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Christy Smith, 28, of Hammond, surrenders in $50,000 copper burglary in St. Bernard. Dwight James and Reuben Albin are still wanted in the copper burglary.

August 31, 2011 - A Hammond woman has surrendered on an arrest warrant alleging she was involved in a $50,000 theft of copper at a St. Bernard Parish wastewater treatment plant in July, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said. Two men remain at-large.

Christy Smith, 28, turned herself in to sheriff’s detectives on Aug. 26, saying she saw a TV newscast indicating the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office had a warrant for her arrest, Pohlmann said.

Smith, who maintains her innocence, was released from jail Aug. 28 after posting bond set at $15,000.

Dwayne James, 25, of Holden, identified as Smith’s boyfriend; and James’ half-brother, Reuben Albin, 30, of Springfield are still wanted on warrants alleging burglary of a construction site at the Munster Drive wastewater plant in Meraux, where the $50,000 of copper was stolen along with a utility trailer used to haul it away, Pohlmann said. James had worked for a roofing company at the site and is believed to have set up the scheme to steal the copper, Pohlmann said.

Anyone with information on the men’s whereabouts should call the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111 and could be eligible for a reward.

None of the copper wire has been found but authorities in Livingston Parish, where James lived, received information about the suspects and found several pounds of stripped insulation in a wooded area which had markings consistent with the wire stolen in St. Bernard, Pohlmann said.

The markings were later identified as being from wire at the burglarized job site.

In an unrelated matter, a Chalmette man was arrested Aug. 27 for simple burglary of a vehicle after he saw a football in a parked car on Creely Drive in Chalmette which he decided to take, Pohlmann said.

Chad Melerine, 33, 2908 Pecan Drive, was seen in the car by its owner, who got the license plate number of the truck Melerine escaped in. Several other items were stolen along with the football.

Melerine’s vehicle was quickly spotted by a sheriff’s deputy who followed him but broke off the pursuit when it became dangerous for other motorists’ safety because Melerine was speeding so fast and driving so eratically, Pohlmann said.

The truck was traced to Melerine and relatives were contacted to try to find him and he surrendered to deputies at a relative’s home later that day.

Melerine, who admitted the car burglary and said he wanted to steal the football he saw through a window of the car, was taken to St. Bernard Pasrish Prison. He was booked with simple burglary, and because of him fleeing from the deputy, was also booked with reckless operation of a vehicle and flight using a motor vehicle. He is jailed in lieu of bond set at $26,000.

Aug 31, 2011 - Spurred by four fatalities in boating accidents in St. Bernard Parish  this year, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann and officials of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department began placing safety signs at parish public boat launches on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Pohlmann said, “These will be reminders to boaters of basic laws involving boating safety, such as children 16 and under are required to wear life jackets for their protection and boaters should follow the rules of navigation including stay to the right, slow down in turns and maintain a safe speed and distance.’’

“We want to do something to focus boaters’ attention on remembering safety just before they set out on the water,’’ Pohlmann said. “We hope to help keep people safe.’’

Four persons have been killed in boating accidents in St. Bernard Parish in 2011.

Samanta Vinturella, 12, of Mandeville, was killed in a boating accident on July 16 near Shell Beach.

Donald Neal, 66, of eastern St. Bernard Parish, was killed in a boating accident at Hopedale on June 16.

Alvin Anderson, 63, of New Orleans and his brother, Mark Anderson, 53, of New Orleans, both died in a boating accident on Lake Borgne on March 19.

Placed at boat launches in St. Bernard were bright blue signs with an image of a life jacket and bearing messages including “Keep a Shark Lookout,’’ “Practice Good Seamansip’’ and “Maintain a Safe Speed and Distance.’’

The project was undertaken by the Sheriff’s Office and the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Wildlife and Fisheries has also been passing out brochures recently at the marinas which go over rules of navigation on waterways.

Pohlmann, Sheriff’s Marine Division Commander Capt. Brian Clark and Lt. Scot Keller, who supervises St. Bernard and Plaquemines parish operations for Wildlife and Fisheries, oversaw placement of the signs.

Standing at Campo’s Marin a at Shell Beach, Pohlmann and Keller said they felt it important to try to focus boaters’ attention on safety as they launch their crafts.

