Caleb Punch, 19

Sep 30, 2010 - A teen-ager is wanted as a second suspect in the July burglary of a house in Chalmette, and in a separate case, a Chalmette man was booked with possession of stolen property after he brought stolen aluminum lighting poles worth about $1,000 to a scrap yard in Chalmette, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

In the burglary, a warrant for the arrest of Caleb Punch, 19, of St. Bernard Parish, was issued by a judge after sheriff’s detectives developed information he was involved in a July burglary of a Chalmette house in which a television was stolen, Pohlmann said. The property was later recovered in the Gulfport area.

Anyone with information on Punch’s whereabouts should call the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111 and they could be eligible for a reward.
Punch is the second suspect connected to the house burglary. David P. Smith, 17, who lived on Old Hickory Drive in Chalmette, was wanted on an arrest warrant and surrendered at St. Bernard Parish Prison on Sept. 27, Pohlmann said.

In an unrelated incident, Corey Graves, 21, 405 Riess Place, Chalmette, was booked Sept. 27 with possession of stolen property, several aluminum lighting poles worth about $1,000, after he was found with the property at the WB scrap yard in Chalmette, Pohlmann said.

An employee of a business on Michoud Boulevard in eastern New Orleans witnessed the lighting poles being stolen by two men and loaded into a gold pickup truck, then he followed the vehicle toward Chalmette and contacted the Sheriff’s Office after seeing the same vehicle at the scrap metal yard on Paris Road, Pohlmann said.

The pickup had crashed into another vehicle while the driver turned into the parking lot of the scrap yard.

One of the men fled the scene but Graves remained and told responding Sheriff’s Deputy Byron Shoemaker that he wasn’t in the vehicle when the items were stolen in New Orleans, but rather had been picked up later by a friend whom he said he loaned the truck, Pohlmann said.

But under questioning by Shoemaker - who told Graves a witness saw him driving the vehicle - the suspect admitted he stole items from the business in New Orleans and brought them to the scrap yard to try to sell, Pohlmann said.

Graves was booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison with possession of stolen property and several other charges including driving with a suspended license and having a switched license plate on the vehicle. Graves is being held in lieu of $20,000 bond.

The man who fled hasn’t been identified

Sep 30, 2010 - Nearly 1.5 ounces of cocaine worth almost $4,000 and marijuana was seized and two Violet men arrested in a case involving a larger amount of cocaine than normally seen in St. Bernard Parish, Sheriff A. Stephens said.

Kentrel Richard, 23, who lives on Victoria Court and was out on bond from a previous drug arrest, and Joshua Blaise, no age available, 3012 Tara Drive, were arrested Monday, Sept. 27, in the 3700 block of Richelieu Drive in Chalmette by agents of the Sheriff’s Special Investigations Division commanded by Col. Chad Clark.

Sheriff Stephens said officers, acting on information developed, arrested the men and recovered just under an ounce of cocaine in a back yard of a residence. Additionally, more cocaine was found on Blaise, as well as a quantity of high-quality marijuana, the sheriff said.

The total amount of cocaine recovered was just under 40 grams, well over an ounce.

Both men were booked with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and Blaise was also booked with a separate charge of possession of more than an ounce of cocaine and with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Richard was also booked with resisting an officer and disturbing the peace, as well as on an outstanding arrest warrant in St. Bernard for aggravated battery.

Blaise is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $25,000 bond while Richard is jailed with no bond set.

Sep 29, 2010 - A Chalmette man was arrested after receiving 500 anabolic steroid pills and four vials of testosterone ordered from Greece over the Internet, in a joint investigation by the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, federal authorities and a State Police drug task force, Sheriff Jack A. Stephens said.

Lance Coppersmith, 22, 3522 Kings Drive, was arrested Monday, Sept. 27 at his home after a controlled delivery of the package was made to him, which he accepted, by an undercover U.S. postal inspector.

Agents of the sheriff’s Special Investigations Division, commanded by Col. Chad Clark, then went to Coppersmith’s residence and served a search warrant signed by a judge and they found the package of steroid pills and testosterone had been opened and was on the kitchen counter, Sheriff Stephens said.

The 500 pills and four vials have a street value of $5,400, authorities said.

Coppersmith, who admitted ordering the drugs from Greece via the Internet, was booked with possession with intent to distribute the steroids and testosterone, Sheriff Stephens said. He was booked into the St. Bernard Parish Prison but has been released on bond of $15,000.

An investigation is continuing into the intended users of the steroids, the sheriff said.

