Chalmette mother booked with felony charge of second-degree cruelty to her 5-month-old daughter after a controlled substance found in baby’s system from breast-feeding     A Chalmette woman was booked with felony second-degree cruelty to a juvenile after her 5-month-old daughter was found to have a controlled substance in her system from breast-feeding from the mother, St. Bernard Jack Stephens said.   Brittany Annis, 22, 3208 Veronica St., was arrested the night of Monday, April 21, initially because of a domestic disturbance with her boyfriend, the father of the child, the sheriff said.  Booked along with Annis was the boyfriend, Adam Geraci, 43, who lived with the mother, the sheriff said.  Detectives from the sheriff’s Juvenile Division later noticed the 5-month-old girl was crying abnormally and having problems and the mother admitted the child had been born with a drug addiction, Stephens said.  After paramedics checked the child she was taken to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans where the drug Benzodiazepine, a controlled substance, was discovered in the child’s urine, the sheriff said.  Geraci, who has a prescription for a controlled substance for a medical problem, alleged his girlfriend had been taking his drugs and using them without his permission, Stephens said.  The child was later released from the hospital and given to the custody of a relative, Stephens said.  Annis, who had been breast-feeding the child, was booked with second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, a felony, and is being held in Parish Prison in lieu of bond of $10,000 on that charge and in lieu of $2,500 bond on he domestic abuse charge, the sheriff said.  Geraci, not booked in connection with the drugs found in the child’s system, has been turned over to Plaquemines Parish authorities because of an outstanding warrant in that parish.     Man booked with two house burglaries and a duffel bag filled with cut electrical wire found; other thefts of copper and other wires also reported   A Chalmette man was booked with burglary of two residences in the 3400 block of Packenham Drive in Chalmette on April 2 and a duffel bag filled with cut electrical wire was found, Sheriff Jack Stephens reported. Benjamin Blasio, 34, 601 West St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette, is being held in lieu of bond set at $50,000, the sheriff said. Blasio was arrested early in the morning on April 2 after a report of a suspicious person and the help of alert residents who saw him running from the area of a gutted double residence, Stephens said. The suspect was arrested behind a gate in the 3400 block of Packenham. A duffel bag filled with cut electrical wire, a wire cutter and a pile of cut wire were found in the double, the sheriff said. A resident of the area also identified Blasio has having been seen in the area the previous day, Stephens said, adding that shoe prints found in the residence matched Blasio’s shoes in size and design. Sheriff Stephens also said other thefts of copper and other types of wire have been reported in the recent weeks, including thefts in: the 2500 block of Bartolo Drive, the 2700 and 2100 blocks of Mary Ann Drive and the 2800 block of Myrtle Grove Drive, all in Meraux; as well as the 3700 block of LaFontaine Street and 3700 block of Kings Drive, both in Chalmette. The sheriff said anyone seeing suspicious activity should call the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501.     Man tried to lure 10-year-old Arabi girl into his truck on evening of Wednesday, April 23; public asked to call St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501 if they see vehicle matching the description       A man tried to lure a 10-year-old Arabi girl into his truck Wednesday evening, April 23, offering her money, but the girl ran away and the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens is asking the public to report if they see a vehicle matching the description.   The incident happened about 6:30 p.m. as the girl was leaving a store on bicycle near West St. Bernard Highway and Rowley Boulevard in Arabi, the sheriff said.   The girl noticed a man in a white truck, possibly a dented, 1980s model Ford F-150 single cab pickup with a ladder on a rack, a blue or black stripe and license plates in front and back, was following her, Sheriff Stephens said.   Described as a white male in his mid-30s with a thin to medium build and dark brown hair, the man pulled the truck along side the girl and flashed money as he asked her to get in the truck, the sheriff said.   Afraid, the girl went back to the store she had left and waited until she believed the man had gone, Stephens said.   When she left again,, the sheriff said, the man was standing outside the truck and the girl went back to the store a third time, the sheriff said.   