Oct 30, 2009 - St. Bernard Parish children now have two mascots from the Sheriff’s Office to meet and entertain them in parades, at schools and other functions.

And a twist is they are portrayed by a mother and daughter, Greer Cuccia and Nicole Miller, who are both employed by the Sheriff’s Office.

Cuccia for years has played McGruff the Crime Dog, international symbol of crime-fighting. Miller is now Daren the Lion, international symbol of the D.A.R.E., or Drug Awareness Resistance Education,  program, which was recently re-started in St. Bernard schools by the Sheriff’s Office.

Cuccia runs the sheriff’s insurance division and Miller is a school system truancy officer for the Sheriff’s Office.

“I enjoy the children and how they react to McGruff,’’ said Cuccia, a 9-year veteran employee of the Sheriff’s Office. “Their faces light up when they see him.’’

She said “McGruff has been around so long now the kids know him’’ and aren’t scared.

Cuccia has portrayed McGruff for several years. “I was asked to fill in once and I’ve done it all the time since.’’

Miller, who has two sons and has been with the Sheriff’s Office for 12 years, said playing Daren the Lion is special to her because, “I see it as an honor to represent the Sheriff’s Office.’’

She said she also believes the mascot “is a good tool’’ in getting across the D.A.R.E. program message to children that self-respect and self-confidence builds the strength to resist pressure to use drugs or alcohol or resort to violence.

Both women said the only drawback to playing their roles is the costumes get hot inside after a while and there’s little peripheral vision.

Cuccia and Miller also said they are enjoying being able to work with each other. “It’s neat we are doing together,’’ Miller said of her mother.

Oct 30, 2009 - Two St. Bernard Parish men were booked in separate burglary attempts, including one who broke a bone in a sheriff’s deputy’s right hand while struggling during his arrest, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Troy Becknel, 38, 1601 Esteban St., Arabi, was booked during the day of Oct. 24 on several charges including unauthorized entry of a closed school’s property for the purpose of stealing scrap metal and wire and battery on a police officer resulting in injury. Becknel, also booked with criminal trespassing and criminal damage to property, was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of a $40,000 bond.

Becknel was seen entering the fenced area of the now closed Carolyn Park School in Arabi, carrying a black bag and later entered an electrical panel on school grounds to steal copper wire, Pohlmann said.

When a sheriff’s deputy ordered the man to come out he was able to break free and fled, with the officer chasing him. Bucknel ran for several blocks and was spotted entering the shed of a residence on Cougar Drive. Two deputies arrested Becknel, who continued to resist, striking one officer before he was subdued.

The deputy who was hit suffered a broken bone in his right hand.

Becknel later admitted he was trying to take metal to sell in order to support a drug habit, Pohlmann said.

In the other case, Joseph Risher, 34, 2907 Packenham Drive, Chalmette, was booked early in the morning of Oct. 26 with three counts of attempted auto burglary in Arabi after a witness saw the crimes and followed Risher, who was on bicycle, as the witness called the Sheriff’s Office.

The witness noticed Risher, he said, because he had never seen him before in the neighborhood, it was early in the morning and Risher was wearing all-black clothing.

Pohlmann said such timely calls by witnesses have led to numerous arrests in the last year. Anyone who sees activity they believe is suspicious should call the Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501.

Risher, also booked with disturbing the peace and on several citations involving the bicycle including riding against traffic, was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $10,000 bond.

Oct 29, 2009 - The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office will auction some 170 single-, double- and triple-wide residential mobile homes and commercial office trailers on Thursday, Nov. 19 and Friday, Nov. 20, beginning at 2 p.m. each day, in the Grand Ballroom of the parish Civic Center, 3220 Jean Lafitte Parkway, Chalmette.

Cuevas Auction company will conduct the auction of the mobile homes and trailer offices that were used in the post-Hurricane Katrina period. A preview of the properties will be held Tuesday, Nov. 17 and Wednesday, Nov. 18. The public is invited.
 
For further information, Cuevas can be reached by phone at 228-255-0657 or 228-216-0798 and by Fax at 228-255-0522.

The company’s Web site can also be accessed at www.cuevasauction.com for information.

Oct 24, 2009 - Two separate burglaries were solved with the arrests of two men, including one case in which prompt reporting by a witness led to stolen property recovered and returned to the victim the same night, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

A Chalmette man, Allen King, 38, 405 DuBerry St., was booked with burglary early Friday, Oct. 23, after a witness identified him as the getaway driver in an incident in which a CD player/radio was stolen from a vehicle after a window was smashed. The stolen item was recovered in King’s residence and later returned to the victim, who had been alerted by the witness who saw one suspect running away from her vehicle carrying something and also saw King behind the wheel of the getaway car. Sheriff’s Deputy Cpl. Michael Lyons found King’s car in the driveway of a residence several blocks away after getting a description of King and the getaway car from the witness. King, under questioning, admitted he had driven the car away after another man stole the CD player/radio. King was booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison, where he was being held without bond. Investigation was ongoing into the identity of the man who snatched the CD player.