U.S. Customs Service officials intercepted the package recently, which they deemed suspicious, and found the drugs inside. Sheriff Stephens said. Coppersmith was listed as the intended receiver.

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office was notified and, in conjunction with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Service and a State Police drug task force, the controlled delivery of the package to Coppersmith was arranged, the sheriff said.

Sep 28, 2010 - A Baton Rouge man wanted there for the murder of a woman and the shooting of her young daughter was arrested by St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s officers and the U.S. Marshal’s Service on Tuesday at the apartment of a Violet woman he recently met on the Internet and had been staying with since Monday when he took a bus from Baton Rouge to New Orleans to see her, authorities said.

Aramis Jackson, 20, was identified as a suspect in the case when the State Police crime lab linked him to DNA evidence found at the scene of the killing of Alexandra Engler, 42, in Baton Rouge last week. Her daughter was shot six times but has survived the attack.

St. Bernard Parish Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said the Violet woman, who wasn’t at the apartment when Jackson was arrested about 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28, didn’t know Jackson was sought in connection with the murder of the mother and shooting of the girl.

The murder suspect had spent one night at the apartment after the Violet woman picked him up off a bus in New Orleans, Baton Rouge police told St. Bernard authorities.

Pohlmann said St. Bernard’s Sheriff’s Office has had good luck this year in arresting fugitives from other areas, including a murderer from Texas and an armed robber from Tennessee who hid in woods for more than a day.

“Any time you capture a wanted murderer it’s a successful mission,’’ Pohlmann said. He said members of the sheriff’s Special Investigations Division and Deputy Marshals from the U.S. Marshal’s Service made the Jackson arrest at 2508 Meraux Lane, Apt. B, in Violet, just off East Judge Perez Drive.

Pohlmann, who said he didn’t know many details of the Baton Rouge killing, but added, "Things are getting insane in some places. Shooting women and children? At what point are even the bad guys going to say ‘enough.’’’

Investigators from the Baton Rouge Police Department flew in by helicopter after the arrest to search the apartment where the arrest was made after St. Bernard officials obtained a search warrant for the apartment.

Jackson, who will be charged with one count of first degree murder and one count of attempted first degree murder, was booked into the  St. Bernard Parish Prison after his arrest about 11 a.m., then was returned to Baton Rouge later Tuesday.

Jackson has previous convictions for drug-dealing and illegal carrying of weapons, Baton Rouge police said.

After learning Jackson may be in St. Bernard Parish, the Baton Rouge Police Department and U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force helped identify places Jackson might be hiding. Police also said eyewitnesses identified Jackson as a man they saw in the neighborhood after the shooting carrying a gun and a flat screen TV.

Police said the crime apparently began as a burglary and there was no connection between Jackson and the victims.

Sep 27, 2010 - A teen-ager wanted for the July burglary of a house in Chalmette surrendered on Sunday, Sept. 26, after learning a warrant for his arrest had been issued and his photo had appeared on the sheriff’s web site, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

David P. Smith, 17, who lived on Old Hickory Drive in Chalmette, surrendered at St. Bernard Parish Prison and is being held without bond pending an appearance before a magistrate judge to have bond set, Pohlmann said.

He said a warrant for Smith’s arrest was issued by a judge after sheriff’s detectives developed information he was involved in a July burglary of Chalmette house, possibly with others, in which a television was stolen. The property was later recovered in the Gulfport area.

Smith is also a suspect in other Chalmette area burglaries, authorities said.

In an unrelated incident, a man and three women were booked with theft of goods from two stores in Meraux and Chalmette when they were captured by sheriff’s detectives and patrol deputies as they fled in a car from the second store, Pohlmann said

George Cummings, 37, and Lucretia Hampton, 33, both of New Orleans, and Chantel Polk, 20, and Eloise Hampton, 24, both of 2816 Daniel Drive in Violet, were all arrested in a vehicle on Sept. 21. Besides the theft charges, all were booked with contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile present during the thefts.

The group allegedly stole from one store in Meraux but were caught fleeing a second store in Chalmette, Pohlmann said.

All were booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison but have since been released on bond.

Sep 24, 2010 - McGruff the Crime Dog, a robot, boats and motorcycles from the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, as well as a smoke house from the Fire Department to demonstrate how to escape a building on fire, will be among things on display for children at a Kids’ Safety Day from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Home Depot Store in Chalmette.

Children of all ages, accompanied by parents or guardians, can participate in the free annual event, said Tammy Hentze, operations manager of the Home Depot store in Chalmette.

