Man and woman booked with about 14 grams of methamphetamine worth more than $1,500

Kevin Brown, booked on methamphetamine charge.

Hana Deeb, booked on methamphetamine charge.

About 14 grams of methamphetamine and some marijuana was seized and a man and a woman were arrested at their Chalmette home, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The drugs were worth more than $1,500.

Kevin Brown, 27, and Hana Deeb, 26, both of 3309 Delambert Drive, Chalmette, were booked Sunday night, March 29, with possession of methamphetamine found in four bags, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, which was a digital scale.

Deputies went to the home after the Sheriff’s Office received a call about possible gun shots fired there. The call about gunfire turned out to be incorrect but once there deputies smelled the aroma of marijuana and drugs were spotted in view, the sheriff said.

Officers then obtained a search warrant from a judge and the methamphetamine, marijuana and the scale were found.

Brown has a previous marijuana conviction.

The man and woman were being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison.

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Four N.O. men, a woman and a male juvenile arrested in two auto thefts after pursuits; Also resulted in arrests for a stolen phone and 17 bags of marijuana

Keivon Jones, booked with auto theft and possession of a stolen vehicle

Jerrimontate Brown, booked with auto theft and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Four adult men, one woman and one male juvenile, all from New Orleans, were arrested in two auto thefts in which they were caught after pursuits, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Also, one of the men was booked with possession of a stolen cell phone from a vehicle burglary, and one man and one woman were booked with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute after 17 small bags of the drug were found in the back seat of a police unit in which they were transported to jail.

One person in a group of three arrested for one of the auto thefts told sheriff’s deputies they had been dropped off in a Meraux subdivision to look for a vehicle to steal by members of the other group arrested, the sheriff said.

The arrests were early Saturday morning, March 28.

Just after 2 a.m. on that date, sheriff’s deputies spotted a Honda Insight with a Kentucky license plate eastbound on Judge Perez Drive at Jacob Drive in Chalmette without head lights on. The vehicle was reported stolen.

When officers tried to stop the driver, he fled and accelerated up to about 80 mph, disregarding red lights, until the vehicle, which had three occupants inside, came to Bayou Road and the driver lost control and struck a ditch near Sugar Mill Drive.

All three occupants fled on foot and two, Carla Coste, 17, and Sevie Delery, 17, were captured and arrested, while a teen-age male initially got away. But that person, who was the driver, was later found, arrested and identified as a 16-year-old juvenile.

The driver, whose name wasn’t released because he is a minor, was booked with possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated flight from officers, resisting an officer, no driver’s license and with numerous traffic charges.

Coste and Delery were initially booked with possession of the stolen vehicle but later the charge of possession with intent to distribute marijuana was added for them after the plastic bag with 17 small bags inside were found in the back of the police car in which they were transported to jail.

Both Coste and Delery have been released on bonds of $15,000 each.

In the other arrests involving a stolen vehicle, a Meraux woman reported about 4 a.m. March 28 that her pick-up truck had just been stolen at her home, with the sound of it being started up awakening her.

A short time later, sheriff’s deputies spotted the truck, occupied by three males, westbound on Judge Perez Drive at Paul Drive but the driver wouldn’t stop and accelerated at a high rate of speed.

Moments later other units joined in the pursuit and Paris Road was blocked off at Judge Perez Drive. The driver attempted to evade that by taking a right on Lyndell Drive, going north, but when the street dead-ended the vehicle was driven into a drainage canal containing water.

The occupants, all 17, got out to flee but all three were captured and arrested, included the driver, Keivon Jones, and passengers Luis Nunez and Jerrimontate Brown.

All were booked with theft of an auto, possession of a stolen auto and resisting an officer. Jones also was booked with not having a driver’s license, aggravated flight from officers and with traffic charges.

Brown had a cell phone on him which he denied ownership of and later that morning after the phone had been reported stolen in a vehicle burglary, Brown was also booked with possession of stolen property.

All three men are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $50,000 bonds each.

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Missing 5-week-old boy found in good condition and babysitter he was with booked with aggravated kidnapping after Sheriff’s Office and FBI agents worked through the night

Sarah Harris at the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau

Sheriff”s Dep. Eric Wickboldt handcuffs Sarah Harris to transfer her from the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau to Parish Prison. to be booked with aggravated kidnapping.

A missing 5-week-old Slidell boy was found in good condition early Sunday morning and the babysitter he was left with was booked with aggravated kidnapping after Sheriff’s Office and FBI agents worked through Saturday night, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

“This was a great outcome, the best it could have been,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said. “The longer something like this goes on the less likely the chance is for a good outcome.” He added, “This was a job well done by our people and the FBI agents who put in a lot of time with it, working all night. We appreciate all the help we received from them.’’ The sheriff himself took part in running down leads during Saturday night.