“When boaters go out we want them to see something that asks them to remember the rules of safety,’’ Pohlmann said.

Keller said, “This is to remind them to buckle up their life jackets and keep in mind boating safety in general.’’

In Louisiana, every person 16 years or younger on board a motorboat or vessel less than 26 feet in length is required to wear a U. S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device (PFD) while that motorboat or vessel is underway.

Anyone can get tips on boating safety at Safeboat.com or from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries web site.

Mandatory Boating Education
All persons born after Jan. 1, 1984, must complete a boating education course and carry proof of completion to operate a motorboat in excess of 10 horsepower. A person may operate the boat if accompanied by someone over 18 years of age who if required has completed the course.

Boating Safety Classes
LDWF offers a free boating class that lasts between 6 and 8 hours that is usually completed in a day. For information on boating safety classes and when and where they are scheduled, call (504) 284-2023 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or go to the web site.

The course includes information on choosing a boat, classification, hulls, motors, legal requirements and equipment requirements, many navigation rules, navigation charts, trailering, sailboats, and related subjects that include canoeing, personal watercraft and more. Upon completion of the course the student is issued a vessel operators certification card.

Boating classes with LDWF are offered year-round but are most popular in the spring and summer. These classes are offered free of charge to the public. 

Boating Education Online
If a classroom course is not a convenient option, a student may take the state-approved online boating course provided by BoatUS.org or Boat-Ed.com. These courses are not administered by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, but they are approved by the state to satisfy boating education requirements. The BoatUS.org course is free, while there is a fee for the online course charged by Boat-Ed.  Upon successful completion the student is provided a temporary certificate from the website.

RULES OF THE ROAD FOR VESSELS
The following regulations shall dictate the operation of vessels upon the waters of the state and shall set forth a standard of operation. The Rules of the Road for vessels upon the waters in the state shall be as follows:
1. Vessels passing head-on shall each keep to their respective right.
2. A vessel overtaking another vessel may do so on either side, but must grant the right-of-way to the vessel being overtaken.
3. When vessels are passing at right angles, the vessel on the left will yield right-of-way to vessel on the right.
4. Motorboats shall yield right-of-way to non-motor powered boats except as follows:
a. When being overtaken by non-powered vessels.
b. For deep draft vessels that have to remain in narrow channels.
c. When vessel is towing another vessel.
5. Motorboats must maintain a direct course when passing sailboats.
6. A vessel approaching a landing dock or pier shall yield the right-of-way to any departing vessel.
7. A vessel departing shoreline or tributary shall yield right-of-way to through traffic and vessels approaching shoreline or tributary.
8. Vessels will not abruptly change course without first determining that it can be safely done without risk of collision with another vessel.
9. If an operator fails to fully comprehend the course of an approaching vessel he must slow down immediately to a speed barely sufficient for steerageway until the other vessel has passed.
10. Vessels yielding right-of-way shall reduce speed, stop, reverse, or alter course to avoid collision. Vessel with right-of-way shall hold course and speed. If there is danger of collision, all vessels will slow down, stop, or reverse until danger is averted.
11. Vessels will issue warning signals in fog or weather conditions that restrict visibility.
12. No mechanically propelled vessel shall be operated so as to traverse a course around any other vessel underway or any person swimming.
13. In a narrow channel, vessels will keep to the right of mid-channel.
14. Vessels approaching or passing another vessel shall be operated in such manner and at such a rate of speed as will not create a hazardous wash or wake.
15. No vessel shall obstruct or interfere with take-off, landing, or taxiing of aircraft.
16. All vessels shall be operated at reasonable speeds for given conditions and situations and must be under the complete control of the operator at all times.
17. No person shall operate a vessel in excess of an established speed or wake zone.
18. No vessel or person shall obstruct or block a navigation channel, entrance to channel, mooring slip, landing dock, launching ramp, pier or tributary.
19. Vessels shall keep at least 100 feet clearance of displayed diver's flag.

Safety tips before going on the water:
Make sure everyone on board has a life jacket and have an extra one as a throw jacket.

If people on a boat will be having any alcohol drinks there should always be a “sober skipper’’ designated, meaning the person driving a motor vessel.

Run through a checklist before taking off: Have a float plan. Tell one or more people where you intend to be going on water and when you should be back.