The session includes workshops for youngsters and demonstrations of equipment by the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department, the Louisiana National Guard and the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said McGruff the Crime Dog, portrayed by Greer Cuccia of the Sheriff’s Office, will be there to entertain children and equipment on display will include what is called a bomb robot used to investigate suspicious items; the department’s SWAT truck, boats and motorcycles.

The smoke house, used to teach children how to drop and roll from a building in case of fire, will be there from the Fire Department, along with a fire truck.

Sep 24, 2010 - A judge Thursday set a $250,000 bond on an 18-year-old Chalmette man booked with attempted murder of his 15-year-old girlfriend on Tuesday night, Sept. 21.

The girl survived when she was only grazed to the top left of her head by a bullet fired at close range as she sat on the porch of her residence in Chalmette, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Dylan Landry, 3316 Shangri-La Drive, is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of being able to post the bond set by state District Judge Jacques Sanborn.

The victim, whose name hasn’t been released, was treated and has been released from University Hospital in New Orleans for a wound to the head. The girl went inside after she was shot on the porch and the grandmother called the Sheriff’s Office.

The shooting happened on West Magnolia Drive in Chalmette just before 11 p.m.

It was the first shooting in which someone was injured in St. Bernard
Parish since June 2009, Pohlmann said.

Sheriff’s detectives said Landry, who had been drinking, argued with the girl before pulling the weapon and shooting at her once from close range, then drove away in a car. A casing was found on the door mat near the front door and a .45-caliber projectile penetrated the door and was found on the floor of the house near the kitchen.

Landry, who has several minor arrests in his past, was taken into custody a short time after the shooting.

Pohlmann said Landry’s car was found several blocks away in the 3400 block of Fenelon Drive. After obtaining a search warrant, officers found a cocked .45-caliber handgun in the car, as well as several pills and Landry’s wallet.

Ballistics tests on the recovered weapon are pending, Pohlmann said.

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Dylan Landry, booked with attempted murder of his 15-year-old girlfriend in Chalmette

Sep 22, 2010 - An 18-year-old Chalmette man was booked with attempted murder of his 15-year-old girlfriend on Tuesday night, Sept. 21, after she was grazed to the top left of her head by a bullet fired at close range as she sat on the porch of her residence in Chalmette, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Dylan Landry, 3316 Shangri-La Drive, was booked into the St. Bernard Parish Prison without bond pending an appeared before a magistrate judge to have bond set.

The victim, whose name hasn’t been released, was taken to University Hospital in New Orleans with a wound to the head but her injuries weren’t considered life-threatening, authorities said. The girl went inside after she was shot, showed her grandmother the blood, and the grandmother called the Sheriff’s Office.

The shooting happened on West Magnolia Drive in Chalmette just before 11 p.m.

It was the first shooting in which someone was injured in St. Bernard
Parish since June 2009, Pohlmann said.

He said the investigation is continuing but sheriff’s detectives believe Landry, who had been drinking, argued with the girl and shot at her once from close range, then drove away in a car. A casing was found on the door mat near the front door and a .45-caliber projectile penetrated the door and was found on the floor of the house near the kitchen.

Landry, who has several minor arrests in his past, was taken into custody a short time after the shooting when he was seen by sheriff’s deputies running toward the victim’s house.

Pohlmann said Landry’s car was found several blocks away in the 3400 block of Fenelon Drive. After obtaining a search warrant, officers found a cocked .45-caliber handgun in the car, as well as several pills and Landry’s wallet.

Ballistics tests on the recovered weapon are pending, Pohlmann said.

He said investigators believe Landry thought the girl was dead and was running back to the victim’s home after parking his car in order to say he had found her shot.

Witnesses in the area told authorities they saw a car similar to Landry’s leaving after the shooting.

Capt. Walter Dornan, head of the Traffic Division of the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office

Sep 20, 2010 - Capt. Walter Dornan, head of the Traffic Division for the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, is now the 16th member of the department to graduate the prestigious FBI National Training Academy in Quantico, Va., continuing a long-standing relationship between the Sheriff’s Office and the federal law enforcement agency.

“It was a distinct honor to attend the FBI National Academy,’’ said Dornan, who started with the Sheriff’s Office in 1988 as a reserve deputy in the Traffic Division and has been full-time since 1994.

“The experience gives you new challenges and allows you to meet officers from all over the nation and other countries and form friendships that will last a life-time.”

“It’s both an academically and physically challenging executive development program that less than half of one percent of all law enforcement officers get to attend, which humbles you to think about,’’ Dornan said.

