Dec. 21, 2011 - St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s detectives are seeking information on an apparent ring involved in numerous thefts of 4-wheel all-terrain vehicles in the eastern part of the parish in the past several months, Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann said.

More than 15 ATVs, some worth as much as $10,000, have been stolen and sheriff’s detectives have received information stolen 4-wheelers are being transported and sold in other parishes, Pohlmann said.

Three young men are shown on footage from a home surveillance camera during a theft of one vehicle on Heights Drive in St. Bernard community the night of Dec. 14, Pohlmann said.

Anyone with information about that theft or other thefts of 4-wheelers should call the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111 and they could be eligible for a reward if an arrest is made.

In an unrelated matter, a man living in Chalmette surrendered Dec. 21 to sheriff’s detectives after learning he was wanted for the use of a stolen debit card at a bank ATM, Pohlmann said.

The card was among missing items that were in a purse taken in a vehicle burglary in Chalmette the night of Dec. 10. A man trying to use the stolen card to withdraw money from an ATM was seen on its surveillance camera several hours after the burglary, at about 3 a.m. on Dec. 11.

Alexis Martinez, 33, who had been working in Chalmette, was booked with auto burglary and attempted theft after he surrendered in the company of a lawyer. He was jailed pending a bond appearance before a judge.

Martinez denied committing the burglary or use of a stolen card.

Dec. 21, 2011- The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office is asking the public’s help in identifying a man who tried to use a stolen ATM card at a bank and was among missing items that were in a purse taken in a vehicle burglary in Chalmette the night of Dec. 10, Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann said.

Learning the identity of the man who tried but failed to get money from a Capital One Bank about 3 a.m. on Dec. 11 could solve the burglary, Pohlmann said.

He said the purse was stolen from a vehicle while a couple who had married on Dec. 10 were out celebating that night with family and friends.

Anyone who recognizes the man should call the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 or Crinestoppers at (504) 822-1111 and they could be eligible for a reward if an arrest is made.

Dec. 17, 2011- More than a year ago, St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies conducting an insurance checkpoint in Chalmette arrested a man who had hundreds of narcotic pills because he had just traveled to another state and returned after getting prescriptions from various doctors.

He was also carrying nearly $3,000 cash and apparently had sold many pills.

St. Bernard sheriff’s officials for years have battled prescription drug abuse that has led to many overdose deaths in the parish.

Now, such “road trips’’ like the suspect made outside Louisiana to get prescriptions from doctors who couldn’t check his medical history is being targeted for elimination. Creation of regional hubs among states is being sought – with a system that would track attempts to go from one state to another and get prescriptions.

Ending the practice of “doctor shopping,’’ which allowed easy access to prescription drugs for re-sale, including getting them from other states, has been a long-time goal of St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack A. Stephens.

The sheriff led the successful fight to start up a statewide prescription drug monitoring program that kicked off in 2008, after years of seeing St. Bernard Parish residents die from abusing prescription narcotic pills obtained improperly.

In one three-year period before Hurricane Katrina, more than 100 St. Bernard residents died after overdosing through mixing prescription drugs or using them with alcohol.

The prescription statewide monitoring board set up has been steadily tightening the requirements for keeping records of prescriptions issued and filled at pharmacies.

St. Bernard sheriff’s officials were among the original core group in the state that met and began working with the state Pharmacy Board, researching how monitoring programs worked in other states, seeking and receiving federal grants for software and hardware, and working for legislation to begin the program in Louisiana.

There was also input from numerous other groups, including pharmacists, physicians, pharmaceutical representatives, State Police and the state districts attorney association.

Sheriff Stephens, who is the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association representative to the Prescription Monitoring board, said the board has begun stopping doctor-shopping and the result will be the end of needless deaths.

“This single piece of legislation will be the best thing I and the Sheriff’s Office have done to save lives in St. Bernard Parish’’ and the rest of Louisiana, Sheriff Stephens has said. “Prescription drug abuse is one of the biggest problems law enforcement deals with within the overalll drug problem of this country.”