Have a working radio to check on weather updates and carry a charged cell phone and extra clothing if you get wet and in winter carry blankets in case you get stranded.

Have a horn capable of a 4-second blast. If using a portable horn make sure it is in working condition.

Make sure navigation lights are working. Check instruments lights and see that all mounts on board are secure.

Have a working flashlight on board, as well as a basic tool box and some spare parts for the boat on board.

Carry a fire exinguisher and accessible flares or day signals in a dry location.

August 23, 2011 - Six men and two women were arrested and two pieces of crack cocaine and 14 bags of marijuana were seized when sheriff’s deputies took down a drug operation in Violet in which crack was being cut up for sale in a home and people outside were selling marijuana, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Agents of the Special Investigations Division commanded by Col. John Doran made the arrests after sneaking up on foot to a house at 2907 Stacie Drive the night of Aug. 17, Pohlmann said.

Three men, possibly lookouts for the drug activity inside, were arrested outside, where 14 bags of marijuana weighing 16 grams were seized.

Agents saw a man possibly cutting up cocaine for sale through a window blind in the house and the man grabbed a plastic bag and ran through the house to the bathroom, Pohlmann said. When officers entered the residence, several men were in the bathroom flushing cocaine in the toilet, Pohlmann said.

Officers recovered two pieces of crack cocaine and three Violet men were arrested.

Also, shortly afterward, two women who lived at the house arrived and they were also arrested, for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Arrested in the home and booked with possession of crack cocaine, obstruction of justice and resisting an officer were: Cody Hill, 20, 2213 Highland Drive; Jerome Gabriel, 21, 3309 Stacie Drive; and Davanta Major, 21, 2304 Riverbend Drive.

Arrested outside the home and booked with possession with intent to distribute marijuana were: Ternell Bienemy, 19, 2519 Edgar Drive, Apt. A and Denair Riley, 18, 5660 Sixth St., both of Violet; and Iren Cooper, 20, 27101 Debouchel Drive, Meraux.

The women booked with paraphernalia possession were: Angelle King, 23, and Katrina King, 31, who both lived at the home involved at 2907 Stacie Drive.

All were booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison.

Timothy Schwankhart

August 21, 2011 - About an ounce of high-grade marijuana was recovered when a Chalmette man wanted in St. Tammany on a probation violation involving a handgun was arrested at a house, along with four others, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

 Timothy Schwankart, 29, was arrested Aug. 17 by agents of the sheriff’s Special Investigations Division after Agent Chris Encardes developed informaion where he was living, Pohlmann said. SID is ciommanded by Col. John Doran.

Pohlmann said when Encardes and others set up surveillance at 2005 Culotta Drive in Chalmette they saw Schwankart arrive and found the marijuana when they went to the door to serve a warrant for his arrest on the St. Tammany charge. Four others in at the residence were also arrested with Schwankart.

The high-grade marijuana, found on a kitchen counter, was worth some $500 on the streets.

Schwankart is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison on probation holds from both St. Tammany and Orleans parishes based on alleged probation violations, as well as the marijuana charge.

Schwankart, Kasondra Musacchia, 20, and Patrick Champagne, 19, who all listed their address as 2005 Culotta, were booked on marijuana charges.

AAlso arrested on the same charge were Michael Lopiccolo Jr., 19, 709 Community St., Arabi, and Bobby Walters, 20, of Kenner.

Sought in a $50,000 burglary in St. Bernard Parish are Dwayne James of Holden, Christy Smith of Hammond, and Reuben Albin of Springfield.

August 19, 2011 - Two men and a woman are wanted by the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office for a $50,000 burglary at a St. Bernard wastewater treatment plant in which copper wire was stolen from contractors doing work there, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The burglary was discovered July 25 at the parish’s Munster Drive treatment plant in Meraux, where two metal storage containers that had electrical wire inside were broken into and some $50,000 worth of copper wire was taken, Pohlmann said.

A utitlity trailer owned by a roofing company doing work at a construction site there was also stolen.

St. Bernard sheriff’s detectives, working with detectives from the Livingston Parish sheriff’s Office, developed evidence leading to two men – one of whom had worked for a roofing company that did work at the Munster plant - a second man and a woman.