St. Bernard Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said the Sheriff’s Office maintains a good relationship with the FBI, reflected in the fact that a department the size of the Sheriff’s Office has had 16 of its officers accepted for the national academy and had all graduate successfully.

Pohlmann said, “Our residents can take pride in the level of training our officers get from the FBI” and in the good standing in which the department is regarded by the federal agency.

Pohlmann is among the 16 sheriff’s officials who have graduated the FBI National training Academy.

St. Bernard’s Sheriff’s Office also has had good participation in FBI re-training sessions held each year and graduates of the National Training Academy participate in alumni functions, Pohlmann said.

He also said sheriff’s detectives from St. Bernard have for years been assigned to FBI anti-violence and anti-terrorism task forces.

Also, Deputy Chief Harold Hughes, head of Internal Affairs for the Sheriff’s Office, is a retired long-time FBI Special Agent.

The program at the FBI National Training Academy is a 10-week course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement leaders, available only through invitation and a nomination process, and geared to enhance personal and professional development.

State and local police, sheriffs' offices, military police and federal law enforcement agents attend the academy, whose classes are drawn from every state and some 150 nations. The first academy class was held in July 1935, with 23 students.

Dornan said the course consists of classes in criminal justice, law, forensics, computer science and anti-terrorism and the program heavily emphasizes running and physical conditioning, Classes are accredited from the University of Virginia.

“You’re in class with people from all over the country and other nations,’’ Dornan said. There were also several people from Louisiana law enforcement agencies, including Kenner and Gretna, he said.
Dornan said he found, “We (St. Bernard’s Sheriff’s Office) are more advanced than some other departments of a bigger size. It gave me a better appreciation’’ for the job done in St Bernard.

“Everybody from here has always done well and succeeded,’’ at the National Academy,’’ Dornan said. “That goes a long way with them. Some departments had people going for the first time.’’

One highlight of his stay, Dornan said, was when, “People from here put on a Louisiana Night for the Academy, with shrimp and jambalaya. They had shrimp shipped in.”

“It all made me realize how much I missed the place I call home.’’

Sep 18, 2010 - While the Sheriff’s Office has already collected 5,000 old or unneeded prescription medications from residents in its “Operation Medicine Cabinet,’’ it will join with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25, to accept any pills from the public at the sheriff’s Paris Road station in Chalmette as part of a national “take-back’’ day, Sheriff Jack A. Stephens said.

More than 3,400 sites nationwide, including in New Orleans, Slidell and Jefferson Parish as well as St. Bernard, are set to take part in the program which aims to prevent increased prescription drug abuse and theft of pills from people’s homes, DEA officials said.

“We are pleased with the results of our own “Operation Medical Cabinet,’’’ Sheriff Stephens said. The program, which began in April, has seen St. Bernard Parish residents turn over to the Sheriff’s Office about 5,000 prescription medications that are old or no longer needed, but could possibly be stolen by visitors to their homes or taken by burglars, and then ended up sold on the streets. 

“This program has been an unqualified success for us and the people of St. Bernard,’’ Sheriff Stephens said.

“So we are glad to take part in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s “take-back’’ initiative which sets aside one day, Saturday, September 25, to have law enforcement agencies accept any prescription drugs the public wants to turn in to have destroyed,’’ Sheriff Stephens said.

Officers from the sheriff’s Special Investigations Division, commanded by Col. Chad Clark, will be at the sheriff’s sub-station at 5429 Paris Road from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. to collect medications, the sheriff said.

After Sept. 25, St. Bernard residents can continue to surrender any prescriptions they want to get rid of by calling the sheriff’s (504) 271-DOPE hotline in Chalmette 24 hours a day. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to make the program available to residents, the sheriff said.

“We encourage individuals to rid their households of unneeded prescription medications as a means to fight misuse of such drugs,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. “Don’t throw them in the trash where others may find them and don’t flush them in the toilet because studies show prescription drugs disposed of that way are already polluting our supply of drinking water.’’

Teen-agers addicted to prescription medications, Clark said, often admit they have raided their parents medicine cabinet to get drugs or at the homes of relatives or friends, including such tablets as the pain-killer Vicodin, the anxiety medicine Xanax and Valium.

Clark added, “Take time to do an inventory of your medicine cabinet and get rid of what you don’t need.’’

Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said, “Operation Medicine Cabinet’’ is an attempt to reduce the availability of prescription drugs among those who don’t have a legitimate medical reason for having them. Don’t let them end up in the hands of others.’’

