The St. Bernard Parish American Red Cross, Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department took part in a special adult CPR training course on Saturday, June 28 at the Chalmette Refining Training Center, with funding by the ExxonMobil Foundation. About 200 people participated, learning how to help save someone's life in the event of an emergency. Shown are Norman Adams, 10, of Marrero, listening for instrructions as he prepares to give rescue breath to one of many mannequins used in the training. Also, St. BernardParish Sheriff's Deputy Thomas Spicuzza demonstrates the use of compression to the chest of a heart attack victim to St. Bernard Parish residents Sherry Scott, left, and Michelle Dorsey.      Free adult CPR training to be held Sat., June 28, at 8:30 a.m. at Chalmette Refining Training Center; pre-registration required       Free adult CPR training will be provided when the St. Bernard American Red Cross, Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department hold the 1st Annual St. Bernard Super CPR Saturday on June 28 at 8:30 a.m. at Chalmette Refining Training Center at 500 West St. Bernard Highway, at Gate 18.   For more information or to pre-register, contact the Red Cross at (504) 277-8163 or at 620-3146. Funding for the CPR event is provided by the ExxonMobil Foundation. Participants in the training session will receive a free St. Bernard CPR Saturday T-shirt. Adult-CPR certification cards will also be mailed to all participants meeting the requirements.   Those taking the training course will learn from everyday local emergency response officials.   It’s important to participate because the information could be needed  to save someone’s life at a moment’s notice.   According to statistics: · Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in adults. · 85% of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur either at work or at home. · Approximately 1.25 million people in the United States experience a heart attack each year - that’s one person every 25 seconds -  of which 500,000 of these attacks result in death. · A treatment delay of 4 to 5 minutes decreases survival rates by as much as 40%. · A delay of 10 minutes or longer results in death 95% of the time. For more information on CPR statistics please visit www.redcross.org.     Sheriff Stephens to be sworn in for 7th-term in July 1 ceremony; Lena Torres to be sworn in as Clerk of Court         St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack A. Stephens will become the second-longest serving sheriff in Louisiana when he is sworn in for his 7th-term on Tuesday, July 1 in an 8 a.m. ceremony in the large courtroom in the Parish Courthouse at which some 250 deputies will take their oaths for the 2008-12 term.   St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court Lena Torres will also be sworn in for her 6th-term at the same ceremony.   Stephens, who was elected sheriff in 1983 and took office in 1984, has been re-elected every four years since, including in a runoff last November. With 24 years in office, he will become the second-longest serving current sheriff in the state at the start of his new term, according to officials at the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association.   Orleans Parish Civil Sheriff Paul Valteau, elected in 1982, will become the longest-serving sheriff in Louisiana on July 1 because two other sheriffs in the state who had served longer are leaving office, Sheriff’s Association officials said.   Stephens is also the second-longest serving sheriff ever in St. Bernard Parish, according to parish historian William Hyland.  Esteve “E.E.” Nunez, who was St. Bernard sheriff from 1879 until his death in 1909, is the longest-serving sheriff in St. Bernard history, Hyland said.   Lena Torres, who has worked at the St. Bernard Courthouse since it opened in 1940, was elected Clerk of Court in 1988 after the death of her husband, Sidney Torres Jr., and has been re-elected since, most recently last fall. Sheriff’s Office and Wildlife & Fisheries to hold hunter education classes 6-9 p.m. on Fri., July 25 and at 8 a.m. on Sat., July 26 at Courthouse       A free two-day course in hunter education, sponsored by the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, will be held at the Parish Courthouse in Chalmette from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, July 25 and from 8 a.m. to completion on Saturday, July 26, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   No advance registration is needed but there is a minimum age of 10-years-old for persons to take the classes.   Participants must attend both days. After completing the course, they will receive a hunter safety card through the mail, which is necessary to obtain a hunting license.   The two-day course is taught by Lloyd Norton, who is a certified hunter education instructor for the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries.   Two other dates have also been set for offering free hunter education classes at the Courthouse in Chalmette: Friday, Aug. 22 and Saturday, 23 and Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11.   The Courthouse is located at 1101 West St. Bernard Highway. Crackdown announced on illegal driving of all-terrain and other off-road vehicles       St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s officials say they will crack down on four-wheel all-terrain vehicles and other off-road vehicles illegally being driven on parish highways and on streets in neighborhoods, saying there seems to be an increasing number of people, mostly juveniles, who are disregarding the law and risking their lives, Sheriff Jack Stephen said.   Habitual offenders will have such vehicles impounded by the Sheriff’s Office if driven on public roads, the sheriff said.   In cases of juveniles their parents can be given citations for permitting them to drive.   Sheriff Stephens said that in addition to the safety risks involved for young drivers of such illegal vehicles, which have very little protection for occupants, parents of juveniles who get into accidents on streets would be liable for injuries to motorists or property damage caused by the negligence, meaning the possibility of lawsuits.   “All-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes are designed for off-road use and are illegal on streets and highways,’’ said Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann. “But we are seeing them on parish streets, state highways, shoulders of highways, neutral grounds and, in many cases, illegally riding on private property without the permission of property owners. They also shouldn’t be atop levees, he said.   Restrictions against use on streets apply to every motor vehicle not licensed for highways, which includes dirt bikes, four-wheelers, three-wheelers and go-carts.   Pohlmann said the Sheriff’s Office isn’t trying to be hard on people who own off-road vehicles but the reality is they have become a nuisance and a safety hazard on highways and streets, especially in eastern St. Bernard Parish.   “We receive complaints all the time’’ about all-terrain vehicles, Pohlmann said. There is a safety factor because, not being designed for street use and not having a top, there is little protection in the event of an accident, he said. Pohlmann added occupants rarely wear helmets and often there are three or more riders, although designed for two.   Prior to Hurricane Katrina there were several serious accidents involving four-wheelers in St. Bernard, and in other parishes there have been people killed in crashes, something the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office wants to avoid, Pohlmann said.    “We want parents to be educated about the law,’’ Pohlmann said, and know what can happen to them if their children are caught riding off-road vehicles on streets and highways.     