Chalmette man wanted on attempted murder charge after stabbing a man to the abdomen and fleeing

A man who had been living in Chalmette is wanted on a charge of attempted second-degree murder after stabbing a man to the abdomen the night of June 26 and then fleeing, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Elio Alexander Garcia, 42, whose last address was at 800 West Genie Street in Chalmette, is wanted on a warrant issued by a judge, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The victim of the attack was Gustavo Baltodano, 43, who lived in an apartment in the same complex where Garcia lived.

The stabbing happened in the parking lot of their apartment complex when the men argued and Garcia went upstairs to his apartment and returned with a knife and stabbed the victim to the left side of the abdomen, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Baltodano drove himself to St. Bernard Parish Hospital after he was stabbed. He has been transferred to University Hospital in New Orleans, the sheriff said.

Sheriff’s deputies looked for Garcia afterward but he had left his apartment and hasn’t been located.

Anyone with information on Garcia’s whereabouts should call the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111.

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Man wanted for a reported $100,000 armed robbery in Lafourche Parish arrested in eastern St. Bernard Parish

A man wanted for armed robbery in Lafourche Parish in which a reported $100,000 was stolen at a couple’s Galliano home, has been caught in eastern St. Bernard Parish, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Brent M. LeBouef, 23, of Houma, was found at 53 Randazzo Drive late in the afternoon on June 26 after St. Bernard sheriff’s deputies received information about him, the sheriff said.

He was found hiding in a closet under clothing.

LeBouef was booked with resisting an officer and with being a fugitive from Lafourche, where a warrant for his arrest on an armed robbery charge was issued weeks after the May 13 robbery in Galliano. He is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison pending being returned to Lafourche Parish.

Christopher Odis, who lives at 53 Randazzo Drive where the wanted man was located, was booked with harboring a fugitive after he initially denied to sheriff’s deputies that LeBouef was there. Odis was jailed but later released on bond set at $750.

Four people have now been charged in the robbery of a Galliano couple, who were tied up at home and threatened with a gun and baseball bat, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
The homeowner, Jim Guidry, 64, was killed in a head-on crash June 8 on La. 1 just south of Golden Meadow, it was reported.
Guidry told authorities the robbers had taken a safe, cash and an SUV from him and his wife. Golden Meadow Police found the SUV abandoned.
Guidry, who owned Big Jim’s Seafood in Golden Meadow, said several thousand dollars was stolen from him and that just over $100,000 was in the stolen safe. He also said several pistols and shotguns were stolen.

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Times listed for legal use of fireworks in St. Bernard Parish during the 4th of July celebration

By St. Bernard Parish ordinance, here are the times when fireworks can legally be used in the parish during the 4th of July celebration.

From June 25 through July 2, fireworks can legally be used from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m.

On July 3 and 4 fireworks can be used from 9 a.m. until midnight.

On July 5, they can be used from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m., when all use of fireworks must end for the 4th of July period.

Any use outside these hours would be considered illegal disturbing of the peace.

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Tenn. man arrested for sex crimes with a juvenile

Tennessee man arrested for sex crimes involving 15-year-old girl he met on Internet and drove to St. Bernard Parish to meet

A Tennessee man has been arrested in St. Bernard Parish for sex crimes involving a 15-year-old girl he met on the Internet, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

John Lynch, 53, of the Chattanooga area, has been booked with two counts of carnal knowledge of the girl for allegedly having sex with her, as well as two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The female is from New Orleans but was visiting relatives in St. Bernard Parish, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Lynch was stopped on traffic charges in Chalmette on Wednesday night, June 24, and a sheriff’s deputy investigated further after learning a girl in the vehicle with him was only 15, the sheriff said.

Lynch was booked that night with one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile.

Detectives with the Juvenile Division of the Sheriff’s Office began a follow-up investigation which resulted in Lynch being booked on the additional counts.

Detectives learned the adult and minor met several months ago on the Internet and made plans to meet when she visited relatives in St. Bernard Parish.

Lynch drove to Louisiana from Chattanooga to meet her.

Authorities in Tennessee and the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office are also investigating the man, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Lynch is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bond set at $750,000.

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Two arrested in burglary of a residence down the street from where they were staying

David Will: David Will Jr.., booked with burglary of a residence.

Stephanie Taylor: Stephanie Taylor, booked with burglary of a residence

It was about as un-neighborly as possible.