Pohlmann added, “We hope this is preventing some people, particularly teen-agers, from getting access to prescription drugs they might otherwise steal from their parents, relatives or from the homes of friends.’’

The group Partnership for a Drug Free America has estimated that each day 2,500 youngsters across the nation abuse prescription drugs for the first time, adding teen-agers now abuse prescription medications more than any illegal drug except marijuana.

Sep 18, 2010 - St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies made arrests in three separate cases recently, including a home burglary in Violet, theft of a truck and theft from a Chalmette store that involved a capture of three fleeing suspects in New Orleans.

Rene Major, 21, of Violet, was booked Sept. 16 with burglary and possession of stolen property after a house break-in on Daniel Drive in Violet, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

After an investigation by patrol deputies, commanded by Maj. Mark Poche, it was learned Major had been in possession of and had sold a flat-screen television taken in the burglary and had tried to cell a camera from the burglary, Pohlmann said.

The TV was turned over by someone who had it.

Major was arrested at his mother’s home and booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison, where he was being held without bond, Pohlmann said.

In an unrelated case, a home surveillance video system helped identify one of several men involved in the overnight theft of a vehicle Sept. 11 at a residence on Robert Drive in eastern St. Bernard Parish, Pohlmann said.

Anthony Montecino, 31, 1802 Suzi Drive, was booked Sept. 12 with auto theft after he was seen on video taking part in the theft of a truck, a trailer and inflatable water slides. Montecino was also arrested on two outstanding warrants for his arrest from Jefferson Parish.

Two other men seen on the video haven’t been identified or arrested.

Montecino was being held in Parish Prison in lieu of $25,000 bond.

A third set of arrests were made Sept. 16 when a man and two women, all from New Orleans, were stopped in a vehicle after stealing  about $50 in merchandise from the Wal-Mart store in Chalmette. They  were followed into New Orleans and arrested there by agents of the sheriff’s Special investigations Division commanded by Col. Chad Clark, assisted by sheriff’s detectives commanded by Col. John Doran.

Their vehicle was stopped in the 6000 block of Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans.

The man, Major Davis, 41, struggled with deputies before he was subdued. Davis was booked with battery on police officers, accessory to theft of goods, resisting arrest, flight from an officer, possession of stolen property, simple criminal damage and with possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Brittany Bressard, 20, was booked with theft of goods and resisting arrest, and with the third person, Ieshia Bressard, 21, both the women were booked with possession of marijuana and possession of stolen property. Also, Ieshia Bressard was booked with accessory to theft.

All three were booked into Parish Prison. Bond information on them wasn’t available.

Sep 17, 2010 - A traffic stop on a St. Bernard Parish man who had two ounces of marijuana on him led to the seizure of a 6-foot tall marijuana plant growing in his yard and two smaller plants that were cut and drying, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

William Kay, 43, 4017 Najolia St., Meraux, was stopped for speeding while driving in Arabi on Friday afternoon, Sept. 17, by agents Cpl. Leander Morgan and Jason Saltalmachia of the St. Bernard sheriff’s Special Investigations Division commanded by Col. Chad Clark.

Kay had two ounces of marijuana on him and acknowledged he had more marijuana at his residence, the sheriff said.

He said when agents got there they found a six-foot plant growing in Kay’s yard and two small plants that were cut and being dried.

Kay was booked with three counts of cultivation of marijuana for the plants and with possession with intent to distribute the marijuana he had in his vehicle, Sheriff Stephens said. He was also booked on a warrant for his arrest in New Orleans on a simple battery charge and with traffic offenses.
 

Two men were arrested on marijuana charges and a man who threw out a beer bottle was cited for an open container violation as St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies posted a sobriety checkpoint for the fourth time in two months on the night of Sept. 14, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said. “We are continuing to concentrate on trying to rid parish streets of drunk drivers and those on drugs,’’ Pohlmann said. Shown, at left, a man in a New Orleans Hornets jersey is handcuffed on a marijuana charge by Deputy Sheriff Lance Kramer. Also, sheriff’s deputies are shown stopping motorists to ask if they have had alcohol drinks that night; and, at right, a second man was arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, with Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Tanner taking him into custody and, at right, is Deputy Lance Kramer. STEVE CANNIZARO PHOTOS.