Deputies seize unusual marijuana-growing system and high-potency plants worth $15,000       St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies have seized an unusual marijuana-growing system and three high-potency plants, which is further evidence of stronger than normal pot being seen in the parish, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.     Antonio Fletes, 25, who Stephens said was growing marijuana in a home-made water-based system known as hydroponics, was arrested Monday, June 16, and booked with manufacture of marijuana, possession of about one-half pound of pot, possession with intent to distribute and illegal possession of a handgun while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance.   The hydroponics system allows marijuana to be grown and available for distribution in a shorter period of time, the sheriff said.   Fletes, being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $170,000 bond, also had a surveillance camera system outside his apartment and a monitor inside, said Maj. Chad Clark, head of the sheriff’s Special Investigations Division, which includes the Street Crimes and Narcotics units.   Once grown and processed the marijuana Fletes had would have been worth $15,000 on the street, Clark said.   “I haven’t seen a hydroponics system in St. Bernard since before Hurricane Katrina,’’ said Clark.   He said that combined with another arrest several days earlier in which six ounces of high-potency marijuana worth $3,600 was seized and other recent arrests, there is evidence that stronger than normal marijuana is now available locally.   This extremely expensive marijuana is now at least three times more powerful than regular marijuana normally seen in St. Bernard and that is a problem that has to be concentrated on, Clark said.   There is evidence that several murders in New Orleans recently was over high-potency, high-valued marijuana, something the Sheriff’s Office is trying to stay ahead of to prevent from happening in the parish, Clark said.   The investigation in the Fletes case is continuing, he said. Fletes, who didn’t have a previous arrest record, was discovered when sheriff’s deputies went to his apartment looking for a suspect in an unrelated case and smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the residence, Clark said.     Sheriff’s Office seeks information on three outstanding arrest warrants for contractor-related fraud and theft after Katrina     Hurricane Katrina is three years past but some St. Bernard Parish residents are still suffering the effects of fraud and theft committed by contractors they thought were going to help rebuild their lives, but instead ran off with their money, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   He said that fortunately, some who fled were later apprehended by sheriff’s detectives and face charges   But there are at least three contractor-related fraud and theft cases in which there are outstanding warrants for the arrests of people who allegedly outright stole money or received money and never completed jobs, the sheriff said. He said other reports of fraud also continue to be made by victims in St. Bernard.   Stephens said the public is being asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 or sheriff’s detectives at 278-7630 if they know the whereabouts of any of the wanted suspects.   “Fraud by contractors has been a stumbling block for many of our residents trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. “Such fraud frequently hits the elderly the hardest, leaving them with no way to rebuild their lives.’’   “We want to capture these wanted people who preyed on our misfortune in St. Bernard Parish,’’ the sheriff said, encouraging people to call if they have any information.   Stephens also warned residents not to give much money in advance to anyone they hire to do repair work and to always ask if the person has a Louisiana contractors license, as well as ask to they see examples of their work, with references supplied.   The sheriff also said St. Bernard residents can call sheriff’s detectives at 278-7630 to ask if someone they are considering hiring has had any criminal charges placed against them in St. Bernard.   Warrants are now outstanding for the arrests of:   Nestor Fabian Ayala, 33, of Port St. Lucie, Fla.:     Ayala is wanted on a charge of contractor’s misapplication of payments.   Ayala allegedly took off with about $35,000 – which was most of the life savings of an 84-year-old Chalmette man - after doing little work on a job.   The victim paid him more than $42,000 for work on his storm-damaged home in April 2006. Ayala and his crew did an estimated $8,000 of work, then disappeared with the rest of the money, leaving no materials or tools behind.   A warrant of arrest was signed by a judge in July 2006.   Ayala is a white man, 5-5, 200 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.     Antoinette C. Vryniotis, 68, of Chalmette:   Vryniotis is wanted on a charge of theft by fraud, leaving with more than $25,000 received from a Chalmette man who paid her $45,000 to clean and repair a storm-damaged business. She allegedly completed about $20,000 in renovations but then disappeared.   She also allegedly defrauded three sub-contractors working for her and did faulty work in the home of an Arabi homeowner.   A warrant for her arrest was signed by a judge in January 2008.   Vryniotis possibly fled to the Houston, Tx., area where she has family.   She is a white woman, 5-0, 125 pounds, black hair and brown eyes.   Tyron Jacquwayne Bryant, 40, of Raleigh, N.C.:     Bryant is wanted on a charge of theft of $12,700, taking money to repair a storm-damaged double residence in Arabi in April 2006, but disappearing without doing any work or delivering any materials for the job. He was doing business as Bryant Construction Co.   It was believed he likely returned to North Carolina.   A warrant for Bryant’s arrest was signed by a judge in September 2006.   Bryant is a black man, 5-10, 182 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.       St. Bernard Parish authorities are asking for the public's help in identifying a man who attempted to burglarize an ATM machine at the Gulf Coast Bank & Trust in Poydras in eastern St. Bernard Parish on May 31. The man, whose face is partially covered, spray-painted two surveillance cameras but was caught on tape on one of them. The man, apparently wearing a Kansas State University baseball cap bearing a distinctive Wildcat emblem, didn't make entry into the ATM machine. Anyone with information about the man in the photo is asked to call the general number at the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office at (504)271-2501 or sheriff's detectives at 278-7630. $400 worth of heroin seized in arrest of three New Orleans men       About 4.4 grams of heroin, worth about $400, was seized when three New Orleans men were arrested in a truck in Chalmette on Friday, June 6, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   A check of their prior arrest record showed all three had major rap sheets with drug offenses, the sheriff said.   Members of the sheriff’s Street Crimes Unit were dispatched on a call of three men seen smoking marijuana inside a truck and the officers could smell the aroma of the smoke coming from the vehicle as they approached, the sheriff said.   One man attempted to run when ordered out of the truck but was quickly captured, Sheriff Stephens said.   Booked with possession with intent to distribute heroin and possession of a small amount of marijuana were: Chadwick York, 35, 4820 Sherwood Drive; Kevin Rousseve, 34, 1117 Kentucky St.; and Larry Bertrand, 2438 New Orleans St, all of New Orleans. York was also booked with resisting arrest, battery on police and obstruction of justice for attempting to flee and struggling with sheriff’s deputies.   