Man Sentenced as Habitual Offender in Caddo District Court

A Shreveport man convicted of simple robbery last year was sentenced in Caddo District Court to serve a decade in prison as a habitual offender.

49 year-old Arnold Ballard Jr., was convicted  in October of 2025  by a six-person jury, which found him guilty of robbing a man outside a Shreveport center serving the homeless.

Simple robbery can carry a sentence of up to seven years. But, the District Attorney’s office filed a habitual offender bill seeking to have the defendant sentenced as a second-time felony offender.

In addition to the robbery conviction, prosecutors alleged that Ballard had been convicted of simple robbery back in 2023.  As a second-time felony offender, he could be sentenced for at least four and two-thirds years and up to 14 years.

Ballard pleaded guilty to the habitual offender bill and agreed to waive his rights to appeal and post-conviction relief. In return, the state agreed to the 10-year sentence.

From the Caddo DA:

"Ballard was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Christopher S. Bowman and Ashlin Thomas. Carlos Prudhomme defended Ballard."