In a separate burglary arrest, Bob Serpas, 18, 301 Plantation Drive, Apt. 223, Chalmette, was booked Oct. 13 for the Oct. 1 burglary of a Chalmette restaurant/grocery store and he is being held in lieu of $25,000 bond. Serpas had admitted taking part in the burglary with two others. Sgt. Paul Miller of the Sheriff’s Detective Bureau, commanded by Col. John Doran, learned information leading to Serpas’ arrest and obtaining the name of a second man who is wanted in the case. Arrest warrants were issued by a judge for the arrests of Serpas and Dwight Carter, who remains at-large. Anyone with information on Carter should call he Sheriff’s Office at 504-271-2501. A third man involved hasn’t been identified.

In the drug arrests, Serina Coupel, 39, 2909 Earl Drive, Meraux, was booked Oct. 15 with possession with intent to distribute 26 tablets of the drug Suboxone, used in the treatment of heroin addiction and other forms of opiate dependence. She was also booked with possession of four Valium tablets, possession of 10 tablets of the drug Promethazine, possession of drug paraphernalia in the form of spoons and syringes and contributing to the delinquency of her minor daughter.  Agents of the sheriff’s Special Investigations Division, headed by Col. Chad Clark, made the arrest. Couple has been released on $20,000 bond.

Also, two men, Steven Rabalais, 48, and George Sercovich, 49, both of 2324 Mumphrey Road in Chalmette, were booked Oct. 19 with possession with intent to distribute 100 grams, or nearly one-quarter pound, of marijuana valued at $300, and with possession of about 20 tablets of hydrocodone, worth about $100. SID agents made the arrests after going to the residence on a narcotics complaint and obtaining a written consent to search. Both men have been released on bond.

Luke Gerkin, Jr.,43

Oct 23, 2009 - Louisiana State Police detectives and St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested a Chalmette man for possession of child pornography after a search warrant was executed at his home after authorities were informed he was downloading pornographic images of minors, both agencies said.

Luke Gerkin Jr., 43, 800 E. Josephine St., was booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison on a child pornography charge and with possession of marijuana after State Police found several DVDs containing pornographic images of underage children and some marijuana during the search on Oct. 14. Gerkin has been released on bond of $26,500.

Louisiana State Police continue to investigate crimes that involve the exploitation of children as part of Operation Child Watch.  Anyone with information regarding such crimes should call State Police or their local Sheriff’s Office or Police Department.

Oct 23, 2009 - The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office has released Halloween safety tips to help ensure a safe and happy time for children. Also, as it has for years, the Sheriff's Office will step up DWI and traffic enforcement on Halloween for the protection of trick-or-treating children and adult party-goers, Sheriff Jack Stephens said. Motorists are asked to slow down, be extra cautious and watch for pedestrians. There will be extra patrols on highways and in neighborhoods to enforce DWI laws and traffic enforcement. Motorists should watch for possible road blocks in neighborhoods. The Sheriff’s Office will also be ready to respond to traffic problems caused by Halloween-related parties and other activities.

In St. Bernard, because of the ongoing rebuilding process, there are things children trick-or-treating and their escorts should watch for that are specific to our parish, said Capt. Charles Borchers, director of Crime Prevention for the Sheriff’s Office. “Children and their parents or guardians 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. Also, prepare children’s costumes with safety in mind and when they are out trick-or-treating they should have an adult escort and be extra careful before crossing streets. “Children should never enter a stranger’s home’’ and when trick-or-treating is over no goodies should be eaten until they are taken home and sorted out to check that they are safe. Call the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 if there are any problems.

Here are the 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. Add reflective tape or striping to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility.
• Write identification (name, address, phone number) within Halloween attire or on a bracelet.
• Purchase only costumes or wigs with a label indicating they are flame-resistant and consider non-toxic make-up instead of masks
• Think carefully before using simulated knives, guns or swords, making certain they don’t appear authentic.
• Have flashlights with fresh batteries for all children and their escorts and use only battery-powered lanterns or chemical light sticks in place of candles.
• Teach children their home phone number and how to call 9-1-1 or the Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501 if they have an emergency or become lost.
• Review with children the principle of "Stop-Drop-Roll", should their clothes catch on fire.
• Discuss appropriate and inappropriate behavior at Halloween time.
• 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.

