Oct 31, 2008 - A teen-ager already in custody in the St. Bernard Parish Juvenile Detention Center admits to starting a massive fire in the Village Square apartments in Chalmette last January, which destroyed three abandoned apartment complexes that held about 40 apartments, Sheriff Jack Stephens said. No one was injured in the smoky blaze that could be seen for miles but it took several hours of intense battling by St. Bernard Parish firefighters to extinguish it.

The fire , last Jan. 6, spread from one apartment complex to three others, destroying three and damaging the fourth, St. Bernard Fire Chief Thomas Stone said. One man who was illegally living in an apartment in one of the affected complexes was booked with trespassing when he was seen leaving a building during the blaze.

Sheriff Stephens said the teen-ager who admitted his involvement, who was 16 at the time of the fire and has turned 17, has been booked with arson. He is serving a two-year sentence in the St. Bernard Juvenile Detention Center after his conviction in several auto burglaries in the Spring of this year.

Sheriff’s officials developed information the teen-ager, who can’t be identified by law because he is incarcerated in the juvenile system, was involved in the Village Square apartments fire. Under questioning the teen admitted starting the fire, Sheriff Stephens said, adding the boy said he and others were inside an abandoned apartment when he started it. No one else has been arrested.

Fire Chief Stone said he welcomed the news of the arrest and thanked sheriff’s officials for their work, saying arson is a difficult crime to make an arrest in.

Jason Hartwick of Chalmtte, booked with possession of stolen property after he allegedly tried to renovate girlfriend’s home with items stolen in several St. Bernard Parish burglaries.

Oct 29, 2008 - A Chalmette man has been booked with possession of stolen property for allegedly trying to renovate his girlfriend’s home with items taken in at least three burglaries, including $10,000 worth of cabinets removed from walls and carpeting cut from floors, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.
 
Jason Hartwick, 29, 2401 Despeaux Drive, who said he bought the goods from others, has been released on bond from St. Bernard Parish Prison after his arrest on Oct. 22. The amount of bond wasn’t available. He could face additional stolen property counts as he investigation continues, authorities said.

The sheriff said it is an unusual case because many of the items weren’t simply stolen from a home on Moss Lane in Violet but were removed after they had been installed, including the cabinets and carpeting.

Other items recovered in the residence of Hartwick’s girlfriend – who wasn’t arrested and hadn’t moved in – were taken from two other burglaries and included appliances and a ceiling fan, the sheriff said.

He said the stolen items were found in a home on Van Cleave Drive in the Lexington Place subdivision in Meraux.

The victim was instrumental in finding out where the items had been taken to and supplying the address to authorities, Sheriff Stephens said. Several factors played into the victim learning the information.

The owner of the stolen cabinets had them custom-made at a store, and on a hunch, decided to ask store officials to let him know if anyone came in looking for trim and other accessories to fit gaps if the custom-made items were being put into another kitchen, the sheriff said.

A representative of the store called back to say someone had come in inquiring about further work for the same type cabinets, the victim reported to sheriff’s detectives.

Also, the description of the person who made the inquiry and two children he had with him when he went into the store gave the victim reason to believe he may know what home his stolen items had been taken to, Sheriff Stephens said.
 

Oct 29, 2008 - A man wanted in connection with an investigation of a burglary ring surrendered to St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s detectives on Wednesday, Oct. 29, after learning a warrant had been issued for his arrest, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

Two men are now in custody in a case that could clear as many as 15 St. Bernard burglaries, most dating back to the period of Hurricane Gustav at the end of August, when nearly all parish residents evacuated for several days, authorites said.

Paul Herkes, 29, who had been living in New Orleans, was booked with one count of burglary after he surrendered, Sheriff Stephens said. No bond has been set.

Herkes, after his arrest, denied he committed a burglary but the sheriff said Herkes has been identified on a store security video tape in Jefferson Parish as allegedly using a stolen credit card that had been taken in a September burglary in St. Bernard Parish.

The alleged main person in the burglary ring is Scott Rodrigue, 38, who had been living in Metairie but has ties to St. Bernard Parish, authorities said.

Other arrests are expected, officials said.

Rodrigue may be responsible, either as a burglar or as a “fence’’ buying items from other burglars, in as many as 15 break-ins in St. Bernard and others in Orleans, Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes, Sheriff Stephens said.

An investigation started in St. Bernard by detectives commanded by Col. John Doran led to the arrest of Rodrigue, who has previously served prison time for burglary.