Sep 15, 2010 - A New Orleans man broke into an Arabi resident’s home and confronted her on Wednesday, Sept. 15, asking to hide him from St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies who had chased him after a shoplifting in Chalmette, but officers burst into the house and arrested the suspect after a struggle, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The woman - who said the man offered her money to hide him - was on the phone with her boyfriend when the man came through a back door and she was able to tell the boyfriend what was happening, which led to deputies being alerted to the exact location, Pohlmann said.

The woman wasn’t injured.

“This was an unusual shoplifting incident that became more serious when the man involved bailed out of a vehicle and broke into the home of a resident,’’ Pohlmann said. “Numerous men and women of the Sheriff’s Office responded quickly and arrested all the individuals involved without anyone being injured.’’

Two New Orleans women, one a sister of the intruder and the other the man’s girlfriend, were arrested in a vehicle near where the man was arrested and also booked in the shoplifting incident at the Wal-Mart store in Chalmette and other charges.

Don Raines, 29,(above left) booked with unauthorized entry of a home and false imprisonment of a resident after he was chased by sheriff’s deputies after a shoplifting incident in St. Bernard Parish. (above right) Sheriff’s Deputy Henry Senez, middle, and Sheriff’s Detective Michael Schiro load recovered stolen infant formula into a sheriff’s car after three people were arrested in a shoplifting in Chalmette. At left is Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Donald Johnson. STEVE CANNIZARO PHOTO

Pohlmann said Raines’ sister, Danielle Raines, 25, and Don Raines’ girlfriend and mother of two children, Whitney Phipps, 19, were arrested in a car - also on Esteban Street - by Sheriff’s Deputy Henry Senez. Two young children of Phipps were also in the vehicle.

Additionally, the drivers’ license of a woman whose purse was stolen in Jefferson Parish recently was found in the vehicle after the arrests and Jefferson Parish authorities have been alerted, Pohlmann said.

Seventy-two cans of infant formula were found in the getaway car.

Danielle Raines was booked with two counts of aggravated assault on sheriff’s deputies, shoplifting, resisting arrest, reckless operation of a vehicle and with child endangerment for the children in the car.

Phipps was booked with shoplifting and child endangerment.

Danielle Raines was driving the vehicle that sped away from Wal-Mart after the shoplifting but a ranking sheriff’s official immediately followed them and notified he sheriff’s communications division.

At some point, near where Don Raines was arrested in the home, Raines got out of the vehicle and made his way to the house, Pohlmann said.

Senez and other detectives and deputies also responded to the incident and Senez initially saw the car driven by Danielle Raines on Center Street in Arabi and stopped them on nearly Esteban Street, Pohlmann said.

Pohlmann said Don Raines, holding one of the children, entered the Wal-Mart store while the women waited in the vehicle. At some point he tried to take a cart carrying infant formula out of the store, allegedly without paying, but was noticed by a store employee and then he fled.

A ranking sheriff’s official who was at the store was told what happened and began following the fleeing vehicle and other deputies were notified.

Sep 12, 2010 - Jill and Adolph “Ace’’ Indovina were quick to provide St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s detectives with images from their outside surveillance system when a burglary took place down the street from their Chalmette home.

“We have cameras because I want to see the outside of our house if something happens,’’ Jill Indovina said in explaining the couple’s surveillance system. “If it helps catch someone (committing a crime) that’s one less criminal walking around.” The mother of three children added, “I do it for my kids’’ so she feels safer.

The cameras at the Indovina home did capture on video a truck used in the break-in near their house as well as a possible suspect, although no further evidence has led to an arrest in the case.

But Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said such systems at private residences are helping solve a number of burglaries and thefts in St. Bernard Parish. “We are grateful to citizens for wanting to help fight crime by cooperating in turning over video,’’ Pohlmann said.

He said video has become a real police weapon in identifying criminals or their getaway vehicles. “It gives us another set of eyes. And the camera doesn’t lie,’’ Pohlmann said. “Not everyone can afford such systems but it’s something to think about for a homeowner’s peace of mind.’’

As many as a dozen crimes have been solved in the last year because they were captured on private home cameras, Pohlmann said, which are becoming more commonplace as such technology improves and prices become more reasonable.

“Camera systems can be a deterrent to crime,’’ Pohlmann said, but he said sometimes burglars or thieves get video-taped by surveillance systems they never see because the cameras are two or three houses away or across a street.

Pohlmann added, “And of course the advantage to us is if they are close enough to one it gets a good shot of them. The camera provides great evidence for prosecution.’’

Years ago, surveillance systems were rarely seen anywhere but in banks and some big businesses but their use has spread to homes, aided by reasonable prices and the fact they can be tied into computer systems, said Chief of Detectives Col. John Doran and Col. Pete Tufaro, head of the sheriff’s Technical Services Division.