Sheriff James Pohlmann said a man and a woman were booked with simple burglary after they broke into the home of a neighbor down the block and stole numerous items, then tried to sell some of the stolen loot to other neighbors.

David Will Jr., 40, and Stephanie Taylor, 24, were arrested and booked with burglary of a residence on June 20. the sheriff said.

Will and Taylor said they were living with a relative of hers in the 1600 block of Robert Drive, the same block where the burglary happened.

Will passed out in a police vehicle after his arrest in the 1600 block of Robert Drive. Taylor passed out after fleeing to another residence on a different street.

Both were taken to a hospital for medical treatment and then arrested and taken to jail.

When brought to St. Bernard Parish Prison, Taylor was also booked with trying to bring contraband into the prison, which was drugs found hidden on her.

Most of the stolen items, including two television sets, money and other items, were recovered.

Taylor is jailed in lieu of bond set at $15,000 and Will was being held in lieu of bond set at $12,500.

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West Judge Perez Drive in Arabi will be closed at times on Friday, June 26, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Mehle Avenue to Norton Avenue; Traffic to be re-routed

West Judge Perez Drive in Arabi will be closed at times on Friday, June 26, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Mehle Avenue to Norton Avenue and traffic will be re-routed during closures.

The closures are caused by filming scheduled to be carried out that day.

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Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputy Academy allows 10-13 year-olds to view weaponry, equipment and vehicles used by SWAT team members, bomb squad and department in general

Lt. Raymond Theriot helps place a gas mask on a participant.	Junior Deputy Academy participants stand to examine the department’s bomb robot, used to check suspicious items.
Steve Ingargiola of the bomb squad places bomb squad clothing on participant Eric Wickboldt of Chalmette.	Participant Jonathan Bartholomew of Meraux wears a bomb squad helmet.

Children taking the Sheriff’s Office free Junior Deputy Academy got to view weaponry, equipment and vehicles used by SWAT team members, the bomb squad and the department in general.

Under a program started by Sheriff James Pohlmann, participants ages 10-13 are taking a course that runs through graduation on July 22. They are hearing from various divisions of the Sheriff’s Office and being introduced to various functions that impact the parish.

But on June 23 the group of more than 30 boys and girls in the Junior Deputy Academy got an inside look at the state-of-the-art weapons, vehicles and equipment used by the SWAT team, the department’s bomb squad and other officers in general.

The SWAT team, led by Maj. Robert McNab, demonstrated guns and equipment, bomb squad members showed a bomb robot used to check suspicious items and equipment members wear, and the department’s mobile command post and a truck were displayed.

In further sessions, there will be field trips to the Parish Prison and firearms safety taught at a shooting range, as well as lessons in basic first aid and CPR.

The academy, coordinated by Capt. Charles Borchers and Dep. Sheriff Eric Eilers, is patterned after the Sheriff’s Office free Citizens Police Academy for adults, which begins in late August. Register for the adult version by calling Capt. Borchers at (504) 278-7628.

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Sheriff’s Office to soon open FEMA-funded new sub-station on Paris Road in Chalmette and another on West Judge Perez Drive near the parish line in Arabi; A third opened on St. Claude in Arabi

Sub-station on Paris Road that will open in early July.	Sub-station being built on West Judge Perex Drive in Arabi and will likely open in early August.
Sheriff James Pohlmann speaks to Kiwanis Club about the Sheriff’s Office	Sheriff James Pohlmann with Kiwanis Club President Mitch Perkins.

Two long-awaited new sub-stations will soon open on Paris Road in Chalmette and on West Judge Perez Drive near the parish line in Arabi, funded by FEMA, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

They will join a sub-station which opened on St. Claude Avenue at the parish line last December to form a means to help close off streets into and out of the parish if necessary, the sheriff said.

Sheriff Pohlmann, speaking at the St. Bernard Kiwanis Club, said the Sheriff’s Office has achieved getting three new stations without spending any money, thanks to creatively using a pool of funds provided by FEMA. Combine that with closing an old station being leased for years on Paris Road will provide money to pay for utilities on the new buildings, the sheriff said.

“This is something we have been trying to accomplish for quite a while,’’ he said. “We had a limited amount of money and needed to make sure we spent every dollar wisely.’’

The three new sub-stations will also be a part of the Sheriff’s Office crime suppression strategy and should give residents “peace of mind’’ that the parish can be effectively shut down in case of an emergency, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The new stations in Arabi replace the two sub-stations which stood there prior to being damaged in Hurricane Katrina, the sheriff said.