The monitoring system has a computerized database system in which pharmacies are required to enter all fillings of prescriptions of scheduled narcotics and drugs of concern that are delivered within the state of Louisiana.

Physicians who have the ability to write a scheduled narcotic prescription can access the data base to find a patient’s pharmaceutical profile before issuing a prescription.

More than 35 million entries have been recorded in a data base in its three years in operation.

Col. Pete Tufaro of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office, who, on behalf of Sheriff Stephens is the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association representative on the state’s Prescription Monitoring Board, is now in his second year as Vice-Chairman of its advisory council.

Col. Chad Clark of the Sheriff’s Office who heads the Special Investigation Division including narcotics enforcement, also works closely with the monitoring board and attends its meetings.

Tufaro said the idea of creating the monitoring program was to start a data base that could check the disbursement of narcotic pills and make it harder for someone to obtain the same prescriptions from multiple physicians, who wouldn’t otherwise know a patient was receiving them from other sources.

He said the Louisiana monitoring board has made great progress in cracking down on people who go from doctor to doctor in to obtain prescriptions for narcotic pills.

“It’s working,’’ Tufaro said. “There is no question about it.’’

“The monitoring board is getting more and more doctors inquiring about patients’ medical histories’’ to make sure they aren’t duplicating prescriptions to them, he said.

”The system has the ability to spit out the names of patients and doctors of concern,’’ Tufaro said, “and thereby alerting prescribing physicians and law lenforcement that a patient may be duplicating prescriptions from several doctors.’’

Based on that, Tufaro said, law enforcemrent agencies are making more requests for information, which in turn has led to some arrests based on irregularities found by those trying to obtain duplicate prescriptions.

Also, companies that want to do business in Louisiana involving prescription medication must agree to abide by the rules of the Prescription Monitoring board, Tufaro said.

“At present we have the model program other states are trying to duplicate – a fully automated data base of every prescription written and filled within Louisiana,’’ Tufaro said. “This fulfills the goal of Sheriff Stephens to address these problems.’’

Now, he said, the monitoring program is addressing the issue of the loophole that allowed people to travel to other states that don’t have the same type monitoring system - go to numerous doctors there, - and get prescriptions to bring drugs back to Louisiana.

Tufaro said Louisiana officials are working on legislation that would eventually establish regional monitoring hubs among states, so recording the dispersal and filling of precriptions can be done in a similar manner.

Sheriff Stephens, who is retiring after 28 years in office and will be succeeded by Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann next July 1, said the monitoring board has already helped law enforcement enormously and will go further.

Pohlmann said he will support the work of the Prescription Monitoring program as the best way to eventually end the practice of doctor-shopping and reduce drug overdose cases.

“Prior to this legislature an investigator would spend countless hours trying to identify which doctors and which pharmacies a patient would use,’’ Stephens said. “Law enforcement may now obtain this information through an Administrative Warrant or Judicial Document, giving us a single place to gather evidence pertaining to prescription abuse.’’

“The next step after regional hubs would be trying to get a national prescription drug monitoring system,” Stephens said.

Eugene Mcleod, 17, booked with attempted murder and illegal discharge of a firearm

Dec. 17, 2011- A Violet man was booked with attempted murder and with illegal discharge of a weapon after admitting he fired several shots in the direction of another man he had feuded with but didn’t hit or injure him, Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann said.

Eugene McLeod, 17, 8 Jamie Court, was arrested Thursday, Dec. 15 on a warrant alleging illegal discharge of a gun he fired several times on Guerra Drive in Violet the night of Dec. 9, Pohlmann said.

He was booked Dec. 16 with attempted murder of the other man, who wasn’t injured. McLeod admitted he had a feud with the man, whose name wasn’t released, but maintained he wasn’t trying to hit him.

A $20,000 bond was set for McLeod on the weapons charge but he remains in St. Bernard Parish Prison pending an appearance before a judge on the more serious attempted murder charge, which will have a significantly higher bond than the first count.