When she left again she rode her bike home, although she said she saw the truck once more but the driver didn’t approach her, the sheriff said. The child informed her father what happened and he called authorities.   A tape from a surveillance camera at one store in the area shows what appears to be a white truck and the tape is being analyzed, the sheriff said..   Also, a tape from the store where they girl went shows her entering the business three times.   Anyone who believes they have seen the truck or knows the driver is asked to call the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501.     St. Bernard Recreation Corporation hosts 2nd annual benefit basketball game between Sheriff's Office and Fire Department at 7 p.m. on at., April 26     St. Bernard Recreation Corporation will host the 2nd annual benefit basketball game between the Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department at 7 p.m. on Saturday, in the Chalmette High School gym.   All proceeds from the activities will be donated to the St. Bernard Recreation Department for the parish recreation system. Last year, the Fire Department took the first title.   The Sheriff's Department and the Fire Department will also offer pre-game activities aimed at educating children and adults about safety.   Pre-game events begin at 5 p.m. and are free to the public. There will also be other activities held throughout the game.   Entrance prices for the basketball game are: $5 for adults, $3 for ages 4-17, and free for ages 3 and under.   Anyone interested in advertising a business at the basketball game or for more information contact Raymond Ducote at 235-8790 or Sabrina Scharfenstein at 583-6000.   Tickets for the event can be purchased at Car Craft, 1101 E. St. Bernard Hwy. or at Prestige Fitness, 8309 W. Judge Perez Drive. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.   Gulf Coast Bank is the corporate sponsor of events.       Security officer sought after marijuana found in security car he was driving, following a traffic accident in Arabi     A New Orleans man who was working for a security company is being sought on warrants after three-quarters of a pound of marijuana was found in a security car following a traffic accident in Arabi in which he was driving, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   Christopher Johnson, 24, last known address 2419 Valence St., New Orleans, is wanted on warrants alleging possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.   Johnson, wearing a security uniform and carrying a firearm, was driving a security car involved in a traffic accident in Arabi the night of Saturday, April 12, the sheriff said.   The car Johnson was driving allegedly struck another vehicle as he was heading south on Rowley Boulevard.   Supervisors from the security company took possession of Johnson’s firearm and told him he had to take a urine test at a hospital because he was involved in an accident with a company vehicle, Sheriff Stephens said.   After Johnson had left the scene, the sheriff said, officials of the security company allegedly found 12 ounces of marijuana in the company car and showed a sheriff’s deputy the marijuana, the sheriff said. When a company official spoke with Johnson by cell phone to ask if he was finished at the hospital and would he return to the accident scene, Johnson allegedly told her he wasn’t taking a urine test, had left the hospital, and was quitting the job, Sheriff Stephens said.   It was later learned Johnson had a pending marijuana arrest case in New Orleans, the sheriff said.   Warrants for arrest of Johnson were later signed by a judge in St. Bernard Parish, Stephens said.     Man booked with burglary and trespassing after trying to stake claim to two storm-damaged houses in St. Bernard; he changed locks on the doors of one and put signs at both claiming he took possession of abandoned property; Sheriff says actions were illegal     A Raceland man not only allegedly burglarized a home under renovation in Violet but also tried to take possession of that one and another one next door by placing signs on the lawns claiming he had taken them as abandoned property, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   Jesse Bryant, 47, who has been living with a daughter on Moss Drive in the Oak Ridge subdivision in Violet, even went to so far as to change the locks on the doors of a house under renovation at 3308 Oak St. in the same subdivision, which prevented the real owner from entering through the doors, Stephens said.   The sheriff said Bryant, booked with burglary and criminal trespassing, also placed signs on the lawn of 3308 and 3304 Oak, a storm-damaged house that has been sold to the state’s Road Home program by its previous owners, saying: “I, Jesse Bryant, take possession of this abandon(ed) property.”      