Rodrigue was arrested at his residence at 3120 N. Turnbull Drive in Metairie on Oct. 22, with the assistance of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office which secured a search warrant, and numerous items identified as stolen in burglaries in St. Bernard and the other three parishes were recovered, Sheriff Stephens said.

A police-style bullet-proof vest, an Olympic-style bicycle allegedly stolen in New Orleans, a gun, electronics equipment, cameras, video games, jewelry, power tools and other items were found, authorities said.

Rodrigue, being held in lieu of $107,500 bond in the Jefferson Parish, is booked there with felony possession of stolen items and with being a conicted felon illegally in possession of a weapon. He was also wanted on narcotics charges from St. Bernard.

Sheriff Stephens said property stolen in at least five St. Bernard burglaries was recovered in the search. In Metairie.

The investigation is continuing as detectives in Jefferson and St. Bernard sort out recovered property and try to identify items reported as stolen, Sheriff Stephens said.

Scott Rodrigue, arrested in Jefferson Parish, where property stolen in at least five St. Bernard burglaries was recovered		Paul Herkes is wanted in the same case on an arrest warrant for burglary in St. Bernard Parish

An investigation that started in St. Bernard by detectives commanded by Col. John Doran led to the arrest of a man with ties to St. Bernard but who had been living in Metairie, the sheriff said.

Scott Rodrigue, 38, who has served prison time for burglary, was arrested at his residence at 3120 N. Turnbull Drive in Metairie on Oct. 22, with the assistance of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office which secured a search warrant, and numerous items identified as stolen in burglaries in St. Bernard and the other three parishes were recovered, Sheriff Stephens said.

A police-style bullet-proof vest, an Olympic-style bicycle allegedly stolen in New Orleans, electronics equipment, cameras, video games, jewelry, power tools and other items were found, authorities said.

Rodrigue, being held in lieu of $107,500 bond in the Jefferson Parish Detention Center, is booked there with felony possession of stolen items. He was also wanted on narcotics charges from St. Bernard.

Sheriff Stephens said property stolen in at least five St. Bernard burglaries was recovered and he said Rodrigue could be booked with as many as 15 burglaries in St. Bernard. Rodrigue was believed to be both a burglar and a “fence’’ for people selling items they stole, he said.

Another man, Paul Herkes, 29, who has been living in New Orleans, is wanted in St. Bernard in the same case on an arrest warrant alleging burglary.

“This type of investigation involving more than one parish highlights the benefits of law enforcement agencies working together,’’ said St. Bernard Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann. “We thank Jefferson Sheriff Newell Normand and his office for all their assistance.’’

The investigation is continuing as detectives in Jefferson and St. Bernard sort out recovered property and try to identify items they have reported as stolen, Sheriff Stephens said.

More arrests are expected, Pohlmann said.

Many of the burglaries occurred during the time of Hurricane Gustav, officials said.

Paul Herkes is wanted in the same case on an arrest warrant for burglary in St. Bernard Parish

Oct 24, 2008 - Two motorcycle units have debuted on the streets of St. Bernard Parish as part of the Sheriff’s Office Traffic Division and two more will soon follow, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

“Their prime function will be traffic enforcement,’’ Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said of the new Harley-Davidson motorcycles being leased.

“The No. 1 complaint we hear about is traffic-related, involving speeding,’’ Pohlmann said.

Use of the motorcycles is aimed at better enforcement of traffic laws, he said.

The units were put on the streets on Wednesday, Oct. 22 and were immediately used in school zones.

St. Bernard Parish residents who are having problems with traffic violators in their neighborhoods can report it by calling the sheriff’s Traffic Hotline at 278-7677.

Oct 22, 2008 - Responding to a resident’s report of suspicious-looking people possibly making a drug deal in Arabi, St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies seized 55 tablets of hydrocodone, a narcotic pain-reliever, and arrested two men, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

The sheriff said anyone seeing what they believe to be suspicious activity should quickly call the Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501, emphasizing such timely calls have been responsible for numerous arrests in recent months involving burglary, theft and narcotics.

Kirk Brown, 31, 1015 Government St., Arabi, and Sammie May, 38, of Gulfport were both booked the night of Oct. 17 with possession of 55 Schedule III narcotics and are being held in lieu of bond in St. Bernard Parish Prison; Brown on $30,000 bond and May on bond of $27,500.

The pills sell for about $5 each on the street, the sheriff said.