Bond was set at $75,000 each.   York, wanted in New Orleans on a warrant charging simple battery, was later transferred there; while Bertrand and Rousseve remain in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bond. Calls from witnesses to Sheriff’s Office lead to arrests in two cases involving burglary and copper theft         Thanks to timely calls by witnesses, St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies were able to make a total of six arrests in two cases involving residence burglary and copper theft, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   The cases highlight the importance of residents being alert for suspicious activity in their neighborhoods and being willing to call the Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501 to report what they see, the sheriff said.   A married couple was arrested and booked with residence burglary on June 1 after someone at a commercial trailer park in Meraux reported seeing them coming out of a trailer and their vehicle being parked outside the trailer. Responding sheriff’s deputies found an electrical box damaged inside the trailer and wiring cut, the sheriff said. Tools were also seized.   Patricia Marallo, 32, and Oliver Marallo Jr., 34, both of 2836 Myrtle Grove Drive, Meraux, were both booked with residence burglary, criminal trespassing and criminal damage over $1,000, Sheriff Stephens said.   Both are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison; the husband in lieu of bond set at $80,000 and the wife in lieu of $70,000 bond.   In the other case, two men and two women were booked with attempted theft of copper valued at about $500 after someone reported seeing them trying to take copper wire out of the ground next to a FEMA trailer on East Claiborne Square in Chalmette. The copper appeared to be electrical wire that at one time supplied the trailer with electricity, the sheriff said.   Three people were arrested in a truck and a fourth ran as sheriff’s deputies arrived but was found in an abandoned structure nearby.   Booked with attempted theft of the copper were Chad Melerine30, 2518 Marietta Drive, Chalmette; Barnett Koons, 30, 617 East St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette; Arianne Stechmann, 23, no address listed; and Michelle Welb, 26, 58 West Claiborne Square, Chalmette.   Koons has been released on bond of $25,000 while the other three remained in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bonds of $25,000.   Burglary of St. Bernard sheriff’s office trailer solved with arrest of two men and recovery of numerous weapons; one of the men allegedly wanted to rob drug-dealers     St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s detectives, with help from police in a Tennessee city and in Jefferson Parish, have solved the May burglary of a sheriff’s office trailer in which guns, drugs and cash were taken, arresting two men and recovering numerous weapons including an AK-47, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   He also said 12 guns out of 21 stolen from the Sheriff’s Office were recovered and detectives are following leads on the whereabouts of the other nine, all handguns.   Also, in seizing a stash of weapons from a storage facility in Metairie, St. Bernard detectives also found several additional guns that weren’t taken from the sheriff’s trailer including two .22-caliber handguns that had home-made silencers attached to them which Sheriff Stephens described as “an assassin’s weapons.’’   The sheriff said steps have been taken to shore up security in the wake of the burglary of the trailer office that temporarily held some evidence and property waiting to be processed.   “We were guilty of what we tell people all the time – don’t let your guard down,’’ the sheriff said at a press conference with Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann and Chief of Detectives John Doran, where recovered weapons were displayed.   One of the arrested men, Herbert Vititoe, 34, a former prisoner in St. Bernard Parish Prison, was arrested near Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday evening, June 4, and implicated himself in the burglary that happened over the Memorial Day weekend in which guns, drugs and cash were taken from an office temporarily holding evidence and seized property on the main sheriff’s compound of trailers in Chalmette, the sheriff said.   Sheriff’s detectives traveled to Tennessee to interview Vititoe and meet with authorities who arrested him based on information obtained that Vititoe might be heading there. St. Bernard wants to extradict on the charges here, the sheriff said, but Tennessee might want to prosecute him first and there are also possible federal charges he faces.   The other arrested suspect, Clarence Fournier Jr., 56, who has an extensive criminal history that includes spending 33 years in prison over his adult lifetime, was arrested in Metairie late Thursday afternoon, June 5, with the cooperation of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Stephens said. Guns stolen in Chalmette were recovered in a storage space in Metairie, Stephens said. But the investigation is continuing to determine if others were involved.   Stephens said Fournier was an associate of the old Dixie Mafia of the 1970s era and had twice been arrested for murder, but wasn’t convicted on either count, but has convictions including armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary and drugs. He was last released from prison in 2006 but was on parole until 2018.   “He was and is a dangerous person,’’ the sheriff said of Fournier.   Stephens said Fournier kept most of the guns stolen from the Sheriff’s Office trailer, although Vititoe got some. The sheriff said Fournier acknowledged to sheriff’s detectives after his arrested he was interested in using the AK-47, a powerful weapon, to rob drug-dealers.   “Dope-dealers have money and drugs and nobody cares if they are killed,’’ the sheriff said in response to a question of Fournier’s plans.   Besides the 21 guns taken from the Sheriff’s Office a small amount of drugs including marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine and $1,200 cash were taken.   Police in Maryville, Tenn., arrested Vititoe, who was sought in St. Bernard Parish on a warrant alleging attempted murder of a St. Bernard sheriff’s deputy. The officer had tried to detain Vititoe as a subject of interest in the burglary of the sheriff’s trailer.   Vititoe, originally of New Orleans but who served time in St. Bernard Parish Prison after he was convicted of copper theft last October, was released from jail on Friday, May 23, just days before the burglary that was discovered on Tuesday, May 27.   St. Bernard authorities had been trying to find Vititoe to question him in connection with the burglary when he walked into a Chalmette store on Sunday, June 1, and was confronted by a St. Bernard sheriff’s deputy who was working an off-duty security detail at the store, St. Bernard authorities said.   When the deputy told Vititoe sheriff’s detectives wanted to talk with him the suspect allegedly pushed the deputy and ran from the store to a nearby truck and tried to drive away, the sheriff said. Stephens said the deputy gave chase, dove into the open driver’s side of the vehicle and struggled with Vititoe but the officer was forced to the ground in the parking lot and the suspect allegedly tried to run over him - striking him with the vehicle and causing minor injuries.   Vititoe got away but an arrest warrant was obtained from a judge charging Vititoe with attempted murder of the deputy.   Acting on information received about Vititoe’s possible destination, police in Maryville stopped him Wednesday evening as he drove an automobile reportedly stolen in Metairie, Sheriff Stephens said.   