The infant, Tristan Douglas, was found with babysitter, Sarah Harris, 48, of Guerra Drive in Violet, about 7:30 a.m. Sunday while she was walking on Congress Street off Chef Menteur Highway near apartments in eastern New Orleans, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The FBI and Sheriff’s Office developed information which led to the pair, the sheriff said, after spending Saturday night tracking down leads on where Hughes had been with the child.

The boy, described as slightly dehydrated but otherwise in good condition, was taken to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans to be examined and his mother, Takisha Douglas of Slidell, was expected to be reunited with him at the hospital, Sheriff Pohlmann said. The babysitter had been given a quantity of powdered baby formula for the child, authorities said.

Harris was last seen Friday when the boy’s mother dropped him off at the babysitter’s residence in Violet in eastern St. Bernard, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Harris was last seen on Friday morning when the mother dropped off the infant for her to babysit while the mother went to work.

Harris had last been heard of at midday Friday when both the mother and her boyfriend said they spoke to her in separate cell phone calls and Harris told them she was going to a store in New Orleans.

However, no supporting evidence was ever found by police to substantiate she had been to the store she mentioned, authorities said.

A 2014 black 4-door Dodge Charger with a Louisiana license plate which police were looking for after the babysitter disappeared wasn’t found during her arrest, the sheriff said.

Harris was initially taken to the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau for debriefing and afterwards was transferred to St. Bernard Parish Prison to be booked with aggravated kidnapping of the child, the sheriff said.

The disappearance was initially reported by the child’s mother to New Orleans police on Friday after calls to Harris’ cell phone were going to voice mail. The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation because the last place Harris and the child were seen was at her residence in St. Bernard, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The mother has known Harris for several years, Sheriff Pohlmann said, but this was the first time she had left the infant with Harris to babysit.

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St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office and FBI investigating disappearance of 5-week-old Slidell boy and a woman babysitter who was last seen Friday in Violet;

Missing boy, Tristan Douglas of Slidell, last seen in St. Bernard Parish.

Sarah Harris of Violet, babysitter who is missing with the infant.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office and the FBI are investigating the disappearance of a 5-week-old Slidell boy and his woman babysitter who was last seen Friday when the boy’s mother dropped him off at the babysitter’s residence in Violet in eastern St. Bernard, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Anyone with information should call the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 or the FBI at (504) 816-3000.

There has been no information on the whereabouts of the babysitter, Sarah Harris, 48, of Guerra Drive in Violet, or the boy, Tristan Douglas, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Harris is believed to be driving a 2014 black 4-door Dodge Charger with Louisiana license YCR602.

The disappearance was initially reported by the child’s mother, Takisha Douglas of Slidell, to New Orleans police on Friday. Both the mother and Harris’ boyfriend reported they last spoke to Harris at midday Friday by cell phone and she said she was driving to a grocery store in New Orleans. That was the last she has been heard of, authorities said.

Calls to Harris’ cell phone have since been going to voice mail.

The mother has known Harris for several years, Sheriff Pohlmann said, but this was the first time she had left the infant with Harris to babysit.

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office is handling the investigation because the last place Harris and the child were seen was at her residence in St. Bernard when the mother dropped him off, the sheriff said.

The babysitter was given a quantity of powdered baby formula for the child, authorities said.

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Check the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page on Sunday, April 12 for location updates for the Irish-Italian– Islenos parade in Chalmette

Sheriff James Pohlmann reminds people attending the Irish-Italian–Islenos parade in Chalmette on Sunday, April 12 to look for location updates on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

A sheriff’s deputy on board the department’s Mobile Emergency Operations Center which leads the parade will post regular location updates on the Facebook page after it starts in Chalmette.

“We have done this since 2014 for parades in the parish and people seemed to like the updates of where the parade was,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said. Several hundred people said on the Facebook page that they appreciated them, he said.

“We hope spectators, especially children, continue to find it to be fun and helpful to know when the parade will approach their location,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The department’s mobile command post, acquired through a federal grant, is a great vehicle and is perfect for leading a parade, the sheriff said.

It will coordinate the running of the parade as well as road closings as it moves along the route, he said.

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Sheriff Pohlmann says the Sheriff’s Office will offer a free Junior Deputy Academy in June and July for children 10-13; Call 278-7628 to register

Sheriff James Pohlmann is pleased to introduce a free Junior Deputy Academy in St . Bernard Parish for boys and girls 10-13, to be held in June and July.