Sheriff’s deputies found the men in a parked vehicle outside an apartment complex at 1015 Government St., in Arabi, next to the Orleans Parish line, the sheriff said.

When ordered out of the vehicle, Brown, who had been in the driver’s seat, had 18 hydrocodone tablets in his left hand and he acknowledged he didn’t have a prescription for them, Sheriff Stephens said.

He said after Brown agreed to a search of the vehicle, 37 more of the same type tablets were found on the front and back passenger side floor boards.

Brown acknowledged to deputies he had just bought the pills and threw most of them down when deputies arrived, the sheriff said.

May admitted he was in the vehicle when the pills were purchased and said he was aware Brown threw them on the floor to try to hide them as deputies arrived, the sheriff said.

	McGruff the Crime Dog and Capt. Charles Borchers, director of Crime Prevention for the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office, to appear at Saturday's Trick-or-trunk Halloween event at 2 p.m. in Torres Park in Chalmette. STEVE CANNIZARO PHOTO.

Oct 21, 2008 - McGruff the Crime Dog, a favorite of children, symbol of the National Crime Prevention Center and whose motto is "Take a Bite Out of Crime,'' has for years been played in St. Bernard Parish by Greer Cuccia, a Sheriff's Office employee.

McGruff and Capt. Charles Borchers, director of Crime Prevention and head of the Neighborhood Watch program for the department, will give out candy and other items to children on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Trick-or-Trunk Halloween event in Torres Park in Chalmette, sponsored by parish government and numerous parish businesses.

Also, the Sheriff's Office, as usual for the Halloween period, will have increased presence for the protection of trick-or-treating children and adult party-goers, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

There will be stepped up DWI enforcement on highways and in neighborhoods and the emphasis will be on motorists slowing down and watching out for pedestrians, the sheriff said.

The Sheriff’s Office will also be ready to respond to traffic problems caused by Halloween-related parties and other activities, he said.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office is releasing a list of tips for Halloween to help ensure a safe and happy time for children. They were compiled by the National Crime Prevention Institute and the Los Angeles Fire Department.

In St. Bernard, because of the ongoing rebuilding process, there are things to watch for that are pertinent to our parish, said Capt. Charles Borchers, director of Crime Prevention for the Sheriff’s Office.

“Children and their parents who are trick-or-treating should be especially careful in areas where there are vacant properties, where streets are under repair or where the lighting is bad,’’ Borchers said.

Here is the list of safety tips:

BEFORE HALLOWEEN:

• Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Make sure shoes fit well and costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame.
  
• Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility.
  
• Secure emergency identification (name, address, phone number) discreetly within Halloween attire or on a bracelet.
  
• Because a mask can limit or block eyesight, consider non-toxic and hypoallergenic makeup or a decorative hat as a safe alternative.
  
• When shopping for costumes, wigs and accessories, purchase only those with a label indicating they are flame resistant.
  
• Think twice before using simulated knives, guns or swords. If such props must be used, be certain they do not appear authentic and are soft and flexible to prevent injury.
  
• Obtain flashlights with fresh batteries for all children and their escorts.
  
• Plan ahead to use only battery powered lanterns or chemical light sticks in place of candles in decorations and costumes.
  
• Teach children their home phone number and to how call 9-1-1 (or their local emergency number) if they have an emergency or become lost. Remind them that 9-1-1 can be dialed free from any phone.
  
• Review with your children the principle of "Stop-Drop-Roll", should their clothes catch on fire.
  
• Openly discuss appropriate and inappropriate behavior at Halloween time.
  
• Consider purchasing individually packaged healthy food alternatives (or safe non-food treats) for those who visit your home.
  
• Take extra effort to eliminate tripping hazards on your porch and walkway. Check around your property for flower pots, low tree limbs, support wires or garden hoses that may prove hazardous to young children rushing from house to house.
  
• Consider safe party guidelines when hosting an Adult or Office Party. (link provided by Mothers Against Drunk Driving Orange County Chapter)
  
•  

FUN ALTERNATIVES:

• Find a special event or start one in your own neighborhood.
  
• Community Centers, Shopping Malls and Houses of Worship may have organized festivities.
  
• Share the fun by arranging a visit to a Retirement Home or Senior Center.
  
• Create an alliance with college fraternities, sororities or service clubs for children's face-painting or a carnival.
  
•  

BEFORE NIGHTFALL ON HALLOWEEN:

• A good meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating will discourage youngsters from filling up on Halloween treats.
  