BEFORE NIGHTFALL ON HALLOWEEN:
• Remember fire safety when decorating. Don’t 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 children the route and behavior which is acceptable to you.
• Do not permit children to bicycle, roller-blade or skateboard to trick-or-treat.
• Agree on a specific time when revelers must return home.
• Confine, segregate or otherwise prepare household pets for an evening of frightful sights and sounds. Be sure all dogs and cats are wearing collars and proper 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 adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
• Remind Trick-or-Treaters:
• Never enter a stranger’s home for any reason.
• Use a flashlight so they can see and be seen.
• 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 there are none, walk at the farthest edge of the roadway facing traffic.
• Never cut across yards or use alleys. Obey all traffic and pedestrian regulations.
• Always walk. Never run across a street and only cross the street as a group in crosswalks.
• Remove any mask or item that will limit eyesight before crossing a street.
• 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 given by others.
• No treats are to be eaten until an adult checks them at home; don’t sort them before going home.
• Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

AFTER TRICK-OR-TREATING:
Don’t let children eat all treats at once; save and give them out over several days after Halloween.
Make sure items that can cause choking (such as hard candies), are given only to those of an appropriate age.

Oct 22, 2009 - A married couple in St. Bernard Parish were both booked with negligent homicide after failing to call for medical help for several hours as a man died in their home from a heroin overdose, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Kristopher Howse, 24, and his wife, Shelly Howse, 25, both of 3401 Nancy Drive, Meraux, were booked Wednesday evening, Oct. 21, with negligent homicide and obstruction of justice in the death of Chase Julian, 24, of Arabi. Julian was pronounced dead about 1 a.m. on the same day.  Also, the married couple was both booked with contributing to the delinquency of their your daughters, who were in the home when Julian died.  Both are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison, the husband in lieu of $150,000 bond, the wife in lieu of bond of $75,000.

“This is a case in which people who are afraid they are going to be arrested if they call for medical help when someone is overdosing allows the person to die rather than get the help that could save them,’’ Pohlmann said. “When all is said and done the person dies and the one who didn’t call for help ends up being booked with negligent homicide. Clearly, people should get medical help for someone who is overdosing.’’

It’s the second time this year a St. Bernard Parish resident has been booked with negligent homicide for allowing someone to die rather than calling for help in an drug overdose situation. In the other case, the arrested man received the maximum five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty. Julian, the victim in the latest case, had been arrested previously on heroin charges in St. Bernard. Kristopher Howse has one previous drug arrest involving Ecstasy and his wife doesn’t have a prior criminal history.

The husband called the 911 emergency number about 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, to report Julian had overdosed on heroin, which the victim had injected at Howse’s home. Julian allegedly took the heroin much earlier in the evening, possibly about 7 p.m. and had immediately fallen unconscious. Howse said he had snorted some heroin but didn’t inject any.

Sheriff’s deputies, including the Special Investigations Division, which includes the sheriff’s Narcotics Unit, and sheriff’s detectives investigated the case after Coroner Dr. Bryan Bertucci arrived and pronounced the victim dead. Howse acknowledged he had taken Julian to New Orleans to purchase heroin that day. Howse was initially arrested on a drug paraphernalia charge after items were found at the scene. But Howse and his wife was booked on the negligent homicide charges and the other charges after a follow-up investigation. Howse, under questioning, said that after Julian became unconscious, he contacted a friend who advised putting him in a cold bath to try to revive him, which didn’t work. Howse said he also tried to perform CPR and at some point put Julian in a vehicle to look for a possible emergency room and called 911 on the way.

Oct 22, 2009 - A rescue of a man whose small vessel was swamped in St. Bernard Parish waters during heavy winds in chilly weather the night of Saturday, Oct. 17 illustrates the importance of taking special precautions for cold weather boating, Sheriff Jack A. Stephens said.

The Slidell man, who launched from Delacroix Highway and was drenched when his boat was swamped in up to 25 knott-winds, was spotted by a helicopter pilot from the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office and rescued by the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Marine Division. The man, who was reported overdue from his boating trip, was in stages of hypothermia and had to be hospitalized several days for treatment, but has been released. Last year, in the fall and winter of 2008-09, the Sheriff’s Office Marine Division had to rescue several people whose watercraft became grounded during rapid tide drop caused by winds.

Sheriff Jack A. Stephens said people who boat in cold weather must prepare for emergencies including starting by telling someone specifically where they will head out to and when they will be back. And they must carry fully-charged cell phones, signaling devices and carry extra dry clothing or blankets, food and liquids. Bringing something to start a fire with in case a boater gets stranded in the marsh on a cold night could also save someone’s life.

“While St. Bernard Parish can be a paradise for those who like to boat in cold weather for fishing or hunting purposes it calls for planning in advance, including taking precautions for emergencies and being aware of the effects of winds on tides,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. “It’s all about planning’’ when cold weather arrives, said Capt. Brian Clark, head of the Marine Division and a 25-year veteran of the state Wildlife and Fisheries Department who was involved in looking for the boater on Oct. 17. “You have to pay attention to the weather and check equipment’’ before you leave in a boat, Clark said. “You want to look at forecasts for anything involving expected winds from the West, Northwest, Southwest or North. Be prepared for cold fronts with winds causing rapid tide drop’’ that drain the marshes. “You can expect a 1-4 foot drop in heavy winds.’’