Doran said, “A lot of times it’s not the victim but one of his or her neighbors that have a camera system that video-tapes a crime.’’ Burglars leaving homes, breaking into vehicles and stealing boats and lawn mowers on trailers have been identified because of such systems in St. Bernard, he said.

“We look for camera systems in the area after a crime. We ask ‘who has video around here’’’ Doran said. “People are very cooperative with us. Sometimes we get a video and one of our people immediately identifies someone as a known criminal.’’

Tufaro specializes in enhancing the quality of crime scene videos to get the best possible clarity to help identify suspects or getaway vehicles.

“We are getting better video all the time,’’ Tufaro said. The quicker the Sheriff’s Office gets video from a scene and enhances it the faster any suspects’ photos can be given out to patrol deputies and sheriff’s detectives to try to identify and find them, Tafaro said.

“It’s good for giving out descriptions of suspects and also as evidence for prosecution,’’ Tufaro said. “There’s a lot of advantages to it.’’

Kim England of Violet holds up a photo of her dog Teddy, shot to death on a Chalmette lawn after he disappeared STEVE CANNIZARO PHOTO.

Sep 10, 2010 - A male Labrador dog has died after being shot Sept. 2 by an unknown person as he played with another dog on a Chalmette lawn and sheriff’s officials are still seeking information on possible leads on a suspect in the felony crime, said Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann.

Anyone with information on who may have shot the dog should call the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501. The shooter would face charges of aggravated cruelty to an animal, which is a felony, Pohlmann said. “We can’t have people firing guns,’’ he said. “It’s bad enough an animal was killed. The shot could have gone anywhere, including hitting someone in their home.’’

The dog was believed at the time to be a stray because he wasn’t wearing a collar or I.D. tag. But the owners, Kim and Mike England of Violet – who said the animal had a collar when he disappeared in July and also had an identity chip injected into his body - didn’t learn of the shooting until Wednesday, Sept. 8.

Kim England said she went that day to the St. Bernard Animal Shelter in Violet and learned her dog had been euthanized earlier that morning because of his injuries.

A small caliber bullet entered one of the dog’s hind legs and passed through his stomach before exiting. He survived several days but had to be euthanized because of his suffering, officials at the shelter said.

The dog named Teddy was 12 years old and she and her husband owned him since he was a puppy, Kim England said. “He loved people,’’ she said.

“I had been looking for him since July and we reported him missing to the shelter,’’ she said. The dog was wearing a collar when he disappeared while staying at her daughter’s house in Chalmette but either lost it or someone must have taken it off, she said.

Her and her husband said they regret the collar was gone because they might have been contacted about the shooting and been able to comfort the dog before he died.

The Labrador was shot about 8:35 a.m. on Sept. 2 while playing with another dog on a lawn near 58 West Claiborne Square, Pohlmann said.

A resident called the Sheriff’s Office to report finding the dog wounded. St. Bernard Animal Shelter officials gave medical treatment to the dog and took him to the shelter.

A woman at the scene of the shooting said she saw the dog playing with another dog on a lawn and she went back into her home but soon heard the injured animal crying out in pain and found him shot. No witnesses said they saw the actual shooting.

The Englands said they went to the scene of the shooting after learning of their dog’s death and spoke to residents. They were told the dog was seen in the area for several days before the incident and initially had a collar when first noticed but later it was gone when he was shot.

“I wish I could find the person who did this,’’ Michael England said.

Sep 9, 2010 - A man was booked in two vehicle burglaries in Violet on Sept. 7 after an alert resident going outside to pick up his newspaper at 4:30 a.m.  Witnessed someone enter two vehicles and called the Sheriff’s Office, resulting in a quick arrest, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

“This is a great example of someone fighting crime in his neighborhood by calling the Sheriff’s Office in a timely manner,’’ Pohlmann said. “We make many quick arrests when a witness can take the time to report seeing something suspicious. Always call the Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501 if you see anything happening that doesn’t look right.’’

Based on a description given of the person seen going into the vehicles, Nolan Johnson, 35, 3709 Bayou Road, St. Bernard community, was soon spotted by sheriff’s deputies who answered the call about the break-ins, Pohlmann said.
The resident who witnessed the crimes said he could positively identify Johnson as the man he saw and Johnson was later booked with simple burglary. Johnson is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bond set at $20,000.

The burglaries happened in the 2800 block of Meadow Drive in Violet.