• Consider fire safety when decorating. Do not overload electrical outlets with holiday lighting or special effects, and do not block exit doors.
  
• While children can help with the fun of designing a Jack O' Lantern, leave the carving to adults.
  
• Always keep Jack O' Lanterns and hot electric lamps far away from drapes, decorations, flammable materials or areas where children and pets will be standing or walking.
  
• Plan and review with your children the route and behavior which is acceptable to you.
  
• Do not permit children to bicycle, roller-blade or skateboard.
  
• Agree on a specific time when revelers must return home.
  
• Along with flashlights for all, older children and escorts should wear a wristwatch and carry coins for non-emergency phone calls.
  
• Confine, segregate or otherwise prepare household pets for an evening of frightful sights and sounds. Be sure that all dogs and cats are wearing collars and proper identification tags.
  
• Remind all household drivers to remain cautious and drive slowly throughout the community.
  
• Adult party-goers should establish a designated driver.
  
• 
  

WHEN TRICK-OR-TREATING:

• A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
  
• Remind Trick-or-Treaters:
  
• By using a flashlight, they can see and be seen by others.
  
• Stay in a group, walk slowly and communicate where you are going.
  
• Only trick-or-treat in well known neighborhoods at homes that have a lit porch light.
  
• Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
  
• If no sidewalk is available, walk at the farthest edge of the roadway facing traffic.
  
• Never cut across yards or use alleys.
  
• Never enter a stranger's home or car for a treat.
  
• Obey all traffic and pedestrian regulations.
  
• Always walk. Never run across a street.
  
• Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks (as recognized by local custom).
  
• Remove any mask or item that will limit eyesight before crossing a street, driveway or alley.
  
• Don't assume the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing Trick-or-Treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn't mean others will.
  
• Never consume unwrapped food items or open beverages that may be offered.
  
• No treats are to be eaten until they are thoroughly checked by an adult at home.
  
• Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

AFTER TRICK-OR-TREATING:

• Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though tampering is rare, a responsible Adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.
  
• Try to apportion treats for the days following Halloween.
  
• Although sharing is encouraged, make sure items that can cause choking (such as hard candies), are given only to those of an appropriate age.

Oct 17, 2008 UPDATED -  A 16-year-old Chalmette boy who accidentally shot himself to the side of the head Sept. 16 with a gun he allegedly stole in a burglary that day, has been arrested for firing a stolen .22-rifle from a back window of his mother’s apartment and striking the exterior of three apartments in a complex and three houses, Sheriff Jack Stephens said. No one was injured in the incident that happened about 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16.

The teen-ager was immediately arrested because sheriff’s deputies who were in the area on an unrelated matter heard several shots, saw him waving the rifle in the back 2nd-floor window of his residence, and went into his apartment.  The teen-ager, whose name can’t be released under state law because he is a minor, was placed in the parish juvenile detention center.

On Friday he was ordered held there without bond.

Sheriff Stephens said he is glad the teen can’t be bonded out because the shooting incident shows “he is an extraordinarily troubled youth who must be segregated from society before he hurts someone.’’ The boy has also been linked to a total of three burglaries. 

The latest incident happened in the 200 block of Eighth Street, just down the block from Andrew Jackson Elementary School, which was locked down for a short period by school officials after shots were reported fired in the area.  The front of the apartment of the teenager’s mother faces the school but he was firing from a back window, away from the school, Sheriff Stephens said.

The 16-year-old was booked with: illegally discharging a weapon, discharging a weapon within 1,000 feet of a school, on two burglary counts, with possession of stolen property and with criminal damage to the three houses and three apartments where bullet holes were found to their exteriors. Sheriff’s detectives believe the teen-ager stole a rifle in a burglary of a residence several blocks from his home. Besides the rifle, he also had a stolen nail gun when arrested, authorities said.

The teen was out on bond from the juvenile detention center at the time of the shooting incident.

The boy accidentally shot himself to the side of his head inside his mother’s apartment on Sept. 16, while handling a gun stolen in a residence burglary that day and both he and two others teens were  arrested for the break-in, Sheriff Stephens said.

He was hospitalized for two nights and was arrested on a burglary charge on Sept. 19, after his hospital release, the sheriff said.

Also booked with burglary in that incident were two others teen-age males, Khristian Abadie, 17, 8401 Livingston Avenue, Chalmette; and a 16-year-old boy, both of whom also allegedly took part in the break-in of a residence near the shooting victim’s apartment, the sheriff said. A revolver and prescription pills were stolen.