The Sheriff’s Office Marine Division is prepared for search and rescue, with airboats and especially useful shallow draft vessels that allow going into low water marsh situations or, if necessary, during street flooding caused by rain events. Those heading out by boat should follow simple precautions:

• Tell people where you are going and when you are expected back and try not to deviate in case a search is required.
• Have the right safety gear aboard including a wearable flotation device for each person in case the vessel capsizes or someone is thrown overboard.
• Carry at least one flotation device that can be thrown to someone who falls into water and always use that instead of jumping in after them. In a panicked state, a person suddenly in the water can bring someone down with them.
• Always have a signaling device such as a flare or at least a working flashlight.
• Carry a fully-charged cell phone and pay attention to surroundings so you can accurately describe where you are.
• Dress warmly and bring liquids and food as well as blankets or extra dry clothing, and always have something that can be used to start a fire in the marsh to provide heat overnight.

Oct 20, 2009 - The Sheriff’s Offices of St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes will receive $300,000 to replace worn out police vehicles with 15 new interceptor units with funds secured by U.S. Rep. Charles Melancon and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu. The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office will purchase seven patrol cars and Plaquemines will be able to purchase eight cars, saving the departments the money it would have cost them to replace needed vehicles. Savings from the new vehicles will allow St. Bernard to put the money toward law enforcement in other ways, Sheriff Jack A. Stephens said. 

The $300,000 for the patrol vehicles was contained in the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, which passed Congress with the support of Senator Landrieu and U.S. Rep. Charles Melancon. “We appreciate the efforts of our Congressional delegation to help law enforcement agencies do their job of suppressing crime,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. “Receiving patrol vehicles that will be used on the front line of law enforcement is of real value to us. Faced with tough economic times that have a negative impact on our tax base and incoming revenue, coupled with the fact our population and number of businesses is below what it was before Hurricane Katrina, this fills a real need.”

“Supporting our local law enforcement officers with better crime-fighting tools remains a top priority for Rep. Melancon and me,’’ Sen. Landrieu said. “Stronger law enforcement agencies result in safer neighborhoods, particularly those communities that are still recovering from the devastating hurricanes of 2005.’’ She said the new patrol cars represent an excellent federal investment that will assist in the safekeeping of Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parishes as rebuilding efforts continue.

Melancon said, “Hurricane Katrina destroyed not just equipment and buildings owned by the St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Offices, but also the local funding sources that support their operations. The safety of these communities still depends on their sheriff’s offices having the resources they need to do their jobs.’’Melancon added, “This federal investment will help fill that critical need while St. Bernard and Plaquemines continue to get back on their feet.”

Waynette Tassin, 28		Veronica Forrest, 26

Oct 20, 2009 - Two New Orleans women were arrested by the sheriff’s Special Investigations Division while fleeing from an Arabi store where they  used a 3-year-old girl to act as a shield to help conceal their shoplifting of items they put in a purse, Sheriff Jack A. Stephens said. “It disgusts me that people would use an innocent child to help commit a crime,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. “You can only hope a child doesn’t have any memory later on of being unwittingly used like that.’’

Waynette Tassin, 28, 1418 Mandeville St., and Veronica Forrest, 26, 2768 N. Dorgenois St., were arrested Oct. 9, stopped on Angela Street in Arabi after shoplifting from a store on St. Claude Avenue.  Sgt. Joseph Alfonso of the Street Crimes Unit headed by Col. Chad Clark saw the women speeding in a car driven by Tassin and followed as they attempted to get away from him by turning onto several streets. At one point, before they were stopped, the women were throwing out of the car objects they had shoplifted. They were stopped in the 2000 block of Angela Street in Arabi. Tassin was driving, a 3-year-old girl was in the front passenger seat and Forrest was in the back seat. As other officers arrived, Alfonso retrieved the items thrown out of the fleeing vehicle and returned to the women, who identified which store they had been in. 

Store officials said the women had been there with a child but left without purchasing anything. A check of a store surveillance video system showed the arrested women taking items off shelves and placing them in a purse, using the young child as a shield to hide the theft.

The child was released to a family member and Tassin and Forrest were booked into the St. Bernard Parish Prison. They both were booked with shoplifting and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. Tassin was also booked with driving with a suspended license, reckless operation of a vehicle, no auto insurance, with not having a required child restraint car seat in the vehicle and other vehicular citations. Both have been released on bonds.

In two other unrelated cases, a total of three theft suspects were arrested after victims confronted them as sheriff’s deputies arrived, Sheriff Stephens said.