“Whether someone is actually shot or whether the shooter says he wasn’t trying to hit him, we take it very seriously when anyone fires a weapon in St. Bernard Parish,’’ Pohlmann said, explaining the attempted murder count. “We will not let anyone settle a score with a gun. When bullets fly innocent parties can easily be killed or maimed.’’

Witnesses identified McLeod as the one who fired several shots the night of Dec. 9 and sheriff’s detectives sought and obtained a warrant from a judge for McLeod’s arrest.

Dec. 16, 2011- Associated Terminals, exclusive operator of the Port of St. Bernard’s marine facilities, has donated 23 children’s bicycles to the Sheriff’s Office for giving to needy families in the parish for Christmas.

Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann said the sheriff’s Juvenile Division, which works with children and parents, will choose the recipients of the bicycles to be presented before Christmas.

Associated Terminals, one of the largest midstream stevedoring companies on the Mississippi River, operates a fleet of high-capacity floating cranes at 11 facilities including at Chalmette Slip in St. Bernard Parish, in Plaquemines Parish and in Reserve. David Fennelly is director of the company.

Pohlmann met Dec. 16 with Associated Terminals Vice-President Zeljko Franks and sheriff’s officials Maj. David Peralta who is now St. Bernard’s Parish President-elect and Joseph DiFatta to receive the bicycles.

“We are happy to help brighten Christmas for the boys and girls of St. Bernard who will receive the bicycles donated by Associated Terminals,’’ Pohlmann said.

Employees at Associated Terminals donate money to help fund the bicycle project, said Franks, who said the company has done this since 2002. Associated Terminals formerly donated bicycles to the American Red Cross chapter in St. Bernard when DiFatta was chairman of the group in the parish.

Dec 12, 2011 - Four recent burglaries and felony thefts were solved with the arrests of six men, several because of timely calls by residents, others by quick investigations by sheriff’s deputies who stopped suspicious people, Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann said.

Trey Ketchum, 24, 60 Patterson Drive, Chalmette, was booked with simple burglary of a business on Nov. 27 after Dep. Bryan Fleetwood, on patrol in Arabi, saw him disregard a stop sign and questioned him about copper wiring visible in the trunk of the vehicle he was driving,which was tied shut with a piece of wire.

The copper was worth about $1,000.

Pohlmann said the explanation Ketchum gave the deputy about possessing the property didn’t hold up under investigation. Ketchum eventually admitted he stole the copper wire from a building in Chalmette that formerly housed a store that has been closed for years, Pohlmann said.

Deputies confirmed a lock on the building was pried open and there were signs the copper wiring came from an upstairs office.

Ketchum, booked with simple burglary and the traffic offense, is jailed in St. Bernard Parish Prison, in lieu of $25,000 bond.

In another case, two young men, Ryan Dinot, 17, 3504 Karen Drive, Chalmette, and Dylan Zahan, 18, 7218 West Judge Perez Drive, Arabi, were both booked with simple burglary, attempted burglary, criminal trespassing and resisting an officer after they were observed trying to break into a residence in Violet, Pohlmann said.

Agents of the Special Investigations Division and patrol officers made the arrests after a call from witnesses who saw them.

The teen-agers were taken into custody when spotted by officers as they were exiting a wooded area behind houses on Nancy Drive.

They were booked into the jail but have been released on bond.

Also, in separate incident, Jeremieh Juneau, 30, 1716 Robert Drive and Shane Ellzey, 31, 1605 Robert Drive, in eastern St. Bernard, were both booked Nov. 26 with felony theft (value of more than $500), possession of stolen property and ciminal damage to property involving a stolen boat motor off a flat boat, Pohlmann said.

The stolen property was recovered, found in possession of the two suspects. Both were booked into jail and no bond information was available.

In an unrelated case, Ronald Hudson, 40, 2425 St. Matthew Circle, Violet, was booked Nov. 25 with possession of stolen poperty worth more than $500, which was an operator’s metal cage for a boat lift, Pohlmann said.

A Chalmette busiess operator had reported the theft of several items from a storage yard including the metal cage.