Andrew Jackson Elementary School was locked down the day of that shooting just before the end of the day, delaying parents from being able to pick-up their children.

Schools Superintendent Doris Voitier said a school lockdown is ordered in such situations for the safety of the students pending investigation of what has happened.

St. Bernard Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann, right, Col. Chad Clark (at podium) and to his left Col. Pete Tufaro and members of the sheriff's Special Investigations Division stand behind a table displaying more than 13 pounds of cocaine, four AK-47 assault rifles, two handguns and more than $81,000 in cash and other items seized Wednesday, Oct. 15 in a raid of a Chalmette residence. Four people were arrested, including a civilian employee of the New Orleans Police Department who resigned after her arrest.STEVE CANNIZARO PHOTO

Keith Martin, alleged ringleader of the group of four people caught with 13 pounds of cocaine in Chalmette on Wednesday, Oct. 15, is placed in a patrol car outside his home on Valor Drive by Deputy Sheriff John Scheuermann.  STEVE CANNIZARO PHOTO.

Oct 16, 2008 - More than 13 pounds of cocaine and $81,000 in cash was seized in a Chalmette home and four people including an employee of the New Orleans Police Department were arrested on Wednesday, Oct. 15 after alert work by National Guard military police and   

St. Bernard sheriff’s deputies, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

Military police noticed two men in an Arabi all-night convenience store twice buying large amounts of materials for making crack cocaine in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Oct. 14, the sheriff said.

After their truck’s license plate came back as a rental the National Guardsmen called St. Bernard sheriff’s deputies to report the suspicious activity and two deputies searched the area until they found the truck with the same plate in a driveway at 8420 Valor Drive in Chalmette, the sheriff said.

Members of the sheriff’s Special Investigations Division maintained surveillance on the half-double residence for nearly a full day as occupants, as it turned out, went to Houston to pick up multiple pounds of cocaine and returned with it to the residence.

The home was raided Wednesday morning.

The cocaine had a street value of upwards of $600,000, authorities estimated, and said it was the largest cocaine seizure in St. Bernard in nearly 20 years.

“This is outstanding work by military police officers and our sheriff’s deputies,’’ Sheriff’s Stephens said. “It’s also a tribute to cooperation between agencies.’’

The NOPD civilian employee, radio dispatcher Contrice Martin, 33, who lived at the Valor Drive residence where the cocaine and other items was found, resigned after her arrest.

Sheriff Stephens said the men, who are from New Orleans and the West Bank, apparently had moved to Chalmette because St. Bernard is safer than New Orleans. The drugs involved were meant for sale in the New Orleans area, not St. Bernard, he said.

The alleged head of the group, Keith Martin, 33, husband of Contrice Martin, specifically said after his arrest he thought living in St. Bernard would keep him safe from violent drug-dealers in New Orleans, the sheriff said.

At a news conference on Thursday, Oct. 16, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said the 13 pounds of cocaine “is a significant seizure for St. Bernard,’’ and said he had a message for drug dealers.

“They may think they are safer here from other drug dealers but they are not safe from law enforcement,’’ Pohlmann said. “Our narcotics enforcement officers are doing a great job here of making arrests and drug-dealers are being given long sentences in St. Bernard’s court system.’’

Contrice Martin, who said she had lived in Chalmette prior to Hurricane Katrina, said she moved to the Valor Drive address last February or March.

As well as the cocaine, SID deputies, under the command of Col. Chad Clark, found more than $81,000 in cash and four AK-47 assault rifles, one of which had been stolen in the Houston area, and two handguns, the sheriff said. Ballistics tests will be done to if they compare with any shootings in the New Orleans area in which AK-47s were used, Pohlmann said.

At least four vehicle were also seized at the house.

The four taken into custody were booked with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute as well as possession of more than 400 grams of cocaine and possession of a stolen weapon.

Arrested with the Martins were Tony Green, 37, of New Orleans who sometimes stayed at the Valor residence; and David Haywood, 29, of Avondale on the West Bank.

Contrice Martin, after her arrest, denied any knowledge of drug activity being operated out of her residence.

All were being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison; the men under bonds of $525,000 each that would have to be covered with cash under a ruling by state District Judge Manny Fernandez who set their bonds, and $400,000 for the woman.

Federal drug enforcement officers are now also involved in the investigation which is continuing into the Houston connection, authorities said.