On Oct. 14, Norbert Gallego, 49, of Terrytown was booked with theft, simple battery and resisting an officer after he allegedly stole a mountain bicycle from a Chalmette business. No bond information was available. The owner said a surveillance video system showed someone stealing the bike on Oct. 11 and prior to him contacting the Sheriff’s Office the same person was seen again near the store. The owner went to talk to the suspect while his wife called sheriff’s deputies. The owner, on a motorcycle, cornered the suspect on Plaza Drive in Chalmette and said to stop because sheriff’s deputies were on the way. Gallego pushed the bicycle owner in an attempt to flee but the owner took him to the ground as deputies arrived.

In the other theft incident, on Oct. 10, Bernardino Cantu Jr., 42, 2219 Bartolo Drive, Meraux, and Chad Maus, 24, 2520 Riverland Drive, Chalmette, were both booked with theft and criminal trespassing. The victim reported he found the men on his property in eastern St. Bernard Parish stealing scrap metal and blocked their truck from leaving a driveway and called the Sheriff’s Office. Whe sheriff’s deputies arrived, the Maus and Cantu were in a truck, with various types of scrap metal in the rear that had been stolen.

Oct 12, 2009 - Andrew Bonnet of Chalmette, wanted by the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office on an arrest warrant charging him with residential burglary on Sept. 12, was captured Friday, Oct. 9, by the Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office after a tip, according to St. Bernard officials.

Bonnet, 30, who formerly lived on Dauterive Drive, was found hiding in the attic of his father’s home in the Independence area, St. Bernard Parish Chief of Detectives Col. John Doran said on Monday, Oct. 12. The father’s name wasn’t released. Bonnet, arrested without resistance, has been transferred to the St. Bernard Parish Prison where he is being held without bond. He is booked with burglary of an inhabited dwelling.

A warrant obtained by a judge alleged Bonnet was identified by St. Bernard sheriff’s detectives as the man who burglarized a home on Dauterive Drive on Sept. 12, stealing a large amount of jewelry, a Honda 50cc motorcycle, a television and collector’s items. Some of the goods were dropped in the street after the burglary but Doran said authorities believe the rest were traded for drugs. Bonnet has served time in the juvenile court system for manslaughter, St. Bernard sheriff’s officials said.

Oct 12, 2009 - They aren’t sheriff’s deputies and don’t want to be but they had real enough-looking weapons in their hands and had to make a split-second decision on whether to shoot a criminal suspect, just as a real officer might have to make. The St. Bernard residents were members of the class taking the Sheriff’s Office Police Citizens Academy course and on Wednesday night, Oct. 7, they were introduced to a firearms simulator, used for actual police training.

Borrowed from the state Attorney General’s Office, the computerized virtual training simulator which uses computerized scenarios of situations an officer might face calls for a split-second decision, possibly of whether to shoot a suspect. The training session, held in a trailer equipped with a giant screen to show films, gives participants a real feel for police work, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann sasid. “This lets residents see what officers have to deal with and the decisions they may have to make.’’ It’s a popular part of the Citizens Police Academy class which is designed to foster better relations between the community and the Sheriff’s Office.’’

Sandra Reuther said she has been telling friends about the Police Academy course and encouraging them to take the next class given.  “I find it educational. I think everybody in St. Bernard needs to learn more about what the Sheriff’s Office does and how dedicated these people are,’’ she said as she stood in line to use the firearms simulator. Dave Quick, a member of the Academy class, used the firearms simulator with fellow class member Maxine Wilson after receiving instruction from Maj. David DiMaggio, training officer for the Sheriff’s Office. Their computerized scenario had them deal with someone using a weapon in a video. The session “gives you a chance to feel like you are on the scene’’ of a police call, Quick said.“You have to diffuse (a situation) with the least amount of force.” Wilson said the Citizens Police Academy class makes her “more alert’’ about her surroundings and more watchful for the possibility of crim and how to react. Class member John Palmer, who fired a weapon in his video scenario depicting terrorists, told DiMaggio, “I understand why you train’’ for various situations. Afterward, Palmer said the Police Academy course is good because, “I think we ought to understand what these men and women (of the Sheriff’s Office) put themselves through. I know I couldn’t be a police officer.’’

The simulator is inside a 30-foot by 8-foottrailer taken around the state to various law enforcement agencies for police officer training in which they can view and react to about 40 computerized scenarios shown on a large screen, such as: being called to a domestic disturbance or a man in a bar who is causing trouble or a traffic stop where the motorist pulls a weapon.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office is currently in the middle of a Citizen’s Police Academy session in which about 35 St. Bernard residents are going to class every Wednesday night to learn a different aspect about law enforcement. This is the second such class since Hurricane Katrina. Anyone interested in taking the free Citizens Police Academy course the next time it is offered should contact Capt. Charles Borchers at (504) 278-7628.