Sheriff Stephens said Bryant, arrested the night of April 17 and now free on bond of $26,500, told an investigating deputy from the sheriff’s Street Crimes Unit, that he had a right to stake claim to the homes under laws involving abandoned property. He also said he intended to do the same to several other properties.   Stephens, however, said there is no law that backs up Bryant’s claim. Reassuring property owners who have homes under renovation or property they are selling, Stephens said, Bryant was properly arrested for burglary and said the Sheriff’s Office won’t tolerate anyone trying to take possession of someone else’s property.   “It’s illegal and he has been booked with burglary,’’ the sheriff said.   Residents who see any signs of someone tampering with their property should call the Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501, he said.   Sheriff’s deputies were first called to the residences by a neighbor on the night of April 16 but no one was found.   The next day, on April 17, a deputy went back and was reading The signs when Bryant pulled up in a vehicle and said te deputy was probably looking for him as the owner, according to the sheriff.   He said Bryant explained what he had done and acknowledged he had gone into the home under renovation and changed the locks.   A witness was found who said the vehicle Bryant was driving was the same one she saw parked there the night before. Another witness said someone was in the home using a flashlight on the night of the 16th.   The owner of the home at 3308 Oak, who now lives in Meraux while renovating the house, said he had lived on Oak Street for years before the flood brought by Hurricane Katrina and is in the process of repairing his residence.   The owner said other property owners should be on the lookout for people trying to claim possession of their storm-damaged homes. “I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else,’’ said the owner.   Maj. Chad Clark,, commander of the Special Investigations Division, which includes the Street Crimes Unit and Narcotics Unit, said no charge has been filed involving the property now owned by the Road Home but the investigation is continuing.         More than 50 people donated blood at a bloodmobile at the Sheriff's Office Paris Road sub-station on Tuesday, April 15 for the benefit of the prematurely born son of Deputy Mike Herrmann. Several deputies are shown giving blood. Also shown in front of the bloodmobile are Maj. Chad Clark, commander of the Special Investigations Division who coodinated the blood drive for the Sheriff's Office and Bridget Landry of the Blood Center. The donations not only replenish blood supplies needed for the child, Michael Herrmann III, bus also entitle the family of a gift of $15 for each donation, to be used for medical expenses. Herrmann said he was grateful for the expression of help from the donors.       Two more men booked with possession of stolen property in theft of hundreds of brass flower vases with a retail value of $600 each that were stolen from a Chalmette cemetery; four men now arrested    Two more Chalmette men have been booked with possession of stolen property and one of them with theft in connection with the taking of hundreds of brass flower vases from a Chalmette cemetery in March and April, with at least 50 sold to a New Orleans scrap metals dealer, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.A total of four men have been arrested in the investigation of thefts from St. Bernard Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 701 West Virtue St., Chalmette.   The Sheriff’s Office, State Police and now New Orleans police have been involved in a joint investigation which crossed jurisdictional lines when stolen vases were sold in New Orleans, he sheriff said.Authorities have recovered 148 stolen brass vases which sold at retail for $600 each. The vases weigh about eight pounds and typically have on them the last name of the deceased.Patrick Centorbi, 22, 2524 Pecan Drive, Apt. A, and Brian Boudreaux, 22, 3809 Juno Drive, both of Chalmette, were booked Tuesday night by State Police South District detectives on a warrant alleging possession of stolen property from the cemetery. They allegedly sold stolen vases to Poland Scrap Metal Works, 1741 Poland Ave., New Orleans, the sheriff said. Fifty vases were recovered at the dealership on April 9. No one from the business has been arrested.  