“Our academy will offer kids a chance to interact with sheriff’s deputies and make friends with positive role models for them,” Sheriff Pohlmann said.

“We believe this will help develop pride and self-respect for these young people as well as respect for their community and its values,” the sheriff said.

“We also hope they will find it fun and informative.”

The program is open to children who live in St. Bernard Parish.

To register, Call Capt. Charles Borchers at (504) 278-7628.

The academy will mostly be held two days a week, Tuesday and Thursday, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Some times and days may vary.

It starts on June 9 and runs through July 22. There won’t be sessions the week of the July 4th holiday.

Classes will be held at the Sheriff’s Office Training Center, on the second floor of a building at 2118 Jackson Blvd. in Chalmette, immediately behind the Parish Courthouse.

Deputies from various divisions of the Sheriff’s Office will visit with participants and introduce them to various functions that impact the parish.

Included in the academy will be field trips to the Parish Prison and firearms safety taught at a shooting range.

Participants will also learn basic first aid and CPR and hear from officers about the Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division, Narcotics Division, Crime Scene Investigation and the department’s state-of-the-art equipment.

The academy is patterned after the Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy for adults.

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Relay for Life event for cancer research to be held Saturday, April 25 from 2-10 p.m. at the Hannan Complex in Meraux; Sheriff Pohlmann and others took part in fund-raiser for it at a Chalmette bar March 21

Several St. Bernard current and former public officials served up drinks as guest bartenders at Wimpy’s in Chalmette on March 21 to raise money for the Relay for Life benefit to fight cancer being held April 25 from 2-10 p.m. at the Hannan Complex in Meraux. From left are Clerk of Court Randy Nunez, District Attorney Perry Nicosia, Assessor Jaylynn Bergeron Turner, Sheriff James Pohlmann, Wimpy’s owner Lori Cantrell and former Parish Councilman Mike Ginart. The guests worked with bartender Erin Taranto, shown at right.

Sheriff James Pohlmann gets a drink for a customer.

Relay For Life is the main volunteer-driven fundraising event of the American Cancer Society in which about 4 million Americans take part in some 5,000 communities each year.

In St. Bernard Parish, on Saturday, April 25 from 2-10 p.m. the Relay for Life event will be held at the Hannan Complex in Meraux. Numerous teams of walkers will come together to remember lost loved ones, celebrate survivors of cancer, increase cancer awareness and unite the community in the fight against the illness.

Some 16 teams from St. Bernard are scheduled to participate, as well as teams in numerous communities across the country. Teams can register by going to relayforlife.org/st.bernard.

A host of guest bartenders including St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann, Clerk of Court Randy Nunez, District Attorney Perry Nicosia, Assessor Jaylynn Bergeron Turner and former Parish Councilman Mike Ginart served up drinks at Wimpy’s on East Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette. They worked with bartender Erin Taranto.

The site was offered by owner Lori Cantrell, who has been holding the event several years. The event has been “a fun way to raise money to fight cancer,’’ Cantrell said.

Proceeds from the night went to Team Randy Nunez in the Relay for Life. Nunez is a cancer survivor and has had a team in the event several years.

Originating in the United States in 1985, the Relay For Life event has spread to 21 countries. They are held in local community venues such as a park or track, on campus at universities, or military bases, with teams taking part in walking around a track.

It is estimated that Relay For Life events have raised several billion since its inception.

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Sheriff’s Office seizes more than a half-pound of heroin, largest amount ever in the parish; It indicates the surge in heroin nationally;

Alvin Clay, ringleader in the heroin operation

Shonika White, Clay’s girlfriend, who was booked on marijuana and Tramadol pain-killer charges

The largest heroin seizure ever in St. Bernard Parish – more than a half-pound – has been carried out by the Sheriff’s Office after developing information on a group that moved into Chalmette less than two months ago, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Six people including a 15-year-old boy were arrested Thursday, March 19, and some $29,000 in cash has been recovered, along with a small amount of marijuana and pain-killer pills, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The heroin would be worth well over $100,000 in retail sales.

The arrests were made by the Special Investigations Division, commanded by Maj. Chad Clark.

The ringleader is Alvin Clay, 28, who moved to 3705 Shangri-La Drive in Chalmette in late January. He has a lengthy criminal history that includes 30 months spent in prison for drugs and weapons in a New Orleans conviction.

When arrested last week, Clay was out on bond in New Orleans from recent arrests there for possession with intent to distribute heroin and marijuana. The sheriff speculated Clay may have thought he could hide in Chalmette to take the pressure off him in New Orleans.

Clay is booked in St. Bernard Parish with possession with intent to distribute heroin, 11 grams of marijuana and the pain-killer pills Tramadol, as well as a count of possession of up to 400 grams of heroin.