A handgun with the serial number obliterated was found in the vehicle and apparently was among those stolen from the Sheriff’s Office, Stephens said.   After his arrest, Vititoe made statements implicating himself in the burglary, authorities said.   Vititoe is being held in Tennessee on charges of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon and being in possession of the stolen auto, Stephens said.   Vititoe will be booked in St. Bernard with burglary as well as attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms by a felon.   Fournier was booked in Jefferson Parish with illegal possession of weapons by a felon and later booked in St. Bernard with burglary and illegal possession of firearms by a felon. Federal authorities could also prosecute him on charges involving the guns with the home-made silencers, Sheriff Stephens said.   Help from alert resident leads to three teen-agers booked and two sought in vehicle burglaries; numerous stolen items recovered       An alert Chalmette resident walking his dog before dawn chased and trapped a suspicious-acting person, which lead to a total of three teen-agers booked and two sought in four vehicle burglaries and the recovery of numerous stolen items, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   Also, emphasizing that most of the property was taken from vehicles that weren’t locked, the sheriff cautioned residents to remember to secure their vehicles at all times.   The adult who was walking his dog on Plaza Drive in Chalmette about 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 4, was aware of recent vehicle burglaries in the area, the sheriff said, and when he saw five teen-age males in a truck he confronted them.   Sheriff Stephens said the man ordered them from the vehicle and told them to get on the ground. When the group ran, the resident chased and trapped one of the teen-agers next to a house, the sheriff said.   Sheriff’s deputies were summoned and an investigation started that led to the arrest of three teen-agers, ages 17, 16 and 15, the issuance of arrest warrants for two other teens and the recovery of items stolen in four vehicle burglaries in Chalmette in the last week of May and first week of June, Sheriff Stephens said.   A satellite radio, two digital cameras, three cell phones, two GPSs, a two-way radio, and other electronics items were recovered.   The sheriff said detectives from the Juvenile Division will be contacting owners who filed burglary reports to inform them about their recovered property.   An investigation continues into other recent vehicle burglaries but the group arrested June 4-6 hasn’t been linked to them at this time, the sheriff said.   The 17-year-old arrested is being booked as an adult but his name wasn’t released while the investigation continues, Sheriff Stephens said. The others arrested and those being sought are juveniles and their identities can’t be revealed under state law, he said. Burglary of St. Bernard sheriff’s office trailer solved with arrest of two men and recovery of numerous weapons; one caught in Tennessee and other in Metairie           St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s detectives, with help from police in a Tennessee city and in Jefferson Parish, have solved the May burglary of a sheriff’s office trailer in which guns, drugs and cash were taken, arresting two men and recovering as many as 20 weapons including an AK-47 and handguns equipped with two homemade silencers, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   One man, Herbert Vititoe, 34, a former prisoner in St. Bernard Parish prison, was arrested near Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday evening, June 4, and implicated himself in the burglary that happened over the Memorial Day weekend in which guns, drugs and cash were taken from an office temporarily holding evidence and seized property on the main sheriff’s compound of trailers in Chalmette, the sheriff said.   The other man, Clarence Fournier, 56, who has an extensive criminal history, was arrested in Metairie late Thursday afternoon with the cooperation of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Stephens said. Guns stolen in Chalmette were recovered in a storage space in Metairie, Stephens said. But the investigation is continuing to determine if others were involved.   “Thanks to hard work by our detectives and with help from law enforcement agencies in Tennessee and Jefferson Parish the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office was able to get back the weapons stolen before they could be used on the streets,’’ Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.   As many as 20 guns, a small amount of drugs including marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine and $1,200 cash were stolen from the office trailer.   Police in Maryville, Tenn., on Wednesday evening, June 4, arrested Vititoe, who was sought in St. Bernard Parish on a warrant alleging attempted murder of a St. Bernard sheriff’s deputy. The officer had tried to detain Vititoe as a subject of interest in the burglary of the sheriff’s trailer.   Vititoe, originally of New Orleans but who served time in St. Bernard Parish Prison after he was convicted of copper theft last October, was released from jail on Friday, May 23, just days before the burglary that was discovered on Tuesday, May 27.   St. Bernard authorities had been trying to find Vititoe to question him in connection with the burglary when he walked into a Chalmette store on Sunday, June 1, and was confronted by a St. Bernard sheriff’s deputy who was working an off-duty security detail at the store, St. Bernard authorities said.   When the deputy told Vititoe sheriff’s detectives wanted to talk with him the suspect allegedly pushed the deputy and ran from the store to a nearby truck and tried to drive away, the sheriff said. Stephens said the deputy gave chase, dove into the open driver’s side of the vehicle and struggled with Vititoe but the officer was forced to the ground in the parking lot and the suspect allegedly tried to run over him - striking him with the vehicle and causing minor injuries.   Vititoe got away but an arrest warrant was obtained from a judge charging Vititoe with attempted murder of the deputy.   Acting on information received about Vititoe’s possible destination, police in Maryville stopped him Wednesday evening as he drove an automobile reportedly stolen in Metairie, Sheriff Stephens said.   A handgun with the serial number obliterated was found in the vehicle, police said. Stephens said there is no information on whether the gun is one of those stolen from the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office.   After his arrest, Vititoe made statements implicating himself in the burglary, authorities said.   Vititoe, scheduled to appear in court in Tennessee, is being held there on charges of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon and being in possession of the stolen auto, Stephens said.   St. Bernard would like to proceed with extradition of Vitioe after discussing with Tennessee authorities what they want to do with the charges pending there against him, Pohlmann said.   Vititoe will be booked in St. Bernard with burglary as well as attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms by a felon.   