St. Bernard sheriff’s detectives later booked Centorbi with theft and desecration of graves for allegedly stealing vases from the Chalmette cemetery. Centorbi and Boudreau allegedly both sold vases taken from the cemetery according to records at the scrap metals business, Stephens said. However, the men may have been acting separately, he said. There is no indication the two know each other or that they are associates of the men arrested April 5 in connection with the theft of 98 vases from the cemetery.It’s possible, authorities said, that the thefts are unrelated. The investigation is continuing, the sheriff said. Vases recovered at the scrap metals business were sold both before and after the arrests of the first two men on April 5, Stephens said.The cemetery reported April 2 it was missing 125 of the vases from gravesites in the mausoleum and cemetery, then 98 more were stolen April 5 and recovered that day in a pickup truck at a Chalmette residence on Jupiter Drive, near the cemetery, Stephens said.Of the two arrested April 5, Val Terry, 41, remains jailed, booked with desecration of graves and theft; and the other man, Joseph Scorsone, 42, booked with possession of stolen things, has been released on bond of more than $100,000.Stephens, at the time of the first arrests,, said the case “makes you wonder how low people can sink.’’“Think about it,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. “Someone goes into a graveyard to steal items’’ placed there to honor the dead. The sheriff added, “It shows the worst side of human nature.’’The sheriff praised the work of an alert cemetery employee who called the Sheriff’s Office after seeing a pickup truck leaving the grounds on April 5 and locating the truck himself in a nearby driveway.Stephens encouraged anyone to call the Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501 if they see something suspicious happening.     Newark, N.J. city councilman booked with three misdemeanors, disturbing the peace, resisting an officer and littering , in St. Bernard Parish after traffic incident   A Newark, N.J., city councilman in St. Bernard Parish doing volunteer work on houses was booked Friday, April 11 with disturbing the peace, resisting an officer and littering after a traffic stop  in which he was a passenger in a minivan, Sheriff Jack Stephens said. All the charges are misdemeanors. Oscar S. James II, 26, elected in 2006 to the council in Newark, which is near New York City, was arrested after allegedly yelling at deputies who stopped a  minivan about noon that was speeding and changing lanes on Louisiana 46 in eastern St. Bernard Parish, the sheriff said. He said the van sped past an unmarked sheriff’s  vehicle and switched lanes in front without using a turn signal. Officers asked James, the front-seat passenger, to step out of the vehicle and James began yelling at the deputies, according to Stephens. James told deputies he did not have identification with him and refused to give his name. Stephens said that when deputies moved to pat down James he reached into his pants pocket and tossed a handful of nails to the ground from a pocket. "He was yelling at the top of his lungs, 'Bring me to jail. Bring me to jail,' " said Maj. Chad Clark, head of the narcotics unit, who was one of the deputies who stopped the van... As James was being booked at the jail, Clark said, James identified himself and told deputies he was a city councilman in Newark. He was later released on $850 bond,. Clark said the others inside the van later told deputies they were in St. Bernard helping repair homes for Habitat for Humanity. The driver of the van, Roman Martin Jr., 25, of Newark, was given a traffic citation but not arrested.. Martin was issued a ticket for improper lane use and given a verbal warning for speeding. .   One man booked with desecration of graves and theft of 98 brass flower vases worth $600 each from Chalmette cemetery and were recovered April 5 and another man booked with possession of the stolen vases; 125 other vases still missing; total value of thefts was $133,000       In a case Sheriff Jack Stephens said “makes you wonder how low people can sink,’’ two men living in Chalmette have been arrested in connection with the theft and recovery of 98 brass flower vases worth $600 each from St. Bernard Memorial Gardens Cemetery at 701 West Virtue St., Chalmette.   The 98 vases were recovered Saturday, April 5, but 125 similar brass vases also stolen recently from the same cemetery are still missing, Stephens said. The total value of the 223 stolen vases was about $133,000.   The recovered vases have been returned to cemetery officials, the sheriff said, and an investigation is continuing into what happened to the other vases, with the sheriff saying other arrest are possible. Sheriff Stephens said it’s possible the missing vases have been sold to scrap metal dealers in other parishes.   “Think about it,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. “Someone goes into a graveyard to steal items’’ placed there to honor the dead. The sheriff added, “It shows the worst side of human nature.’’   Numerous arrests have been made in St. Bernard for theft of copper from storm-damaged homes and homes being rebuilt after the hurricane, the sheriff said, “but this is a little different.’’   He praised the alert employee and said the Sheriff’s Office continues to receive cooperation from the public, as was the hallmark of the parish prior to the hurricane. But he acknowledged the “spotty nature’’ of recovery in various neighborhoods has left fewer residents to see suspicious activity and call authorities.   Sheriff Stephens encouraged anyone to call the Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501 if they see something suspicious.   Cemetery officials had initially reported the theft of brass flower vases from gravesites on April 1 and that was being investigated by sheriff’s detectives, Stephens said, when the break in the case came when an alert cemetery employee early Saturday, April 5, noticed more vases missing and saw a black pickup truck leaving the cemetery grounds.   The employee saw four vases outside the cemetery and checked the surrounded neighborhood, locating a similar truck parked nearby at 3913 Jupiter Drive, Stephens said.   The employee called the Sheriff’s Office and deputies found 94 more brass flower vases in the plain view in the rear bed of the truck, the sheriff said.   Two men were found at the residence and later booked, the sheriff said.   Val Terry, 41. who listed his address as 3913 Jupiter, was booked with 223 counts of desecration of graves and theft, all felonies. He is being held in lieu of bond set at $240,000. He claimed to investigating sheriff’s detectives that he had no knowledge of the thefts, saying he had loaned the truck to someone else who admitted to him he would be stealing copper with it.   However, the cemetery employee said he recognized Terry, who is on parole from serving a burglary sentence, as a man he saw riding a bicycle and carrying a knapsack in the cemetery earlier that week, Stephens said.   Joseph Scorsone, 42, who lives at 3913 Jupiter and owns the truck where the vases were located, was booked with 94 counts of possession of stolen things, a felony. He is being held in lieu of bond of more than $100,000. He told authorities he had loaned the truck to Terry and had no knowledge of the stolen property being in the truck, the sheriff said.     CHALMETTE MAN KILLS GIRLFRIEND, HIMSELF             (CHALMETTE)---A Chalmette man allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself in an apparent weekend murder-suicide, the second homicide of the year in St. Bernard Parish, according to Sheriff Jack Stephens.              According to detectives in the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Bureau, it happened sometime before 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 24, in the 1200 block of Wisconsin Street in Chalmette.  The sheriff says that the initial investigation indicates that a family member found the bodies of the victim, 52-year-old Melanie Doran, and the alleged suspect, 51-year-old Lawrence McCall, in the couple’s trailer at 1204 Wisconsin Street.              Detectives report that the bodies were found with both having a gunshot wound to the head.  Detectives say that the investigation indicates that McCall apparently shot Doran and then turned the gun on himself.            Detectives are awaiting an autopsy report from St. Bernard Parish Coroner Dr. Brian Bertucci as the investigation into the tragic deaths of the couple continues.     THREE ARRESTED ON VARIOUS DRUG CHARGES: HEROIN, COCAINE, MARIJUANA & PILLS RECOVERED             (ARABI/CHALMETTE/VIOLET)---Sheriff Jack Stephens reports that an ongoing investigation, a traffic stop, and an alert pharmacy employee led agents with the Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Division Narcotics Unit to arrest three (3) suspects and recover some $700 worth of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and pills.             According to the initial incident report, the first arrest came shortly after 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13, near the intersection of West St. Bernard Highway and Friscoville Avenue in Arabi.  The sheriff says the SCU agents came into contact with the suspect, 39-year-old Earl Farragut of 3712 Plaza Drive in Chalmette.  During the course of the stop, the agents recovered one clear, plastic bag containing three (3) pieces of foil containing one gram of heroin, with an estimated street value of $60.             Farragut was charged with possession of heroin and impeding the flow of traffic.             The second arrest came a few hours later, shortly after 6:50 p.m., in the 10000 block of Claiborne Avenue in Violet.  