Clay is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bond set at $250,000.

About 8.3 ounces of heroin was found in a carry safe at Clay’s residence. The money was in the case and a closet.

A woman identified as Clay’s girlfriend, Shonika White, 36, of the same address, was booked with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and the Tramadol. She is being held in lieu of bond set at $7,500.

Three Chalmette men, Dorian Charles, 19, Keith Payton, 18, and Jimmy White, 24, as well as a juvenile boy, were all booked with possession of marijuana.

“This is the largest seizure of heroin the Sheriff’s Office has made in St. Bernard Parish,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said.

“We have also made a number of heroin cases in Chalmette recently made both by the Special Investigations Division and by patrol deputies after traffic stops’’, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

“It’s all indicative of the surge in heroin use and importation that has been taking place nationwide and we see it in St. Bernard,’’ the sheriff said.

“It is important we continue to put resources into rooting out drugs and the people who are making so much money ruining the lives of people such as those who have become addicted to heroin,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said.

“We take this seriously and it is gratifying when we can eliminate a large amount of this poison from our parish.’’

What was seized in the arrest would have amounted to 8,800 injections of heroin, the sheriff said, all of which has been taken off the streets.

Maj. Clark said his division seized about 6.5 ounces of heroin all last year on 47 arrests, an amount surpassed in one day by the Clay arrest.

With the amount of heroin found with Clay, “there is no telling how many lives were saved,’’ Clark said.

“This drug heroin is destroying families every day and I can assure you we will not rest until every heroin dealer here is arrested,’’ Clark said.

District Attorney Perry Nicosia attended a press conference and said Clay’s criminal record makes him a good candidate for prosecution as a habitual offender and receive an enhanced sentence.

Anyone with information about drug activity in St. Bernard should call the Sheriff’s Office’s anonymous drug hotline at 271-DOPE, which is 271-3673. All calls are acted upon.

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St. Bernard Resident Dies in Motor Vehicle Crash

Early Monday morning, at approximately 2:30 am, Louisiana State Police Troop B investigated a fatal crash on LA 300 near Russell Place. Wayne Melerine Jr. (age 37) of St. Bernard Parish died during the crash.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Melerine was traveling north on LA 300 in a 2013 GMC Truck. For reasons still under investigation, the truck ran off the road to the right and struck a tree.

Speed and impairment are not considered factors of the crash. Melerine was pronounced dead on the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt and toxicology tests are pending an autopsy.

The crash remains under investigation.

Troopers would like to remind motorists that seat belt usage is required by Louisiana law for all occupants of a vehicle. The primary purpose of a seat belt is to keep the occupant in the seating position preventing ejection. A seat belt also protects the internal organs, brain and spinal cord.

Motorists that witness hazardous situations are urged to call *LSP (*577) and report that activity to the Louisiana State Police.

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11 grams of heroin worth $1,200 seized from man who hid it behind a tire rim during a traffic stop; $989 cash and a small amount of marijuana found

Some $1,200 in heroin, or 11 grams, was seized from a New Orleans man when he was caught by sheriff’s deputies hiding a plastic bag behind a tire rim during a traffic stop in Chalmette, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Just under $1,000 in cash and a small amount of marijuana also was seized.

Eric Bell, 28, was driving an SUV on March 19 and was stopped with two passengers when all were seen not wearing a seat belt and Bell also disregarded a stop sign, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Bell pulled over to a gasoline station in the 2700 block of Paris Road and when Dep. Joshua English approached he smelled the odor of marijuana and ordered all of them out of the vehicle, with assistance from Dep. Ryan Lopez.

One occupant, Eric Mies, 19, 2716 Bradbury Drive, Meraux, admitted he had a small bag of marijuana on him and turned it over.

The three men were placed on the ground near the vehicle when Dep. Lopez told Dep. English that Bell was moving around near the front, driver’s side tire. They investigated and saw part of a plastic bag which had been placed behind the tire rim.

The deputies removed the bag and it contained 10 individual bags with a brown substance inside which tested positive for heroin. The total amount found was 11 grams worth $1,200.

Bell also had $989 cash on him.

A hand-rolled cigar containing marijuana was found on the ground near Bell, the sheriff said. And the third man, Manuel Nicosia, 24, of Slidell, had a syringe in the waist band of his pants. Another syringe was found on the ground near the vehicle.

Bell was booked with possession with intent to distribute heroin and disregarding a stop sign. All three were booked with marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and no seatbelt in use. Nicosia was also booked with probation violation.

Bell was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $20,000 bond. Nicosia has a probation hold and Mies has been released on bond but the amount wasn’t available.

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