Sheriff Stephens said it appeared the men were dealing in one-ounce bags of powdered cocaine and crack because there were numerous one-ounce bags found within larger ziplock plastic bags in the home. Some of the cocaine was recovered inside the residence and some in the attic, the sheriff’s said.

Their drug sales would have taken place outside St. Bernard, the sheriff said.

Most of the cocaine recovered had just been brought from Houston, where the three men had traveled to during the day on Tuesday and returned early Wednesday morning, Pohlmann and Clark said. Some of the cocaine was in the attic while they were gone.
 

Contrice Martin		Daviid Haywood		Tony Green

Oct 15, 2008 - About $500 worth of heroin was seized and a man was arrested in an Arabi apartment on Monday night, Oct. 13, when sheriff’s deputies were looking for the man in connection with an arrest warrant involving narcotics possession, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

Jamie Tate, 25, who was allegedly staying at 1204 Tenebrach St., Apt. A, Arabi, was arrested at the residence, where a woman lives. Ten individually wrapped foils containing a substance that tested positive for heroin were found, along with a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Tate was booked with possession of the items as well as on an outstanding arrest warrant from New Orleans for possession of a controlled dangerous substance.

A woman and two children, a 5-year-old girl and a 6-month-old boy, were in the home and two of the charges Tate was also booked with include possession of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a juvenile. “That’s dangerous,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. “Several children have died or become ill in the past few years in the New Orleans area after they ingested illegal drugs they found in their home.’’ The children involved in Tate’s arrest weren’t hurt, according to the sheriff.

Deputies with the sheriff’s Special Investigations Division went to the residence acting on the arrest warrant, the sheriff said.

He said a woman at the apartment denied knowing Tate but an officer saw a man look down from an upstairs window, then duck away.  Deputies then heard a loud noise upstairs and entered the apartment, with one finding Tate hiding under a bed, Sheriff Stephens said. The foils of heroin were spotted and afterward the woman resident acknowledged Tate stayed there.

A search warrant was obtained from a judge and marijuana was found as well as a partially burned cigar containing vegetable matter.

Tate is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $30,000 bond.
 

Oct 10, 2008 - Chalmette contractor Lyle Torres, arrested in July for allegedly stealing money given him to renovate storm-damaged homes, has pleaded guilty to eight counts of felony theft over $500 and has been ordered by a judge to make restitution of $213,000 as part of sentencing.

Torres, 38, 45 East Carmack Drive, who had been jailed in Chalmette since his arrest, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 7 before state District Judge Kirk Vaughn. Vaughn sentenced him to 10-year sentences on each of the eight charges, as well as five years active probation, but agreed to suspend the imposition of sentencing on the condition that Torres makes full restitution of $213,000 to the victims over the five years of probation. Torres was sentenced to eight consecutive 10-year sentences, meaning he would face 80 years in prison if restitution isn’t made.

Torres has been transferred to a prison in St. Tammany Parish, where he also faces a criminal charge involving contractor-related fraud. Probation and parole officials will work out details of how the payments would be made to victims. Other conditions imposed on Torres included receiving counseling for a gambling addiction and an order to refrain from gambling.

Some of the criminal cases involved work Torres was paid to do but never started, and others involved Torres’ crews starting work but completing nothing, the sheriff said. Theft and fraud allegations against contractors involving storm-related renovations they were hired to perform continues to be a problem in St. Bernard more than three years after the hurricane.
 

Oct 8, 2008 - A total of five arrests were made in two incidents of confrontations involving shotguns, one of which was discharged into the ground but no one was injured, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

Also, in a third incident, a man was arrested for allegedly breaking into a Meraux home.

Two men and a woman were arrested Saturday, Oct. 4 after a fight in Meraux in which one man discharged a shotgun into the ground, the sheriff said. Joshua Starr, 23, 2401 Octavia St., Chalmette, and Cody Wait, 20, 2001 Munster Blvd., Apt. A, Meraux, were both booked with aggravated assault, a misdemeanor, involving a shotgun, the sheriff said. Starr also was booked with the felony of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and illegal discharge of a weapon, the sheriff said.

Starr was arrested for allegedly intervening in a fight between Wait and a woman by grabbing a shotgun Wait allegedly had held before it was knocked to the ground and discharging the gun into the ground. Starr, who has a conviction involving a burglary, said he was trying to stop the fight, the sheriff said. No one was injured by the shot. A 12-gauge shotgun was later recovered in Wait’s vehicle trunk by sheriff’s deputies, and a shotgun shell was found on the ground. Wait and Starr also were booked with simple battery and disturbing the peace.