The sheriff says that, as part of an ongoing investigation, SCU agents executed a search warrant at the address of the suspect, 18-year-old Paul L. Boudreaux, Jr., of 10032 Claiborne Avenue in Violet.  During the course of the search, the agents recovered some 117 grams of marijuana, with an estimated street value of $400; three-tenths of a gram of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $30; three-tenths of a gram of heroin, with an estimated street value of $30; and three (3) more grams of marijuana, with an estimated street value of $30.             Boudreaux, Jr., was charged with possession with the intent to distribute marijuana and possession of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.             The last arrest came a day later, shortly after 2:15 p.m., on Thursday, February 14, in the 100 block of West Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette.  The sheriff says that a pharmacy employee contacted the SCU agents concerning what appeared to be a false prescription that the suspect, 26-year-old Monique Mitchell of 2025 Paris Road in Chalmette, was allegedly trying to have filled.  The employee told agents that he/she contacted the doctor who allegedly prescribed the medicine and he advised him/her that he did not write any prescription for Mitchell.              Agents awaited the arrival of Mitchell and, upon her picking up the 30 doses of Hydracodone, with an estimated stree value of $150, arrested her.  Mitchell was charged with obtaining a prescription by means of fraud, deceit, or subterfuge.     NEW ORLEANS MAN ARRESTED IN COPPER THEFT CASE: SEARCH CONTINUES FOR SECOND SUSPECT             (CHALMETTE)---An alert area resident, coupled with quick response on the part of deputies with the Sheriff’s Office Field Operations Bureau, led to the arrest of a New Orleans man in connection with the alleged theft of copper from a Chalmette residence that was in the process of being gutted, according to Sheriff Jack Stephens.            According to the initial incident report, it happened shortly after 11 a.m. on Wednesday, February 20, in the 2200 block of Creely Drive in Chalmette.  The sheriff says that deputies responded to a burglary-in-progress call, where an area resident was apparently following a suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Lester Cure of 20212 Sand Rocco Street in New Orleans, driving a silver Toyota truck along Jean Lafitte Parkway, turning westbound onto West St. Bernard Highway.  Deputies effected a traffic stop on the vehicle and, upon the witness confirming that Cure was one of the suspects, took Cure into custody.            The followup investigation indicated that the witness had arrived at 2217 Creely Drive to check the residence for a friend.  The witness told deputies that when he entered the residence, he/she saw Cure and a second suspect, a white male, allegedly removing copper from the house.  The witness said that the pair indicated that they worked “for the city” and then fled the scene, with him/her giving chase.  The witness said that Cure dropped some bolt cutters and a screw driver as he fled.  The second suspect then apparently made good his escape by jumping a nearby fence.            The witness said he located Cure as he/she was driving along Jean Lafitte Parkway.  The witness said he/she followed Cure in the truck until the deputies effected the traffic stop.  Deputies recovered some of the copper along the floor of the house and contacted the owner, who told deputies that no one had permission to enter the house, except the witness, and that the copper piping had been intact.  Deputies also recovered the bolt cutters and screw driver near the house at 2217 Creely Drive.            Cure was charged with residence burglary and the sheriff says that the investigation is continuing, with the search underway for the second suspect.     FOUR ARRESTED ON VARIOUS DRUG CHARGES: HEROIN, CRACK COCAINE & MARIJUANA RECOVERED             (CHALMETTE/MERAUX/VIOLET)---Sheriff Jack Stephens reports that four (4) suspects have been arrested and more than $2,550 worth of heroin, crack cocaine, and marijuana have been recovered during a rather busy 48-hour period for agents with the Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Division Narcotics and Street Crimes Units.             According to the initial incident reports, the first arrests occurred shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19, near the intersection of East Judge Perez Drive and Meraux Field 1 in Meraux.  The sheriff says that agents with the SCU effected a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by 23-year-old Bernard Turner of #6 Jupiter Circle in Meraux.  