Wanted on arrest warrants alleging burglary are Dwayne James, 25, of Holden, who worked for the roofing company; James’ half-brother, Reuben Albin, 30, of Springfield and Christy Smith, 28, of Hammond – identified as the girlfriend of James. None of them have been found.

Pohlmann said anyone with information on their whereabouts should call the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111 and could be eligible for a reward.

None of the copper wire has been found but Livingston Parish officials, after receiving information about the suspects, found pounds of stripped insulation in a wooded area in that parish which had markings consistent with the wire stolen in St. Bernard, Pohlmann said.

The markings were later identified as being from wire at the burglarized job site.

August 16, 2011 - A 20-year-old man found hiding in a 13-year-old girl’s bathroom by her mother has been booked with carnal knowledge of a juvenile and with attacking the mother, whom he had in a headlock when sheriff’s deputies arrived at the Chalmette home, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

 Dennis Cartagena, who also uses the alias Dennis Omar, 2222 Odin St., New Orleans, was booked just before midnight Sunday, Aug. 14, with battery on the mother who said she found him in her daughter’s bathroom, called 911 about an intruder and confronted him, Pohlmann said.

He said Cartagena refused to leave and had the mother in a headlock during a struggle. The daughter admitted she had invited the man over and had let him in the home but didn’t tell her mother. The mother said he was unknown to her.

Cartagena was booked that night with unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling without permission of the adult, as well as the battery count.

Cartagena was held at that time in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $2,500 bond.

On Aug. 16, following further investigation by detectives with the sheriff’s Juvenile Division, Cartagena was re-booked in the prison with two counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile for allegedly having sex with the teen-ager.

His bond, after the new felony charges, was raised to $202,500, Pohlmann said.

August 15, 2011 - Registration is open for the next session of the sheriff’s free, 10-week Citizens Police Academy that is open to all parish residents which begins Aug. 31 at Nunez Community College, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Citizens Police Academy is the best way to learn about law enforcement short of attending a training academy. And, specifically, participants hear what police work entails in St. Bernard Parish.

Pohlmann said St. Bernard Parish residents who want to learn more St. Bernard and have a chance to ask questions should register for the new sessions which run once a week from Aug. 31 through graduation night on Nov. 9

To register, call (504) 278-7628 and speak with or leave a message for Capt. Charles Borchers, head of Crime Prevention and Neighborhood Watch programs for the Sheriff’s Office.

There are numerous features to the program, such as: hearing from sheriff’s commanders on various phases of law enforcement including patrol work, narcotics enforcement, detective duties, SWAT team demonstrations, receiving boating safety tips, hearing from law enforcement agencies from outside St. Bernard, touring Parish Prison and experiencing a firearms simulator. Hands-on use of equipment is a part of the program.

Without actually firing a gun, the simulator – using computerized videos - puts residents in the shoes of a sheriff’s deputy and lets them decide when they would use deadly force on a criminal suspect.

Pohlmann said, “This course will answer a lot of the questions you have had about law enforcement and why things are done the way they are.’’ Graduates, he said, become “ambassadors for law enforcement because it gives them a vested interest in what happens in St. Bernard.’’

He also said there are frank discussions about specifics of law enforcement in St. Bernard and chances for residents to ask questions and give their in-put.

Residents who have taken sheriff’s programs on how to avoid being a victim of crime would find this another interesting learning tool, Pohlmann said.

Some 500 parish residents have graduated Citizens Police Academy in St. Bernard since its inception in 1999.

This is the fourth class for the Sheriff’s Citizens Police Academy since Hurricane Katrina and more than 100 people graduated those last three sessions, said Borchers, who coordinates the programs. “It’s been a great success since we started back,’’ he said.

August 12, 2011 - A 32-year-old Arabi man first booked by St. Bernard Parish detectives with two counts of aggravated incest with his juvenile step-daughter has been arrested by Covingston police on the same charges from when the family lived there several years ago, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

He said the man, whose name isn’t being released to protect the identity of the victim, was arrested in St. Bernard in late July after he confessed to incest under questioning by detectives from the Sheriff’s Juvenile Division.

The girl disclosed what happened to an uncle, who brought her to the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office. At that time he also acknowledged committing sex acts with the girl several years ago when the family lived in Covington, Pohlmann said.