Oct 10, 2009 - Concerned by an escalating level of violence in domestic disturbance cases in St. Bernard Parish over the past 20 month, including five shooting incidents,  the Sheriff’s Office and leaders of the Battered Women’s Shelter in Chalmette are conducting a joint effort to help victims remove themselves from abusive situations.

Also, the Sheriff’s Office has received a grant to assign one officer full-time to handle follow-up investigations of domestic violence cases and the Battered Women’s Shelter has received grants to add a counselor, a legal advocate and other workers for additional services for victims.

The grant money to both entities is coming from the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement. At the Sheriff’s Office, it will allow for a deputy to work full-time on domestic violence cases, following up on initial investigations and keeping victims up to date on where prosecution of cases stand.

In St. Bernard, since February 2008 there have been five incidents of shootings in domestic cases, totaling eight people shot. Three were murdered, two killed themselves and three were severely wounded. There has also been several stabbings, cuttings and beatings, some which have hospitalized victims. Two of the murder victims were women and one a man.

“We’re concerned and we are making a commitment to do something about these problems,’’ said Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann, second in command to Sheriff Jack Stephens. He and Gail Gowland, executive director of the Battered Women’s Shelter, have said they want to help victims understand there are options before abuse turns to murder or serious injury.

Sheriff’s deputies responding to calls of domestic violence disturbance have begun making people aware of the services offered by the Battered Women’s Shelter, which provides both in-residence help including a place to stay and non-residence aid such as counseling or help in obtaining a restraining order in cases where people need to extract themselves from abusive relationships.

Pohlmann said, “We are working on educating the general public’’ about options available to domestic violence victims. They have assistance available and we are giving information to victims,’’ Pohlmann said. The Sheriff’s Office is also submitting all domestic violence reports to the Battered Women’s Shelter for follow-up work, he said.

“I will never forget the young lady I saw lying deceased in a hallway’’ of her residence in Violet after being fatally shot by her step-father last January, Pohlmann said. “Those cases stick in your mind. You always wonder what law enforcement could have done to prevent it.’’ Gowland said she sees increasing levels of violence in domestic disturbance cases. “There are more incidents of women requiring medical care because of domestic violence’’ in recent times, Gowland said. “And it’s not just here in St. Bernard. It’s all over.”

Pohlmann and Barbara Green, legal advocate for the Battered Women’s Shelter, held a press conference on Friday, Oct. 9, to announce the grants and discuss the working relationship between the Sheriff’s Office and shelter.

People seeking help can call the Battered Women’s Shelter at (504) 277-3177 or the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501 and they will be referred to the shelter.

Gowland, who has headed the Battered Women’s Shelter since the mid-1990s, has said she believes increasing cooperation with the Sheriff’s Office - which is on the forefront of responding to domestic problems - can help the situation.

Green said at the press conference, “We are excited and thrilled’’ about the move to have a full-time sheriff’s deputy investigate domestic violence cases. “To have a specific officer assigned to this will help logistically; we will be able to talk with that officer who will be familiar with each case,’’ Green said.

Green also said shelter officials want more women to take advantage of the services available at the shelter, which doesn’t publicly disclose its location. Women from St. Bernard, Orleans, Jefferson and other parishes live at St. Bernard’s Battered Women’s Shelter. More than half of the residents are children.

Shelter officials have said stress caused by the post-Hurricane Katrina day-to-day problems, including entire families that lived in small FEMA trailers with virtually no privacy, and now the economic recession that hit the nation has added to the problems of increasing violence in this area.

“A lot of people think it’s an anger management issue’’ among some men that leads to increased violence against women, Gowland said. “It’s not. Men don’t beat their boss’’ at work, she said. “But they take it out on the women and children.’’

“It’s a power and control issue,’’ Green said of violence directed at women.

Pohlmann agrees the level of violence in domestic cases is rising and is made worse by “life’s pressures,’’ including drug and alcohol abuse, money worries  and other issues of the post-storm era. “When life gets harder for some people they wrongly take it out on those they are closest to,’’ Pohlmann said.

St. Bernard’s five shootings incidents, totaling eight people shot in domestic cases in the last 20 months have been an unusual jump for the parish, Pohlmann said. In February 2008, a Chalmette man shot and killed his girlfriend, then himself, in an apparent murder-suicide. In November 2008, a woman in Meraux admitted she shot and killed a man she lived with as he slept, saying he had been beating her and she feared he was going to hurt her children. She awaits trial. In January 2009, a Violet man was arrested and awaits trial after allegedly shooting his wife, who survived, and and killing the wife’s adopted daughter. In February 2009, a juvenile boy in Violet allegedly shot his juvenile step-sister, who survived, then shot and killed himself. In June 2009, a Chalmette man shot and seriously wounded his girlfriend with a shotgun at close range and he awaits trial.