Fournier is being booked in Jefferson Parish with illegal possession of weapons by a felon and will be released to St. Bernard where he will be booked with burglary and illegal possession of firearms by a felon   St. Bernard residents can have extra sheriff’s car passes while away on vacation Call (504) 278-7763   St. Bernard Parish residents getting ready to go away on vacation should call the Sheriff’s Office and get on the list to have extra passes of their home made by deputies on patrol, Sheriff Jack Stephens said. “When thinking about the last-minute things to do before leaving remember to call and get on the extra pass list,’’ the sheriff said. Call (504) 278-7763. “That information is kept confidential’’ and revealed only to the officers assigned to patrol the section where the caller lives, Sheriff Stephens said. Lt. Charles Borchers, head of Crime Prevention including the Neighborhood Watch program for the Sheriff’s Office, said the extra pass list has been used for years and helps residents be assured their homes will have some extra protection while they are away. An important part of the system, he said, is the caller having a chance to provide a contact phone number to get in touch with someone in case patrolling officers notice something wrong at a residence, including non-crime-related matters. Because of the ongoing storm recovery, Borchers said, St. Bernard has fewer residents which means fewer eyes on the streets in some neighborhoods to watch for unusual happenings and suspicious-looking characters, and report ithem to the Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501. That makes signing up for the extra passes by deputies more valuable now than before the hurricane, he said. St. Bernard residents interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch group in their area can call Borchers at (504) 278-7628.   Borchers said residents going on vacation should also bear in mind some safety tips before leaving: Be careful who you tell when you plan to be away from your home. However, alert neighbors you know to watch for anything unusual. Maintain your lawn before you leave or have someone mow your lawn while you are gone. Do not let deliveries accumulate. If possible, ask a neighbor or friend to pick up mail, newspapers and packages and any circular places on your front door. If that is not possible, then stop deliveries so they do not pile up. Tell a trusted neighbor they can use your garbage cans so it appears someone is home. Leave a car in the driveway, giving the appearance of an occupied house, which also prevents burglars from backing up a van for loading. Don't leave keys under your doormat, flower pot or window ledge—intruders check these first. If you have them use timers for lights, televisions and sound systems to turn them on and off at different times to give your home a lived-in look while you are away. Lower the ringer of your telephone, so it can't be heard outside. OTHER GENERAL SECURITY TIPS Keep shrubbery trimmed. Thick shrubbery and trees cover your windows, allowing burglars to work undetected. Plant thorny bushes around windows and walkways. Lock up. While this might seem obvious, many people forget to lock the house completely. Make sure all doors and windows are locked when you go to bed or leave your house. Install peepholes on all exterior doors. Always ask for identification from repair and service representatives. Never leave them in your home unsupervised. Be sure your address is visible from the street. A visible address is vital in emergency situations. Install easy-to-read and illuminated numbers.  YARD MAINTENANCE Use large, reflective numbers outside on the front of your home and mailbox to make it easy for the Sheriff’s Office, Fire Department or ambulances to find your house in case of emergency. Never store a ladder on the outside of your garage or home. Never put your name on your mailbox. Anyone can look up your number and call, possibly determining when you are not home.  Keep all points of entry to your home well-lit with the use of motion-sensor lights on the rear and sides of your home. MISCELLANEOUS TIPS Get to know your neighbors as that is the only way for them to have a chance of noticing anything suspicious. Never share personal information with people you don't trust and be careful who might be listening when you talk in public. Often times, burglars will target the elderly, so be friendly and keep a watchful eye out for your elderly neighbors. WINDOWS Make sure you replace or repair broken & cracked windows immediately. Always keep expensive items away from windows and use window treatments on windows and doors that are easy to see into.   VALUABLES AND IDENTITY Don't hide valuables or money in the freezer, under your mattress, or in the cookie jar - which are obvious places for intruders to look. Do not leave empty boxes from new purchases of electronics or valuables on the curb for trash pickup. It advertises you have things worth stealing in your home. Break boxes down or cut them up before discarding. If possible use a paper shredder before discarding sensitive documents. Keep expensive jewelry in a safe-deposit box.     Reward in daiquiri shop arson raised up to $7,500: Federal ATF now offering up to $5,000 and CRIMESTOPPERS offering up to $2,500         A reward in a May 5 daiquiri shop arson case in Chalmette has been raised to up to $7,500, with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms now offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible, while CRIMESTOPPERS has been offering up to $2,500, federal and local officials said Monday, June 2.   Daiquiris of St. Bernard, 120 Packenham Ave., just off West Judge Perez Drive at Lafitte Court in Chalmette, was heavily damaged in the fire which officials said was started after a burglary of the video poker machines inside. No one was injured in the early morning blaze.   ATF is conducting a joint investigation with the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office. No suspects have been named.   Anyone with information about who burglarized the shop and set the fire can be eligible for the reward by calling ATF (toll free) at 1-888-ATF FIRE (1-888-283-3473), CRIMESTOPPERS at (504) 822-1111 or the Sheriff's Office at (504) 271-2501   St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office And CRIMESTOPPERS Offering A Reward Up To $5,000 In Burglary Of A Sheriff’s Business Trailer In Chalmette         The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office and CRIMESTOPPERS is offering a total reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest or indictment of anyone who burglarized a sheriff’s business trailer at the main compound in Chalmette over the last weekend, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   Anyone with information can call CRIMESTOPPERS at (504) 822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP (7867) or the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501. Callers don’t have to give their name or testify in court to receive a reward. Both agencies have pledged up to $2,500 each.   St. Bernard sheriff’s detectives are investigating the break-in that was discovered Tuesday morning, May 27, and an inventory of what was taken is being compiled, the sheriff said. The sheriff’s main compound is located along the road to the St. Bernard Port, just off West St. Bernard Highway.  “We know we are responsible for maintaining the security of our own property and we intend to get to the bottom of this,’’ Sheriff Stephens . Three men arrested in alleged robbery and gun possession case, including victim       An Arabi man who claimed he was robbed of $600 at gunpoint on May 26 by a man he knew was also arrested and booked with obstruction in the case when he didn’t mention initially he was trying to buy marijuana when the other guy pulled the weapon, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   A total of three men were arrested in the incident: the alleged robber, the alleged robbery victim and a third man, the sheriff said.   James Alphonse, 19, 309 Riess Place, Chalmette, was booked May 28 with armed robbery of Anthony Segari, 17, 312  Perrin Drive, Arabi, who was booked with obstruction of the investigation, Stephens said.   