Hudson was stopped by Sgt. Stephen Ingargiola as Hudson drove a pickup truck with the metal cage in its bed, which matched the description of the stolen item, Pohlmann said.

The property was identified as the stolen item and Hudson, who couldn’t show he owned it, was arrested. No bond information was available.

Dec. 10, 2011  - Christmas time and children just naturally go together. And that's how it was on Saturday, Dec. 10, when the annual Santa on the Bayou festival headed by Anthony Fernandez Jr. was held in eastern St. Bernard Parish, featuring a toy giveaway for young people, a boat parade, a pageantry of song and music about the holiday and food and drink. Santa on the Bayou, with a boat parade on Bayou LaLoutre and other activities including Santa, Mrs. Claus and their helpers on the grounds of St. Bernard Catholic Church at Kenilworth, was established many years ago to provide assistance for needy families. Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann took part in the boat parade and visited with children and their families at the other events. Shown, a Santa, otherwise known as Ronnie Reeves, with a child on his lap who holds her gift; parents and children are shown lining up to visit with Santa, with the performance stage in the background; also, Sheriff-elect Pohlmann and Fernandez visit with Santa's helpers as they sort out gifts for children; Pohlmann with boys at the festival and a boy shows the sheriff-elect the toy he received. STEVE CANNIZARO PHOTOS.

Dec 10, 2011 - A St. Bernard Parish man was killed in an accident Saturday afternoon when a large tree he was cutting in his back yard fell on him, Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann said.

Troy Braniff, 40, 4555 Bayou Road in the Reggio area in eastern St. Bernard, was pronounced dead at the scene following the accident that happened just before 4 p.m.

Braniff was using a chain saw to fell a large tree in the back yard of the residence he and his family shared with his in-laws when the incident happened, Pohlmann said.

He said the victim, with his father-in-law present, had been cutting sections of the tree when a large piece cracked and fell, toppling across his upper chest. The other man, whose name wasn’t released, wasn’t injured.

Braniff’s wife, who had been in the house, administered CPR on him and arriving parish firefighters and emergency medical technicians also worked on him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dec 08, 2011 - In an usual case, an Arabi man has been booked with kidnapping and armed robbery of a Meraux man in an incident which started outside a New Orleans bar and continued into St. Bernard Parish where the arrest was made, Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann said.

John Porrazzo, 19, is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $400,000 bond set after Porrazzo’s arrest in Chalmette early Tuesday, Dec. 6.

An investigation is ongoing in conjunction with New Orleans police and Porrazzo may face further charges there because the victim claimed an attack and kidnapping began there, Pohlmann said.

Porrazzo was arrested about 2 a.m. on the neutral ground of Judge Perez Drive, just west of Paris Road by sheriff’s deputies Cpl. Michael Lyons and Brad Nuccio.

Pohlmann said the victim, a 29-year-old man whose name wasn’t released, ran across Judge Perez Drive to Lyons’ parked patrol vehicle on the north side of the highway, yelling that he had had been robbed and threatened by a man with a razor knife.

Porrazzo was spotted on the neutral ground near a tree, and was stopped by Lyons and arrested with assistance from Nuccio. A razor knife and a ring was found on him and a second ring was recovered in the area where Porrazzo was first seen by deputies.

The victim told deputies he had met Porrazzo at a bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans early Tuesday morning and alleged that while they were talking in the victim’s vehicle near the bar, Porrazzo had attacked him. He claimed Porrazzo pulled a razor knife and forced him to drive to St. Bernard Parish, Pohlmann said.

He said the victim also claimed Porrazzo made him get money from an ATM at a gas station/convenience store and they also went to a pharmacy open on Judge Perez at Paris Road, where a purchase was made and the victim got cash back.

Porrazzo, when arrested, had more than $50 on him.

The victim and Porrazzo exited the pharmacy and went to his vehicle, where he said Porrazzo made him give him cash and jewelry. The victim then ran to the sheriff’s patrol car when he saw the deputy in the vehicle and Porrazzo was arrested shortly afterward, Pohlmann said.