He said the step-father got out on $75,000 bond in St. Bernard but the information on the Covingston crimes was turned over to authorites there and Covington police have arrested him on two more counts of aggravated incest. He is now jailed in St. Tammany Parish.

Also, Pohlmann said, St. Bernard sheriff’s deputies made three arrests involving a burglary and a theft, including a Chalmette couple caught stealing bags of clothing from a donation box for the poor, owned by the Open Arms Ministry.

Eugene Kellum, 40, and Edith Kellum, 33, both of 2409 Riverland Drive, were booked the night of Aug. 9 with theft from a donation box at 801 West St. Bernard Highway.

Someone called a woman connected to the ministry and told her he saw a couple stealing fom it, Pohlmann said.

The woman went there and found the two had five bags of clothing in a pickup truck and when she said she was calling the Sheiff’s Office they removed three bags, put them back into the donation box, then drove away.

Based on the license plate number and description of the vehicle, it was later stopped in Chalmette, Pohlmann said. The Kellums denied to deputies they had stolen anything, although acknowledged being at the donation box.

Both were booked with theft when the witnesses identified them. They were jailed but have been released on bond.

In an unrelated case, Harvey Encardes, 29, no address available, was booked July 31 with burlary of a vehicle outside an Arabi bar. He is jailed in lieu of bond set at $25,000.

A witness saw a man breaking into the vehicle and kicking out a window. Damage was also done inside the truck and items were removed.

Patrons in the bar identified Encardes as someone who had just left and fit the clothing desciption given by the burglary witness. Encardes was also seen on a surveillance video, Pohlmann said.

Encardes was arrested a short time later by Dep. Sheriff James Norsworthy while Encardes was attempting to hitchhike in Arabi. He had a cut on a hand, possibly from the broken glass, and was booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison, authorities said.

August 10, 2011 - A Violet man concealed nine grams of crack cocaine worth $1,000 in his buttocks and, separately, sheriff’s deputies, arrested two men who threw out 5 bags of marijuana as they fled a traffic accident scene and a disturbance, said Chief Deputy James Pohlmann said.

 Joseph Major, 32, 2918 Daniel Drive, Violet, was booked Aug. 9 with possession with intent to distribute nine grams of crack cocaine worth about $1,000 which he had concealed in his buttocks, Pohlmann said.

The discovery was made when Major was booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison as a parole violator and for possession of one piece of crack found in his home.

A probation and parole official was making a routine compliance check at Major’s residence, assisted by a sheriff’s deputy, when one piece of crack was found on Major’s bed, Pohlmann said. Major denied knowing anything about the rock-like substance which tested positive for crack.

But when Major was taken to jail and searched before entering the facility a clear plastic bag containing 24 individually wrapped pieces of crack were found in his buttocks area and he was booked with the intent to distribute charge, Pohlmann said.

Major was being held in lieu of $25,000 bond.

Pohlmann also said that on Aug. 7 two men were arrested after what started as an argument between one of them and a woman turned into them fleeing in a car and hitting another motorist, then fleeing again and tossing out five bags of marijuana before sheriff’s deputies stopped them.

Twelve other bags of marijuana were found in their vehicle, bringing the total to 17.

Jamar Joseph, 25, and Jequvan McBride, 18, both of New Orleans, were booked on marijuana charges, possession of drug paraphernalia and with disturbing the peace. Joseph was also booked with hit-and-run driving, reckless operation of a vehicle, no driver’s license and no insurance.

Also, $522 in cash was seized from the vehicle.

The suspects were involved in a disturbance involving the ex-girlfriend of one of them and they fled before sheriff’s deputies arrived, Pohlmann said.

Shortly after they left the woman, Joseph struck another vehicle in Chalmette and fled, Pohlmann said, but was caught in Arabi by sheriff’s deputies. McBride was the passenger.

Twelve small bags of marijuana were found in the vehicle and two deputies, backtracking looking for a possible weaon that might have been tossed from the car, found five other bags of marijuana in two spots along West Judge Perez Drive at intersections in Arabi, Pohlmann said. The bags matched the other 12. No gun was found.

Both Joseph and McBride were booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison. No bond information was available.