Alphonse, being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison with bond set at $17,000, was also booked with possession of marijuana and illegal possession of a firearm while in possession of drugs when he was located at 8100 Livingston Ave. in Chalmette. A handgun and a small amount of marijuana were found in a search, the sheriff said.   Segari was released on bond, but the amount wasn’t available.   Gregory Henry, 18, who lives at 8100 Livingston Ave., was also booked with possession of the marijuana and illegal possession of a firearm while in possession of drugs. He was later released from jail on $2,500 bond.   Segari, who called the Sheriff’s Office to report the alleged robbery, initially said he and Alphonse were riding in Alphonse’s truck when Alphonse pulled a gun, demanded money, and Segari gave him $600 before being ordered out of the vehicle, Stephens said. The alleged victim later acknowledged he was trying to buy marijuana from Alphonse when he was allegedly robbed, the sheriff said. Three men arrested in two separate thefts, including one caught in the act       A total of three men were arrested in two separate theft incidents in St. Bernard Parish, including one in which a sheriff’s deputy caught a man in the act of stealing copper wire inside a damaged residence, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   Lloyd Braud, 45, 1913 Karl Drive, Arabi, was booked May 21 with theft under $100, criminal trespassing and criminal damage to property after a patrolling sheriff’s deputy stopped to investigate a truck parked on the side of an abandoned house in Arabi that had a parish government sticker marking the structure as condemned, the sheriff said.   The deputy saw Braud exit the house and asked what he was doing.   Braud initially said he was there to do an estimate on the property for reconstruction. Sheriff Stephens said.   But the deputy, who was skeptical of the story because of the condition of the house, went inside and found four piles of freshly cut copper wire bundled up and a ladder, the sheriff said.   When the officer asked Braud for a contact number of the person allegedly seeking an estimate for reconstruction, Braud admitted he didn’t have a contact number, and, after being advised of his rights, acknowledged he didn’t belong there and had been seeking to steal wire to make quick money by selling it as scrap metal, Stephens said.   Braud has been released on bond of $6,000.   The sheriff said that In the other case, Michael Lee Fireck Jr., 19, of Braithwaite, and Kerri Fernandez, 20, 2412 St. Matthew Circle, Violet, were both booked with possession of stolen property – about $1,000 worth of copper pipes and electrical wiring - and theft of about $1,000 worth of air-conditioner parts taken at a residence in Violet. Fireck was also booked with possession of a small amount of cocaine and Fernandez was also booked on numerous outstanding arrest warrants.   The3 stolen items were recovered in a truck after a witness called the Sheriff’s Office and reported seeing the men driving away after  allegedly taking items at a residence, Stephens said. A vehicle matching the description of the fleeing truck was found at a nearby convenience store and the items were in rhe rear of the truck, along with burglary tools, the sheriff said.   Fernandez remained jail in lieu of bond set at $75,000.   Ferick has been released from jail on $20,000 bond. Sheriff’s Office takes part in Career Day for 8th-graders at Chalmette High           Stressing the importance of teen-agers hearing role models explain how to set goals and work toward obtaining skills for a job, Chalmette High officials held a Career Day for 8th-graders on Friday, May 23, inviting representatives from several professions including the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office to speak to students.   “Our kids need to see good role models and learn how to set goals in high schools,’’ Chalmette High principal Wayne Warner said. “They need to know how to identify with setting goals for the future.’’   And 8th-grade, as they begin preparing for high school, is when they can start thinking about what they may want to do with their lives and learn how to go about it, he said.   Cynthia Gabb, coordinator of the event, said, “This is the time when they can see it happen.’’   St. Bernard Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann and Capt. James Bartholomae, an information technology expert for the Sheriff’s Office, joined representatives from the parish Fire Department, the LSU Ag Center, the New Orleans Saints, WWL-TV, the Coast Guard, a hair-styling business and other professions to speak in classrooms.   Pohlmann and Bartholomae stressed the need to learn about emerging technologies as a first step to whatever career students may want to pursue.   “You need to further your studies in technology,’’ Pohlmann said, pointing out that in his 25 years with the Sheriff’s Office the business of law enforcement, like other professions, has become heavily based on computerization. “Today the job is so technical,’’ with a need for continuing training, he said.   Sheriff’s officials also displayed specialized gadgets for students to see, such as a robot for certain situations including SWAT incidents, the specially built SWAT truck, an airboat and weaponry including a sniper’s rifle.     CRIMESTOPPERS is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest or indictment of anyone responsible for a May 5 arson fire that heavily damaged the rear of the Daiquiries of St. Bernard shop at 120 Packenham Ave. at Lafitte Court in Chalmette, just south of West Judge Perez Drive. St. Bernard Sheriff's detectives and Fire Chief Thomas Stone said the blaze was started after a burglary of the video poker machines inside. The federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms bureau (ATF) is conducting a joint investigation with the Sheriff's Office. Anyone with information about who burglariezed the shop and set the fire can be eligible for a reward by calling CRIMESTOPPERS at (504) 822-1111 or the Sheriff's Office at(504) 271-2501. St. Bernard father arrested in 2006 alleged aggravated incest of 11-year-old daughter       A Meraux man has been arrested in a 2006 alleged aggravated incest case involving his 11-year-old daughter, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens said on Friday, May 23.   The man, whose name isn’t being released to protect the identity of the daughter who is now 13, had been wanted on an arrest warrant signed by a judge in March of this year after the girl made allegations against her father while being questioned by authorities in an unrelated matter, the sheriff said.   Detectives from the sheriff’s Juvenile Division said the incident the girl alleged happened in February 2006.   The father, who is in his 40s, was found and arrested in a trailer where he was living in Meraux.   He is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison without bond, pending an appearance before a judge on the felony charge.    St. Bernard sheriff’s deputies catch alleged burglars at the scene in two incidents      In two incidents, on Wednesday, May 14 and Friday, May 16, St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested a total of three alleged burglars at the scene, including two caught in the attic of a storm-damaged church in Arabi, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.  Milton Guarino, 24, and Angela Roberts, 22, both of 3204 Gallo St., Chalmette, were both booked with burglary of a religious building, criminal damage to property and criminal trespassing on May 16. Both are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison; Guarino in lieu of $23,000 bond and Roberts in lieu of bond set at $17,500. The sheriff said deputies found the pair hiding in the attic of the church after a man who works for the Archdiocese of New Orleans called the Sheriff’s Office and said he heard noises when he went to check on the property and had found wire on the first floor. It sounded like someone was using tools in the attic, the man told deputies.  