Inside the vehicle was a second suspect, 22-year-old Patrick Chapman of 5444 Royal Street in New Orleans.             During the course of the stop, the agents recovered some 453 grams of marijuana, with an estimated street value of $1,600.  Turner and Chapman were charged with possession with the intent to distribute marijuana and possession of marijuana.  Turner was also charged with general speed law, license plate expired, and improper equipment.              The second arrest came a short while later, shortly after 2:55 p.m., in the 3200 block of Daniel Drive in Violet.  The sheriff says that SCU agents came into contact with the suspect, 26-year-old Willard Major of 2216 Guerra Drive in Violet.  Upon completion of a wanted person check, it was determined that Major was wanted on an outstanding warrant.  Agents also recovered some 7.1 grams of crack cocaine, found in a clear, plastic bag and with an estimated street value of $700.            Major was charged with possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine, possession of marijuana, and on the outstanding marijuana-related warrant.            The final arrest came less than an hour later, shortly after 5:30 p.m., near the intersection of West St. Bernard Highway and Jean Lafitte Parkway in Chalmette.  The sheriff says that, as part of an ongoing investigation, NU agents arranged for the suspect, 23-year-old Lionel A. Thomas, Jr., of 5126 Kendal Drive in New Orleans, to deliver heroin to a prearranged location.  Upon Thomas, Jr.’s, arrival, the NU agents found him to be in possession of 1.4 grams of heroin, with an estimated street value of $250.  Thomas, Jr., was charged with possession with the intent to distribute heroin.       SBSO CAPTAIN GRADUATES FROM FBI NATIONAL ACADEMY               (CHALMETTE)---Sheriff Jack Stephens is proud to announce that a ranking deputy in the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office Field Operations Bureau is now the latest member of the Sheriff’s Office to graduate from the prestigious FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.    Capt. Mark Poche’ of the Field Operations Bureau and Commander of the Special Weapons & Tactics (SWAT) Team joined 299 other law enforcement professionals from around the nation and more than 20 foreign countries in becoming a member of the 231st graduating class of the FBI National Academy.   Capt. Poche’ has been with the Sheriff’s Office for 24 years, beginning as a patrol deputy in the Field Operations Bureau, transferring to the Traffic & Accident Investigation Division, and later working as a detective in the Criminal Investigation Bureau.  He was then promoted to Sergeant in the Field Operations Bureau and later earned the rank of Platoon Lieutenant.  Capt. Poche’ also spent many years as a member of the Sheriff’s Office Special Weapons & Tactics (SWAT) Team and was named Commander of the unit in 2007.            The FBI National Academy, first begun in 1935, offers 12 intense weeks of advanced investigative, management, and fitness training for those law enforcement professionals who have proven records of excellence in their particular organization.            “We’re truly proud of Capt. Poche’ and all of the others from your St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office who graduated from one of the world’s most advanced and intensive law enforcement training academies, the FBI National Academy,” said Sheriff Stephens.  “Capt. Poche’ not only served our parish well in whatever division of the Sheriff’s Office he was assigned and as an integral part of our highly-trained specialty units, but also during and after Hurricane Katrina as he and his fellow deputies worked long and hard to not only rescue our friends and neighbors, but also to find the means of getting them to safety.”            Since its inception, the FBI National Academy has graduated more than 41,000 professionals.  Of that number, nearly 23,000 remain in the law enforcement profession.     SUSPECT IN VIOLET CONVENIENCE STORE ROBBERY ARRESTED IN VIOLET                (VIOLET)---Sheriff Jack Stephens is pleased to report that the final suspect in a string of three (3) armed robberies in a two-day period last week has now been arrested and charged in connection with an incident where the suspect entered a Violet convenience store/gas station, fired a shot into a front counter, took an undetermined amount of money, and fled into a nearby neighborhood.             Arrested and charged in connection with the robbery is 24-year-old Brandon Mosley of 2412 Elizabeth Court in Violet.  Mosley, now charged with armed robbery, was arrested shortly after 5 p.m. on Friday, December 14, in the 2400 block of Jamie Court in Violet.  The arrest came after Mosley was identified as the suspect.