Dec. 4, 2011   It was a simple but thoughtful idea.

Corrections officers in the sheriff’s adult prison and juvenile detention center decided they would rather give up their annual Christmas exchange of gifts to one another in favor of adopting two needy families for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

And a new tradition was born.

A core of deputies working on the idea got referrals from a parish social group about families that needed help. They said they wanted those with young children and whittled a list down to two families who had several children each.

After contacting them, the deputies started making plans for arranging meals for both holidays that they could deliver to the families and making lists of what the children needed, such as toys and coats, clothing and beds.

One family, a mother and four children, is from Violet and the other, in Chalmette, is a mother and three kids.

It was something the men and women in the Corrections Division came up with themselves, said Col. David Mowers, who commands the division.

Offering the help to the famiies was a way of saying, “Let’s get the stress off them,’’ Mowers said. “They both were excited’’ when informed the deputies would like to help them.

Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann said he commends the officers for donating their time and money for a worthwhile cause during the holiday season.

Sheriff’s Dep. Wayne Babin Jr. who works in the prison, said, “Some of us were talking one day and we said instead of doing an office party and giving gifts to each other let’s adopt a family.’’

Officers in the division began pledging donations and it was decided to help two families, who were chosen and contacted.

A Chalmette restaurant, Riverbend Bistro, agreed to donate and cook meals for the families for Thanksgiving and Christmas and the deputies would deliver them, and the mothers of the families were asked to make a Santa’s list for gifts for the children, who range in age from four months to 9 years old.

Coats were delivered for children in early November before cold weather set in and a Thanksgiving dinner was also delivered on the holiday. Other gifts and a Christmas dinner will be brought to them.

Photos of the family members being helped have been distributed to employees in the Corrections Division. “We want them to see who they are helping,’’ Mowers said.

Deputies said they hope to expand the program next year.

The mothers involved said they appreciate what is being done to help their children.

“I think it’s great,’’ said Amanda Garrison, who lives in Violet with her four young boys. “If not for this help they wouldn’t have jackets or any real Christmas this year.

“This makes it a lot easier for us at the holidays.’’

Latoya Myrick, who grew up in Florida, lives in Chalmette with her three children. “This is going to help us tremendously,’’ she said.

Myrick has lived in St. Bernard two years after being in Baton Rouge three years. “It’s safe here. My kids can go out and play.’’

Dec. 2, 2011 - A Florida man with an extensive criminal record who has been staying in Chalmette was booked with rape of a woman he just met and theft of her father’s truck and two television sets, Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann said.

Raymond Dewolfe, 40, who has no permanent address but has been staying in a trailer on Paris Road in Chalmette, was booked with rape on Dec. 1 after sheriff’s detectives tracked him down at the trailer based on a nickname the woman said he used, Pohlmann said.

The alleged rape happened early the morning of Nov. 19 in the Chalmette home of the woman’s father, who was out of town, Pohlmann said. Dewolfe was also booked with theft of the truck, taken at the home, and theft of two television sets from the same residence. The property hasn’t been recovered.

The woman reported the thefts Nov. 19 and also reported she believed she had been drugged and raped by a man she had recently met, Pohlmann said. When she woke up the property had been stolen, she said.

Dewolfe, who had numerous arrests in Florida, mostly for drugs, acknowledged having sex with the woman but denied all charges.

Dewolfe is being held in St. Bernard Prison in lieu of bond set at $45,000.

Dec 03, 2011 - With kids in one hand, bags in the other, people shopping during the heightened excitement and stress of the upcoming holiday activities can be inviting targets for criminals and should remember to pay attention to their surroundings in and outside of stores, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff-elect James Pohlmann said.

He also reminded parents to be cautious about their children’s activities in holiday school breaks.

Pohlmann said whether St. Bernard residents are in the parish or elsewhere during the holidays as they shop for gifts or visit others, they should take precautions to avoid becoming a victim of theft or robbery, “It’s possible someone may be watching to take advantage of people distracted while busily rushing from place to place,’’ Pohlmann said.