Terika Bienemy, 20, 2208 Walkers Lane, Meraux, who was involved in the fight with Wait, was booked with simple battery and disturbing the peace. Starr is being held on a $50,000 bond in St. Bernard Parish Prison. Wait is being held on bond of $1,500. Bienemy was released on bond but the amount wasn’t available.

The incident began as a verbal altercation outside a Meraux store by Wait and Bienemy, which led to a physical fight between them the sheriff said. He said when store officials told them to leave they relocated to an area near Wait’s apartment and continued their argument. Wait acknowledged he pulled the shotgun, the sheriff said.

Wait was tackled by a man identified as Bienemy’s brother and the gun was picked up and fired by Starr, Sheriff Stephens said. The brother, who said he acted to make sure the weapon wasn’t fired at anyone, wasn’t arrested.

In the other shotgun incident, two men faced off on Monday afternoon, Oct. 6 outside an apartment complex, with one holding a loaded shotgun and the other a concrete block, but no one was injured, Sheriff Stephens said.

Kelly Teel, 27, 3513 Golden Drive, Apt. D, Chalmette, who allegedly had the shotgun, and Jason Creppel, 24, 3713 Golden Drive, Apt. A, who allegedly held the concrete block, were both booked with aggravated assault and disturbing the peace, the sheriff said. Teel was also booked with possession of a firearm with obliterated numbers. The shotgun was recovered under a shed in the rear of an apartment complex after deputies were told where it had been hidden.

Both men are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison, Teel on bond of $22,500 and Creppel on bond of $7,500. Teel and Creppel had argued once that day prior to the incident in which they allegedly held the gun and concrete block on each other, the sheriff said.

In the burglary case, Eugene Minor, 20, 2021 Walker Lane, Meraux, was booked with burglary of a residence on Walkers Lane on Monday, Oct. 6, the sheriff said. The residence was entered through a bedroom window that was broken and pushed open. Investigating deputies developed information which led to Minor’s arrest, Sheriff Stephens said. Minor is being held in St. Bernard Parish prison in lieu of bond set at $27,500.

Oct 6, 2008 - UPDATED Because of an alert resident who reported a driver suspiciously stopping to let out passengers who would then return in a short period, St. Bernard sheriff’s deputies arrested three young New Orleans men who burglarized nine vehicles early Monday, Oct. 6, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

“This is an example of the difference residents can make in helping law enforcement do its job and helping their own neighborhood,’’ Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said. “If you see something that looks suspicious, don’t hesitate to call the Sheriff’s Office,’’ Pohlmann said. “You can stop crime and help victims get their property back.  And you may be protecting yourself from a future burglary or worse from the same people.’’

The Sheriff’s Office can be reached at (504) 271-2501.

Sheriff’s deputies who investigated the call of the suspicious vehicle found a white Toyota being driven westbound on Genie Street approaching Palmisano Boulevard, with two passengers. Purses, a pill bottle, GPS devices and CDs were seen in the vehicle. Found in the trunk was a Glock 17 handgun stolen from a truck in a driveway in the 1300 block of Magistrate Street in Chalmette, authorities said. A bottle of prescription hydrocodone pills were stolen from a vehicle in the 3300 block of Riverland Drive, and there were also six purses, several GPS devices and assorted CDs.

Sheriff’s detectives followed up on the arrests and determined that nine vehicles were burglarized.  All of the vehicles that were victimized were unlocked, with the arrested suspects allegedly going down several streets and checking doors.

Pohlmann said this type of crime should serve as a reminder to residents not to make it easy for people to take their property by leaving vehicles unlocked, even outside their residence.

Arrested were Vu Luu, 20, 5162 Willowbrook Drive; Danny Tran, 17, 5163 Willowbrook Drive; and Trung Tran, 4737 Coronado Drive, all in eastern New Orleans. They are all booked with burglary, illegal possession of hydrocodone, a Schedule 2 controlled dangerous substance; and possessing a firearm while possessing a controlled dangerous substance. All three are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison on bonds of $75,000.

Oct 6, 2008 - A Violet man was booked with armed robbery in a Sept. 26 incident where three masked men with guns forced their way into a Chalmette residence demanding money and stole a resident’s purse containing $100 and her cell phone, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

No one was injured and sheriff’s detectives believe the home was targeted by the robbers rather than randomly attacked, the sheriff said. The case is still under investigation. A mask was found in a vehicle when Lennie Brown, 18, 2104 Colonial Boulevard, was stopped and arrested Wednesday, Oct. 1, the sheriff said.