Chief Deputy James Pohlmann speaks at an open house at the Masonic lodges. Also shown, seated at left, is David Bachemin, Master of the Dominique You Lodge, and seated at right is David Peralta, grants administrator for the Sheriff’s Office. Not shown is Daniel Ledet, Master of the Andrew Jackson Lodge, where the open house was held. STEVE CANNIZARO PHOTO.

August 8, 2011 - Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said the Sheriff’s Office has prepared itself for the opening of the four controversial mixed income housing complexes under construction in Chalmette, saying he knows parish residents are concerned about a possible influx of drugs and a general crime increase.

“We are prepared and are paying close attention to the complexes,’’ Pohlmann said at an open house at the Andrew Jackson Masonic Lodge in Arabi, co-hosted by the Andrew Jackson and Dominique You lodges.

As part of an overall view of the Sheriff’s Office, he said residents can expect the department to be ready to deal with any situation that arises at the complexes.

"If we have to put a (patrol) car at every complex we will,’’ Pohlmann said. “There is no substitute for police presence."

To deal with any problems, Pohlmman said, "We want management at the complexes to give us access to their video surveillance systems so we can call up video in the event of any incident."

Also, he said, the Sheriff’s Office is working with parish government to beef up penalties in codes dealing with noise and loud music.

Pohlmann, a 28-year veteran in law enforcement, said, “Often, when you have high-density rental property you eventually have problems,’’ likening it to the Village Square apartments, a heavily blighted area apartment buildings in Chalmette prior to Hurricane Katrina.

He spoke out against the planned complexes at a public hearing of the Parish Planning Commission more than a year ago, saying the department’s experience in dealing with the Village Square apartments made him believe the complexes were unneeded and a bad idea.

“If we were going to have these new complexes I wish they would have put them back in the area where the Village Square apartments were,’’ Pohlmann said, “or built one at a time to see how it went before building others, instead of doing all four at the same time.’’

Pohlmann spoke at the open house at the invitation of officials at the Masonic lodges. The Master of the Andrew Jackson Lodge is Daniel Ledet. Master of the Dominique You Lodge is David Bachemin.

Pohlmann also said that since he was appointed Chief Deputy in early 2008, overseeing day-today operations at the Sheriff’s Office, the department has re-started all former sheriff’s programs and has instituted several new features for residents.

“We are answering 3,000 calls a month for assistance from the public and are making 300 arrests a month’’, focusing on narcotics activity, personal and property crimes and traffic enforcement.

The parish hasn’t had a murder since January 2009 and few crime-related serious injuries.

He said property crime, mostly fueled by drug abusers’ need for money to get their next fix, remains a major concern, as it is in every American city.

Three ways to reduce drug-related crime, he said, would be:

- Early Education

- Substance abuse programs for users

- Mandatory jail sentences for drug-dealers.

“I have zero tolerance for dealers’’ and said he believes “they should have a minimum sentence of at least five years in jail.’’

“We have re-introduced the D.A.R.E. anti-drug program for children in schools and re-started the Citizens Police Academy for residents to better understand law enforcement,’’ Pohlmann said.

Neighborhood Watch programs, Business Watch and the Night Out Against Crime – moved this year to Oct. 11 to avoid the summer heat – are also back.

Call Capt. Charles Borchers at 278-7628 to sign up for Citizens Police Academy or to form a Neighborhood Watch group or hold a neighorhood party for National Night Out.

“We have hired 14 new deputies through a federal grant resulting from the national stimulus package. That has also allowed us to move more officers into the specialized jobs in the Detective Bureau, the Narcotics Unit and Street Crimes – all of them vital to following up on incidents of crime and making arrests.’’

Under new programs, “I have appointed a Quality of Life Officer, Dep. Jeff Kenney, to deal with issues where blight promotes criminal activity. You can reach him through Borchers phone number,’’ Pohlmann said. “I also started the Refuse to be a Victim program for residents to get tips about keeping them from becoming crime victims.

“We also moved to partner our department with the Battered Women’s Shelter to reduce domestic violence in our parish in 2009,’’ Pohlmann said “In those nearly two years I’m proud to say we haven’t had a domestic killing and have seen a much reduced number of serious injuries. Also, Det. Johhny Caserta was appointed to handle soley domestic violence cases and act as an advoate for victims”

Also, technolgy plays an important role today in fighting crime.