A 5,000 square-foot building will open in early July at 4700 Paris Road, being built with the help of a donation of one square block of prime real estate by the Meraux Foundation.

About a month later, it is expected a 5,000 square-foot station being built at 7001 West Judge Perez Drive at Aycock Street in Arabi will open, the sheriff said.

They will join an 8,193 square-foot sub-station which opened in December at 6501 St. Claude Ave. next to the Jackson Barracks National Guard base. It houses the offices of the sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Bureau, Juvenile Investigations Bureau, Crime Scene investigations including facilities to process evidence, the sex offender registry and investigation of domestic violence cases.

When the sub-stations in Arabi were first opened in the 1990s, Sheriff Pohlmann said, they were a psychological deterrent to criminals from outside St. Bernard who could see police were there and would know if they committed a crime they would have to leave the parish past those stations.

Giving an overview of the department, Sheriff Pohlmann also said there is a heavy responsibility in overseeing a Sheriff’s Office which averages 3,000 calls for service every month and makes 200 arrests per month, as well as running 24-hour a day operations for a prison, Communications Division and Patrol Division. “We have a lot to do with 280 employees.’’

The hiring process for officers was also ungraded involving creation of a hiring board made up of experienced deputies who interview applicants and make recommendations he reviews, the sheriff said.

“We are trying to add more officers and upgrade our fleet and technology services,’’ the sheriff said. Application for employment in entry level jobs in the Corrections and Communication divisions or by experienced officers from other department who want to join the Patrol Division, can made at the Sheriff’s Annex at No. 2 Courthouse Square, behind the Courthouse in Chalmette.

Those who would like to apply for the volunteer Reserve Division can call Capt. Charles Borchers at 278-7628.

Increased training programs for deputies have been implemented, the sheriff said, and through grants the department has been successful in obtaining money used to get its first mobile emergency command post, a patrol boat big enough to be used on the Mississippi River and a deep-water truck that can BE used for evacuating residents in a rain storm event.

The sheriff also acknowledged that like elsewhere in the nation, drug abuse – particularly a surge in heroin use being seen throughout many areas – remains a problem and is the leading cause of property crimes. Addicts steal to get money to feed their habit, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

“If you could fix the drug problem you fix the crime problem,’’ he said.

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Sheriff’s Office seeks to identify a man and a woman wanted for questioning in thefts of two wallets and use of a stolen device card

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help to identify a man and a woman wanted for questioning in the thefts of two wallets and use of a stolen device card, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The wallets were stolen from two purses in a Chalmette supermarket on June 5 and later that day a device card that was in one purse was used to illegally purchase items in a different Chalmette store, the sheriff said.

A photo of the man and woman together was obtained when the stolen card was used, the sheriff said.

Anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of the pair should call the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111.

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Six arrested and others sought in a large street fight from weeks ago in which a video appeared on social media but no one called S.O. while it was happening

A video of a large outdoor fight on a street in eastern St. Bernard Parish which appeared on social media has lead to the arrest of three males and three females and several others are sought, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

“This melee between possibly 15-20 men, women and juveniles wasn’t reported to us at the time it was happening,” although numerous others were watching. Sheriff Pohlmann said. “But we have identified a number of people based on a video that surfaced.’’

The fight happened on Suzi Drive the first week of June and a video was posted June 5. The man who videoed the incident and posted it on social media is among those arrested, booked with contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. No one has reported being seriously injured, the sheriff said.

Sheriff Pohlmann said sheriff’s detectives began identifying participants after the video appeared.

Two men and two women were booked with disturbing the peace by fighting and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. A 15-year-old girl from eastern St. Bernard Parish was booked with aggravated assault for allegedly trying to use a stun gun on someone during the incident.

Arrested were Cassie Goodling Cuccia, 21, of Chalmette; Lena Ellzey, 23, of Violet; the juvenile girl, and males Elbert Kruse, 31, of Chalmette who posted the video and was booked on a count of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile; Joushua Meyers, 19, and Dalton Kieff, 19, both from eastern St. Bernard Parish.

Kruse was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bond set at $3,000 and he was also held in contempt by state District Judge Jeanne Juneau and given 15 days to serve in jail for his behavior during his bond setting appearance. The other adults were being held in lieu of bond set at $3,500 each. The 15-year-old was being held in the Juvenile Detention Center.

A warrant was also issued by a judge for the arrest of a woman whose name wasn’t released and arrest warrants will be sought for several other men who have been identified as being part of the fight, the sheriff said.

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