Brown, booked with armed robbery, is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison on $100,000 bond.

Sheriff’s detectives developed information on Brown after the home invasion in the 3500 block of Chalona Drive in Chalmette, the sheriff said, and are working leads on the other men. The three robbers all had guns and wore masks but one of the masks only partially covered the face of one man, Sheriff Stephens said. After Brown’s arrest, he was identified by a victim in a lineup from among others, the sheriff said.

Also, three men have been booked with theft of $15,000 worth of copper wire from a Violet commercial trailer park, Sheriff Stephens said. The arrests were made by the Sheriff’s Street Crimes Unit. He said two of the arrested men lived at the trailer park at 5012 East Louisiana 46 in Violet where the thefts took place in August.

Booked Sept. 29 with theft of copper wire were Brad Anglada, 28, 5012 East Louisiana 46, Lot 19; Jon Hogan, 31, 5012 East Louisiana 46, Lot 18; and Titus Cease, 19, 4 Coffee Drive, Chalmette. Anglada was released on bond Oct. 1 while Hogan is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison on $32,500 bond and Cease is being held on $25,000 bond.

The sheriff said anyone seeing suspicious activity in their neighborhood should call the Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501.

Oct 6, 2008 - A bag containing 48 tablets that tested positive for the drug MDMA, known as ecstasy, were seized and a Violet man arrested on Thursday, Oct. 2, Sheriff Jack Stephen s said.

Jason Blaise, 19, 6417 Jules Brown St., is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $50,000 bond, booked with possession with intent to distribute ecstasy, resisting an officer, criminal trespassing, criminal mischief and disturbing the peace. He also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for possession of a controlled dangerous substance.

Blaise was among a group of young men who were seen throwing rocks at parked vehicles on a Violet street by members of the sheriff’s Street Crimes Unit the night of Oct. 2, the sheriff said.

He said when officers got out to investigate, Blaise ran into an alley and an officer who chased him allegedly saw Blaise take off a jacket and throw it down. When caught, Blaise resisted, swinging his arms and feet at sheriff’s deputies who arrested him, the sheriff said.

Inside a pocket of the jacket that was recovered was a plastic baggie containing 48 tablets which tested positive for MDMA, known as ecstasy, the sheriff said.

Six others, including a juvenile, were booked with misdemeanor criminal mischief for the rock-throwing.

Oct 2, 2008 - The St. Bernard Parish Fire Department will begin fire hydrant inspections on Monday, Oct. 6. Throughout the parish, individual fire hydrants will be opened for about two minutes to record water pressure and flow readings. The inspections will be between 9 and 11 a.m. Monday through Friday.

This is a necessary procedure performed twice a year to ensure all fire hydrants in the parish work properly. Residents may experience rusty water during this testing. Running water for five minutes should flush the rust and clear up the water.

Troy Clouatre, booked with burglary and possession of stolen property in Chalmette, after a stolen blanket was spotted hanging in a room of his residence to shield from view other stolen items in the room.

Oct 1, 2008 - A Chalmette woman and her nephew were booked Wednesday, Oct. 1 with burglary of their neighbors in a half-double residence after the victims spotted a stolen blanket hanging in a window being used to shield from view other stolen items in the room, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

“This is like something out of “World’s Stupidest Criminals,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. “But we’ll take any help we can get in solving a crime.’’

After the victims reported the burglary, sheriff’s detectives obtained a search warrant for the half-double where the blanket was hanging and numerous stolen items including electronics were found inside, the sheriff said.

Detectives learned the names of the occupants and while still on the scene the woman and her nephew came by in a vehicle but drove away when they saw sheriff’s deputies, Sheriff Stephens said.

They were stopped and arrested on nearby Paris Road, he said.

Troy Clouatre, 35, and Lisa J. Smith, 47, both of 422 West Solidelle St., were booked with simple burglary and possession of more than $5,000 of stolen property, the sheriff said.

Both are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison and will go before a judge to have bond set on Thursday, Oct. 2.

An investigation is continuing into whether they are suspects in other burglaries, authorities said.

The victims had been away for several weeks and returned on Oct. 1 to discover the burglary and noticed that a blanket of theirs, with designs of dogs on it, was hanging in a window of their next-door neighbors in a half-double residence, Sheriff Stephens said.

He said it appeared the blanket was used to shield from view other stolen items in the room.