The witness said he saw a man open a car door in a driveway about 4:30 a.m. as he stepped outside to get his morning newspaper and the man rummaged through the vehicle, then walked across the street and entered another vehicle and did the same before fleeing.

Pohlmann also reminded residents to lock their vehicles, even if they are parked in their driveway at night, because nearly every vehicle burglary in St. Bernard Parish in the past several months has involved unlocked vehicles, making it much easier for the burglar.

In an unrelated incident, a Meraux man was booked Sept. 4 with simple burglary of his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle in which a cell phone and other items were taken but later returned to the woman’s mother.

Adrian Cazenave, 30, 30, 3116 Judy Drive, was arrested after his former girlfriend said he had phoned her using her cell phone, which had been inside her vehicle. She said he would have known the lock code to enter the vehicle.

Sheriff’s Deputy Reginald Crayton apprehended Cazenave in a vehicle after the woman reported what had happened.

The former girlfriend’s mother said Cazenave came to her home before his arrest and gave her the cell phone and other items taken from the daughter’s vehicle.

Cazenave, booked with simple burglary, was released on $7,500 bond on Sept. 7.

Also, in an unrelated matter, Stephen Somerville, 49, no address available, was booked with theft of copper wire on Sept. 3 after Sheriff’s Dep. Cpl. Brandon Licciardi saw him on East Judge Perez Drive in Violet cutting copper ground wire from light poles to try to sell as scrap metal. Two five-gallon buckets partially containing wire were recovered and returned to Entergy.

Somerville, booked with theft under $300, was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $2,500 bond.

Sep 2, 2010 - A small, male Labrador dog was shot in one of his hind legs while playing on a Chalmette lawn Thursday, Sept. 2, and sheriff’s officials are seeking information on possible leads on a suspect, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Anyone with information can call the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501.

The dog, who apparently didn’t have an owner and wasn’t wearing identification, was shot about 8:35 a.m. while playing with another dog on a lawn near 58 West Claiborne Square.

A resident called the Sheriff’s Office to report finding the dog wounded. St. Bernard Animal Shelter officials gave medical treatment to the black Labrador but there wasn’t any information available on the dog’s condition.

A woman at the scene of the shooting said she saw the dog playing with another dog and went back into her home but soon heard the injured animal crying out in pain and found him shot. No witnesses said they saw the actual shooting.

Sheriff’s deputies said it appeared the dog was hit by a bullet from a .22-caliber pistol.

Sheriff’s Deputy dispatchers Heather Alphonso, left, and Joyce Morin during a training session for the upgraded 911 emergency system in St. Bernard Parish. STEVE CANNIZARO PHOTO.

Sep 2, 2010 - Recognizing that every second counts in an emergency, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office has upgraded its 911 computerized dispatch system to handle calls from the public more quickly and easily, Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The upgrade, which went into operation about Sept. 1, saves steps for a dispatcher and includes quicker recognition of priority calls, Pohlmann said. All dispatchers have received necessary training, he said.

The Sheriff’s Office gets some 4,000 calls a month through the 911-emergency system or the sheriff’s number of (504) 271-2501.

“We know when people call they have a problem. It’s not to chit chat,’’ Pohlmann said. “This advanced system is designed to make sure people get the service they need in a quicker manner.’’

Pohlmann worked years ago in the communications division of the Sheriff’s Office before the current 911 emergency system and computer-aided dispatching system was in place.

“The lives of the parish residents our communications officers deal with in emergencies can hang in the balance’’ based on the job they do,’’ Pohlmann said. “Being quick and being accurate in what they do is essential.’’

Information needed by the dispatcher is displayed on a computer screen faster, saving steps. “What may have taken 2-3 steps will take one,’’ said Col. Jerry Rathburn, who heads the Communications Division of the Sheriff’s Office. The parish’s Fire Department is working with the same new system, he said.

An added advantage of a quicker system will be a “reduction in stress level’’ for dispatchers, Rathburn said.

They have to handle phone calls from the public, calls from officers on the police radio system and conduct background checks on drivers and license plates information for deputies on the street.

The emergency dispatchers say they are pleased with the advances.

“It’s so much better, so much faster,’’ said Sheriff’s Deputy Heather Alphonso, who has worked in the communications division for about 18 months. “Every second counts’’ in dealing with an emergency, she said, “and 30 seconds is a big deal.’’

Lt. Jamie Penton, who has been in the 911 system for more than 12 years, also likes the new system.

“There’s fewer steps’’ to retrieve information, she said, which “gives you better response time for sheriff’s units.’’