Stephens said deputies arrested Guarino and Roberts in the attic after finding them hiding behind an air-conditioning duct. The Archdiocese employee also identified Guarino as a subject he chased out of the building a week earlier, the sheriff said.  Numerous tools were found in the attic, along with a six-foot spool of copper wire.  Also, damage to the building was estimated at $1,000, the sheriff said, In the other incident, Nicholas Langkopp, 22, of Destrehan, was booked with burglary the night of May 14 after a patrolling sheriff’s deputy saw his car parked behind a fence of a former assisted living center in Meraux and stopped to investigate, the sheriff said. Langkopp was seen by deputies as he left the building and further inquiry showed chains had been cut in the building and several items allegedly from inside were found in Langkopp’s open trunk, including fire extinguishers with tags on them from the assisted living center, Sheriff Stephens said. A pair of bolt-cutters were also found in the vehicle, along with about two feet of chain. A bag with assorted tools also was found, the sheriff said.  Langkopp was booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison but has been released on a surety bond of $17,500. Sheriff Stephens awards one-year scholarship to college-bound teen as part of La. Sheriff’s Scholarship Program  Hanna Powell  recipient of  academic scholarship   St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens announced Hanna Powell has been named the recipient of an academic scholarship from the Louisiana Sheriff’s Scholarship Program for the 2008-09 college school year.   She plans to attend Louisiana State University and pursue pre-med as a field of study. Her parents are Kelly Davenport-Allee and Glenn Powell.   The sheriff’s scholarship is made possible by the Louisiana Sheriff’s Honorary Membership Program in which sheriffs provide scholarships to graduating high school seniors from each parish where a sheriff is an affiliate of the program. Residents of each parish provide donations to the fund.   Scholarships will be awarded in 60 parishes in the state.   Qualities including academic achievement, leadership and character are considered in making selections of sheriff’s scholarship recipients. The only limitation is applicants must be permanent residents of Louisiana; scholarships be utilized in higher education within the state and students be enrolled as full-time undergraduates.   “Academic awards by the Louisiana Sheriff’s Scholarship Program to Louisiana students demonstrate what the LSHMP is all about,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. “This is one of our finest accomplishments. It invests in Louisiana’s future and gives something back to our community. And it wouldn’t be possible without the kind and generous support of St. Bernard Parish residents.’’ Sheriff Stephens warns residents about attempted scams       St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens is warning residents about an attempted scam recently reported in the parish and also said people should be aware of the possibility of attempted fraud as the federal government sends out economic stimulus checks to those who have filed 2007 federal income tax returns.   A Meraux man reported May 8 he received at his home a letter containing a check and alleging it was part of was his winnings from a contest, Sheriff Stephens said.   When he called the customer service number mentioned in the letter a man told him to deposit the check in his banking account. The letter also stated he would have to pay taxes before receiving another installment on his winnings, the sheriff said.   He said the man showed the check and letter to officials at his bank who informed him the check was bogus.   “Fortunately the intended victim didn’t send off any money before he learned the check wasn’t good’’ and contacted the Sheriff’s Office about the attempted fraud, Sheriff Stephens said.   “The old saying is still accurate that if something looks too good to be true it probably isn’t,’’ the sheriff said, saying anyone who receives a check in the mail in such a situation should ask at a bank if the check is good and report a fake to the Sheriff’s Office.   Never send money to anyone who tells you it is a pre-condition to receive a prize, Stephens said.   And residents should be alert for possible fraud now that the federal government has begun sending out economic stimulus checks to those who have filed their 2007 federal income tax return, the sheriff said.   Don’t give to strangers personal information such as social security numbers, checking account routing numbers or checking and savings account identification numbers, which could be used to withdraw funds from a banking institution, the sheriff said.   “Everyone works too hard for their money to let others take it from them by pretending they want to help you,’’ Stephens said.     Two men arrested in $40,000 copper theft, one of the largest metal theft cases in St. Bernard Parish since Hurricane Katrina                                                Lester Nunez             Clifton Corley    In one of the largest copper theft cases in St. Bernard Parish since Hurricane Katrina, two men are booked with stealing about $40,000 worth of the metal and it is believed they sold it for scrap metal in New Orleans for about $5,000, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   Clifton Corley, 24, 1716 Linda Lou Drive in eastern St. Bernard, and Lester Nunez Jr., 21, 1900 Linda Lou, were both booked Wednesday, May 14 with felony theft, the sheriff said. Both are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison.   No bond has been set for Corley, who is also booked with probation violation. Nunez, also booked with probation violation, is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond.   Other arrests in the case are possible, St. Bernard authorities said.   The men allegedly stole some 1,800 feet of copper at an address on Bayou Road in eastern St. Bernard in February and their arrests followed an investigation by the Sheriff’s Special Investigations Division commanded by Maj. Chad Clark, which includes the Street Crimes Unit and narcotics division.   The copper was allegedly worth some $40,000 and sheriff’s officials believe it was sold for about $5,000 to a scrap metals business in New Orleans, the sheriff said.   St. Bernard Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann.said theft of copper and other types of wire that can be sold as scrap have dogged St. Bernard, Orleans and other parishes hit hard by Hurricane Katrina because so many damaged homes and businesses were abandoned afterward and were easy targets for burglars and thieves.   The $40,000 theft on Bayou Road “was one of the largest since the storm,’’   Pohlmann said, but along with numerous other arrests for wire thefts the latest ones will hopefully send a message sheriff’s deputies have the ability to track down thieves and put them away.       Two Meraux men booked on charge of forcible rape of Violet woman     Jim Alphonso and John Brossette   Two men were booked Tuesday, May 13 with forcible rape of a Violet woman at their residence in a commercial trailer park in Meraux, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   Jim Alphonso, 33, and John Brossette, 33, both of Lot 32, Myrtle Grove Trailer Park, Meraux, were booked on the rape charge and are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison, the sheriff said. Alphonso, also booked on warrants charging narcotics violations, disturbing the peace and a traffic citation, is being held in lieu of $95,000 bond. Brossette is held in lieu of bond set at $55,000.   Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Bureau, under the command of Maj. John Doran, investigated the claim of a Violet woman who said she went to the trailer of the men, whom she and her husband had met recently, while looking for her husband, Stephens said.   The woman said she was grabbed by the arms and raped while in the trailer, the sheriff said.   When questioned by sheriff’s detectives the men claimed there was consensual sex.   After reviewing evidence, an arrest warrant was sought from a judge and the men were taken into custody, the sheriff said.     The St. Bernard Recreation Corporation held its second annual charity basketball game between sheriff's deputies and firefighters on Saturday, April 26 at Chalmette High gym, with the deputies winning to even the two-year-old series at 1-1. Shown are deputies in black and firefd firefighters in red, along with along h Parish President Craig Taffaro, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann, Recreation Corporation members and Gus Riess of Gulf Coast Bank & Trust, corporate sponsor of the event.   Keeping track of registered sex offenders in St. Bernard Parish just became a little easier. “Starting today –St. Bernard Parish Sheriff, Jack Stephens, is making available on the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s web site www.sbso.org a citizen-friendly, easy to use, St. Bernard Parish sex offender registry, enabling citizens to search for the presence of registered sex offenders in proximity to their homes, place of work, schools and day cares.  This information is being provided to the citizens in a form they can easily use any time day or night via the nations leading sex offender registration and notification solution, OffenderWatch.   Citizens may enter any address of interest to them, and see a map and listing of offenders within one mile of that address.  Then, they may register the address to be continuously monitored by the Sheriff, who will send to them an email alerting them if an offender should register an address within one mile of their registered address. Citizens may confidentially register as many addresses as they like, at no cost to them.  The purpose of the program is to lessen the anxiety of citizens by proactively alerting them should an offender/predator move within proximity to them, and to enhance the security and safety of St. Bernard Parish citizens.  The program also enables the Sheriff to verify that offender addresses do not violate any safety buffers that may be implemented around protected institutions in the Parish, such as schools, day cares and churches.  Click on the Sex Offender Search tab above to start a search. With the addition of this feature Sheriff Jack A. Stephens and the men and women of the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office are helping you in "Keeping St. Bernard Safe".   Man sought in aggravated rape in St. Bernard Parish surrenders and is also booked on other counts   A man wanted on a warrant charging aggravated rape of a woman who was beaten unconscious after being abducted from the parking lot of a bar in eastern St. Bernard Parish has surrendered and was booked on several counts, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   Bernard Turner, 23, surrendered to the Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, May 3 after learning a warrant of arrest had been issued by a judge, the sheriff said.   Turner, who had been free on bond after a recent marijuana arrest, was booked after his surrender with aggravated rape, second-degree kidnapping, second-degree battery and robbery. As well as the rape, the woman was beaten and her purse was stolen in the April 26 incident, the sheriff said.   Bond of $1.25 million was set on Monday, May 5 by state District Judge Manny Fernandez. Turner is being held in lieu of bond in St. Bernard Parish Prison.   The warrant for Turner’s arrest was issued after evidence in an investigation led to him, Stephens said.   He said the woman was found lying unconscious off East St. Bernard Highway in the Poydras area the night of the 26th by a patrolling sheriff’s deputy who had stopped a motorist.   After being hospitalized the woman wasn’t able to give a statement to authorities for several days.   When she was able to be interviewed she said she had stepped outside a bar in eastern St. Bernard and was abducted by at least one man who drove her away, then stopped at a location where ha raped and beat her, the sheriff said. He said medical tests on the victim showed trauma consistent with rape.   Based on evidence recovered and the test results an arrest warrant was obtained for Turner.   Sheriff’s detectives are looking into whether another man may have been involved.    Offiials from the St. Bernard Parish Fire Department and Sheriff's Office detectives look over the remains of an apparent arson fire set about 5 a.m. on Monday, May 5 at Daiquiries of St. Bernard, 120 Packenham Ave. at Lafitte Court in Chalmette, just south of West Judge Perez Drive.     Officials said the fire, which heaqvily damaged the rear of the building, was started after a burglary of the video poker machines inside. The building was enguled in flames when firefighters responded immediately after being notified. A hard drive from a computer was recovered which may contain video surveillance information, xsheriff's officials said. Anyone with information about who burglariezed the shop and set the fire should call the Sheriff's Office at (504) 271-2501, the Fire Department at 278-4477 or CRIMESTOPPERS at 822-1111.   Mandeville man booked with attempted murder for allegedly firing a rifle shot last Dec. 30 as intended victim stood in doorway of Chalmette bar where he worked    A Mandeville man was booked with attempted murder for alleging firing a rifle shot at a man last Dec. 30 as the intended victim stood in the doorway of a Chalmette bar where he worked, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.   Richard Laggarigue, 23, 186 Trace Loop, Mandeville, surrendered to St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s detectives on Tuesday, April 28 after learning a judge issued a warrant for his arrest, the sheriff said.   The Criminal Investigations Bureau, under Maj. John Doran, developed information that Laggarigue allegedly tried to kill the intended victim over a woman, Sheriff Stephens said.   It was lalso earned Laggarigue had purchased a 30-06 rifle one week before the shooting, in which no one was injured, the sheriff said.   A round was fired at the intended victim as he stood in the entrance of the bar where he worked but the shot missed, striking a stuffed animal behind the bar counter, Stephens said.                                  The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office took part in a job fair sponsored by Nunez Community College which hosted numerous businesses and government groups at the Chalmette High School gym on Thursday, April 24.   Representatives from various divisions within the Sheriff's Office were represented as well as equipment was displayed for the public. Shown are several people inquiring about positions in law enforcement, who spoke with deputies, from left, Steve Ingargiola and Brent Bourgeois. Also shown are some of the other tables set up in the gym for the job fair. Employment applications for the Sheriff's Office are available 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 9000 West St. Bernard Highway on the road to the Port of St. Bernard.           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.       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.