“Holidays are a time when people often are on the go and could let their guard down,’’ Pohlmann said. “Just remember to follow some common sense safety tips to reduce the chances of anything going wrong.’’

Here are tips for having a safe holiday time, Pohlmann said:

- Pay attention to where you park while shopping and, at night, park only in areas that are well-lit, and then lock all doors. Once inside a store, men should protect their wallets from pickpockets and women should remember not to leave their purses unattended in shopping carts. Always keep purses closed in crowds and don’t set them down on counters or floors where someone could remove items.

- Always escort children to a restroom because minors could be photographed, molested or even abducted if left alone in public restrooms. If shopping in a large store or mall establish a meeting place in case parents and children become separated. If possible, all parties should have cell phones to contact one another. Tell children in advance that if you become separated they should go only to a store clerk or security officer for help, and never to a stranger who doesn’t work in the store.

-Pohlmann said when leaving a store for a vehicle, scan the parking lot for any suspicious activities or people standing in one area or sitting in a vehicle watching patrons leave. If it’s dark and you feel uncomfortable, ask a store security officer to escort you. If walking alone, leave from a door nearest your parked vehicle, have your vehicle keys in hand and, once inside, lock the doors before leaving your parking space.

Pohlmann also said when children are out of school for holiday breaks, parents need to be proactive and ask where they will be and establish times for checking in.

Cell phones are the best method of directly checking in with teen-age minors who are away from their parents. If they are going to another teen-ager’s home parents should insist on knowing the telephone number of an adult who will be there, Pohlmann said.

Dec 02, 2011 - The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, in accordance with Louisiana law, has mailed the 2011 Property Tax notices via U.S. mail to parish property owners and the taxes must be paid by Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011.

Property taxes become delinquent for the year 2011 at 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011 - the time when the sheriff’s Civil Tax Office closes for the New Year’s holiday.

The Sheriff’s Civil Tax Office will be open normal hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30 and until 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31. It will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Also, the office will close on Friday, Dec. 23 and Monday Dec. 26 for the Christmas holiday and reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 27.

The Civil Tax Office is located on the second floor of the new Sheriff’s Annex, at 2 Courthouse Square at the intersection of Pakenham Drive - immediately behind the old Parish Courthouse on West St. Bernard Highway in Chalmette.

The public can enter through a lobby, which has an elevator inside, and faces Pakenham Drive. Go to the second floor and to your left is the Civil Division where taxes, fines and occupational licenses can be paid.

Property tax notices were mailed to the address on file as provided to the St. Bernard Parish Tax Assessor’s Office. Property owners should have begun receiving received these notices by now.

If anyone receives a Tax Notice for property they no longer own, please notify the sheriff’s Civil Tax Office at 504-271-2504 during regular business hours – Monday through Thursday – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays.

If a property owner has moved and doesn’t receive their 2011 Tax Bill, they need to call both the Sheriff’s Office to give their new mailing address so the tax bill can be sent to them and they must call or visit the St. Bernard Tax Assessor’s Office in the temporary parish Courthouse Building on West Judge Drive in Chalmette to give the permanent address change.

The Tax Assessor’s number is 504-279-6379.

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office only maintains the address change for the current mailing. The Assessor’s Office keeps the permanent address.

St. Bernard Sheriff's Deputy Douglas Kramer, left, recently completed the Peace Officers' Standards and Training course, or P.O.S.T., given at Slidell Regional Police Academy. With him is Maj. David DiMaggio, director of training programs for the Sheriff's Office.

Dec. 01, 2011- St. Bernard Parish Deputy Sheriff Douglas Kramer has recently completed the Peace Officers’ Standards and Training course, or P.O.S.T., given at Slidell Regional Police Academy.

The program, which covers all aspects of police work, consists of more than 400 hours of training over several months.

Kramer, who has worked for the Sheriff’s Office about six years, was in the Communications Division for about four years and has been assigned to the parish Juvenile Detention Center for two years.