Police Department in 2005 where he stayed until joining the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office in 2009.
He began as a patrol deputy at the LPSO and has steadily worked his way up the ranks, most recently being promoted to Chief Deputy in the past year.
He is a member of Rotary Club and a team leader for the DART Men Standing Strong organization.
Landon and his wife Anna are parents to 13-year-old daughter, Reese, and 11-year-old son, Gray.
“I truly enjoy going to work everyday and having the opportunity to help others in a time of need,” said Landon. “I enjoy contributing to our community and doing my best to make it a better place to live work and raise a family.”
Lincoln Parish Sheriff Stephen Williams said that Landon has all the characteristics that make a good leader in his profession.
“The No. 1 thing in our business that makes him so good is he is a great communicator and an even better listener,” said Williams. “In our business just being able to listen to somebody can solve about 90 percent of the problem.
“He is wise beyond his years. He is about 15 years younger than me, and I go to him for advice or to run something by him regularly. He has a really good head on his shoulders.”
Williams said it’s easy to see the similarities in the two brothers.
“Just like Logan, they are one in the same, they treat everybody the same with dignity and respect,” said Williams. “Sometimes that’s hard to find in today’s world. Doesn’t matter if they are a saint or a sinner, they treat them all the same.”
When asked to describe their brother with a few words, both Logan and Landon used the word compassionate in talking about their counterpart – a true trait of a community leader.
However, Renee may have described her sons’ mindset and passion for civic duty the best.
“They thrive on it,” said Renee. “They are happiest when they are helping. They really are. They have that quiet servant’s heart.”