He said the Sheriff’s Office uses the computerized Crime Track system that shows incidents of crimes, traffic stops, citations and pedestrian checks, all overlaid on a map of the parish. It allows monitoring of trends, allowing reaction with changing strategies for problem areas.

Communications systems are computerized so that a call for service is instantly pinpointed for the quickest deplyment.

Danniel Alveris, 17, and brother Dewing Alveris, 22, both wanted for attempted first-degree murder in St. Bernard Parish

August 7, 2011 - Two St. Bernard Parish brothers have surrendered on attempted murder charges in a July 13 exchange of gunfire between several people in Violet in which no one was injured, the parish’s Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

All six people involved, the brothers, two other men and two women, have been arrested.

Pohlmann said an argument that led to the shooting incident apparently began over a bag of marijuana one of the women bought and then thought she had been shortchanged.

Brothers Dewing Alveris, 22, and Danniel Alveris, 17, surrendered to the Sheriff’s Office on Thursday night, Aug. 4, after being sought on warrants for attempted first-degree murder.

Both are being held in lieu of bonds set at $300,000 each.

Alonzo Small, 19, who is from New Orleans but has been living in Violet, and Dewayne Boutain, 17, of Harvey, who boh allegedly sold marijuana to one of the women, were both booked with attempted first-degree murder the night of the shootings on July 13. They are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bonds set at $500,000 each.

The women involved are Belinda Alveris, 41, 2504 Jamie Court, Apt. A, in Violet; who is the mother of the Alveris brothers, and Jackee Bienemy, 19, of Braithwaite the girlfriend of one brother, Pohlmann said.

Both women were booked with being principles to attempted first-degree murder.

The women had gone to an apartment in the 5500 block of East Judge Perez Drive at Angelique Drive in Violet. Belinda Alveris told investigating officers that Bienemy purchased marijuana from Small and Boutain and got into a verbal argument about the size of the bag, Pohlmann said.

He said the men allegedly cursed the women, who then picked up the Alveris brothers and went looking for Small and Boutain.

One of the brothers got out and began fighting with Small, then suddenly guns were produced and Alveris jumped back into a vehicle with the other three inside and several shots were fired, Pohlmann said. More than one weapon was involved, he said.

Corey Johnson, 31, of Chalmette, booked with child desertion after two young sons found locked in hot car in mid-day heat

Aug 4, 2011 - Not locking your vehicle can lead to more than just theft of items left inside. In could mean a child’s life.

 A pair of young Chalmette brothers climbed out of an apartment window and, in the extreme heat of a mid-afternoon, got into their father’s unlocked car, somehow locking themselves in and not being able to get out, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said. The car’s motor was off and the windows were up.

A neighbor who went outside about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 3, noticed the apartment window open, then luckily saw the two boys, ages 3 ½ years and 10 months, sweating profusely inside the vehicle, Pohlmann said.

The woman couldn’t get the door open to rescue them but phoned her boyfriend who came over and got the vehicle open. The children were cooled off and given liquids but weren’t otherwise injured.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested the children’s father, who was in his apartment during the incident, for child desertion based on negligent supervision, Pohlmann said. The mother was at work.

Corey Johnson, 31, 3405 Golden Drive, Apt. B, was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison. No bond information was available. The mother was called and the children were turned over to her.

Pohlmann said, "We preach all the time about not leaving children in non air-conitioned cars in the summer because they can die of heat exhaustion and we routinely tell people to lock their vehicle doors to avoid thefts."

He added, “Here’s an unusual case where leaving a car unlocked could also harm a child because you don’t think about them going in and getting locked inside on a hot day. Fortunately someone saw these children.’’

The couple who got the children out said they knocked on the door of the apartment where the children lived but got no answer. They gave them drinks at their residence and called the Sheriff’s Office.

When sheriff’s deputies arrived and got the father to come to the door he said he was upstairs cleaning during the incident and didn’t know the children had gotten out of a downstairs window, but said he knew the window didn’t lock properly.

A young child died of heat exhaustion in New Orleans recently when left in a vehicle and nationally more than 20 children have died that way this year. Doctors have noted that a child’s body temperature heats up 3-5 times faster than an adult.

Also, the temperature in a non air-conditioned vehicle on a hot day can rise 20-30 degrees above outside temperature within 15 minutes or so.