There have also been several stabbings, cuttings and beatings in domestic cases during that period.

St. Bernard deputies are also informing victims of domestic violence about the state Crime Victims Reparations program in which money is available from a fund to assist victims of violent crimes with unrecoverable costs.

Pohlmann was appointed by the governor in April to the state Crime Victims Reparations board and said he encourages St. Bernard Parish victims who meet the criteria to apply for consideration of reparations.

The victim reparations coordinator for St. Bernard is Sheriff’s Det. Lt. Jennifer Turnage, who can be reached at (504) 278-7656. She can provide assistance to victims of violent crime who need help in filling out application forms. Some domestic violence victims have been given money from the fund to move away to other areas to escape a situation, Turnage said.

There are several requirements to qualify for help from the victims’ fund, including it must be reported to a law enforcement agency within 72 hours unless there is a valid reason it couldn’t and the victim must cooperate in an investigation.

But Gowland said a major problem in domestic violence cases is many victims don’t report it to police and don’t want an investigation leading to their partner being arrested and possibly going to prison. “Fear of retaliation is a main reason,’’ Gowland said, but she added some women victims still love the men and “they just want the abuse to stop.’’

Other women victims don’t have jobs and worry what would happen to their children and them if the man is arrested and his paycheck stops, she said. The shelter offers help in getting jobs and working toward independent housing, Gowland said.

Oct 10, 2009 - A 38-year- old Violet man was sentenced to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted aggravated rape of his former juvenile step-daughter, who is now an adult but was a minor when the incident happened some 10 years ago.

State District Judge Manny Fernandez sentenced the man after his guilty plea on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The name of the man, who was arrested in December 2008 on sex crimes involving three females including his own daughter and his former step-daughter, isn’t being released to protect the identity of the victims. He was out on bond when he pleaded guilty but was ordered into custody after the plea. The man was arrested after investigations by detectives of the sheriff’s Juvenile Division, commanded by Maj. Darlene Poche.

The man was first booked Dec. 4 of last year with aggravated incest involving his juvenile daughter and with indecent behavior with the juvenile sister of his then-girlfriend, sheriff’s officials said at the time. After his release on bond, he was re-booked with making harassing phone calls, and was later booked with three counts of aggravated rape of his former step-daughter.  The investigations began when a teen-age girl reported to a counselor at her school she had been touched inappropriately by the men, who was her sister’s boyfriend, the sheriff said. The girl’s legal guardian was informed and the Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate.

The same day, the arrested man’s juvenile daughter, who knew the alleged victim of the inappropriate touching, gave the girl a note saying she believed her story because she also had been sexually abused several years by the same man, who is her father. After further investigation, the 38-year-old man was booked with sex crimes involving both girls. Then came the allegations from his former step-daughter that resulted in the rape charges for actions some 10 years ago, which were the basis for his entering into the guilty plea to attempted rape.

Oct  7, 2009 - A larger amount of heroin than normally seen in St. Bernard Parish, about one-eighth of an ounce worth $650, was seized Monday night, Oct. 5, in the arrest of two men who worked at a Chalmette supermarket and were seen smoking marijuana in a parked vehicle, Sheriff Jack Stephens said. About three-quarters of an ounce of high-quality marijuana worth $1,150 and a .25-caliber handgun were also recovered in the vehicle about 9:30 p.m., in the 3300 block of Paris Road in Chalmette.

Colby Carraby, 19, 5338 Royal St., New Orleans, and Joshua Ciuffi, 19, 3013 Mumphrey Road, Chalmette, were both booked with possession with intent to distribute 3.2 grams of heroin, possession with intent to distribute the high-quality marijuana, possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance and misdemeanor possession of a small amount of marijuana contained in a partially burned cigar. Carraby is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $20,000 bond while Ciuffi is being held in lieu of $10,000 bond.

Agents with the Sheriff’s Special Investigations Division, headed by Col. Chad Clark, were called to the Winn-Dixie supermarket the night of Oct. 5 after two store employees were seen smoking marijuana in a vehicle. Sgt. David Hebert, smelling a pungent odor of marijuana on the suspects and in the vehicle, found a burned cigar containing marijuana. In an inventory of the vehicle before impounding it was found a clear plastic bag containing three individual bags of white powder that tested positive for heroin and a bag containing 14 plastic bags each containing high-quality marijuana.

While numerous arrests have been made in the last year of St. Bernard Parish residents trying to bring heroin into the parish from New Orleans, there are few arrests for heroin found in St. Bernard and one-eight of an ounce is a larger than normal amount by parish standards.  Sheriff Stephens emphasizes paying close attention to street level drug trade to prevent violence over turf battles, as has often happened in other parishes over heroin. Also, the higher quality marijuana of the type found in the Oct. 5 arrest was the genesis of several homicides in another parish in 2008. Anyone with information about drug activity in St. Bernard Paridh can call the sheriff’s drug hotline at (504) 271-DOPE.

Ronald Michael Lewis, Jr.

Oct 5, 2009 - A New Orleans man, who had passed two fake $100 bills in St. Bernard bars and restaurants, was caught Monday night, Sept, 28, when he tried to do it a third time, Chief Deputy Sheriff Jame3s Pohlmann said. Ronald M. Lewis, 39, 7660 Pine Ridge St., was booked with three counts of illegal use of counterfeit trademarks and is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $20,000 bond. Lewis used altered $5 bills that were made to appear to be $100 bills but was arrested when he asked for change in a Chalmette bar to play a poker machine and a bartender, using a light, saw a watermark bearing the face of deceased President Abraham Lincoln, which appears on $5 bills, Pohlmann said. The Sheriff’s Office was called and Lewis was taken into custody at the bar, claiming someone had paid him with the bill for cutting grass.

The next day, Sept. 29, an employee of a second Chalmette bar reported finding a fake $100 bill while counting overnight receipts in a bar poker machine. That bill had the same serial number and water marks as the one seized the night before when Lewis was arrested. Lewis was also seen in surveillance camera video footage using the poker machine.

On Sept, 29, sheriff’s deputies learned a third business, in Arabi, had reported in June that a man matching Lewis’ description bought takeout food which he paid for with a $100 bill, receiving the change, then ran outside. An employee of the business went out and saw him get into a vehicle driven by someone else and they fled west toward New Orleans. When the employee looked closer at the $100 bill it was a fake, containing watermarks of a $5 bill. Lewis was also booked in connection with that incident but the person who was driving the getaway vehicle hasn’t been identified.

In an unrelated matter, a Chalmette man was booked with theft of $135 and contributing to the delinquency of a minor by fraudulently collecting money door-to-door by bringing his pre-teen niece with him and pretending they were taking orders for cookie dough to raise money for a school. Kristopher Cavignac, 18, 3604 Despaux Drive, was arrested on Saturday, Sept. 26, after the Sheriff’s Office was alerted he was collecting money with his niece, who didn’t know of the fraudulent scheme. When confronted by a sheriff’s deputy, Cavignac acknowledged taking the money from residents for his personal gain and was arrested, Pohlmann said. The victims were located by the Sheriff’s Office and they said they wanted to press charges. Cavignac was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $20,000 bond.
 

Brandon Miller		Edward Zacharias

Oct 5, 2009 - Two Chalmette men are being held in the home invasion Monday night, Sept. 28, of an 88-year-old Chalmette man who was knocked from his wheelchair and suffered head and arm contusions when a masked man forced his way into his residence and stole money and prescription pain pills, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

One of the arrested men is a grass-cutter for the victim and has known him for years and he set up the crime and got another man to carry it out while he acted as getaway driver, Pohlmann said. Brandin Miller, 21, 3008 Laplace Drive, who had cut grass for the  victim and been inside his home on Shangri-La Drive, and Edward Zachiarias, 25, 3200 Plaza Drive, were both booked Tuesday, Sept. 29, with aggravated burglary and with committing a violent crime against someone 65 or older. Both men, who are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison pending an appearance before a judge, have confessed their involvement to authorities and about half of the stolen money was recovered, along with some of the prescriptions drugs taken and the elderly man’s wallet and cell phone.

Col. John Doran, sheriff’s chief of detectives, said a break came on Tuesday when someone who knew both the victim and Miller reported seeing Miller using an ATM card at a gas station/convenience store in Chalmette on Monday night. A check of the video at the store showed Miller using the card and officials at the victim’s bank said $400 had been withdrawn at the store ATM from the victim’s account, Doran said. The victim had his PIN number in his stolen wallet, which authorities say shouldn’t be kept in the same location as an ATM card. Miller, when approached by sheriff’s detectives, initially said Zachiarias brought him the ATM card and some pills, without implicating himself further, Doran said. But he said both men, under questioning, admitted what happened and led detectives to the victim’s cell phone near his home, and to his wallet on another street. Doran described both men as drug users who have criminal histories.

Zachiarias  rang the victim’s door bell about 8 p.m. Monday night, Sept, 28, and was masked when the victim answered.Zachiarias demanded money and flipped the elderly man out of his motorized wheelchair, causing him to hit his head on a wooden floor. The burglar then went into a bedroom and stole a wallet containing cash and a a bank ATM card and also took the victim’s bottles of Valium and Vicodin pills, authorities said. The victim was on the ground in his home, yelling for help, when a neighbor leaving her residence heard him and was able to get inside and the man told her he had been robbed. The victim suffered head and arm contusions for which he received medical assistance.