Witnesses, victims hold vehicle burglar until sheriff’s deputy arrives

Several witnesses and victims helped subdue and hold a vehicle burglar in Chalmette until a sheriff’s deputy arrived, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Patrick Sikes, 23, 1809 Gnell Drive in eastern St. Bernard Parish, was booked early June 28 with one count of vehicle burglary, one count of attempted burglary and with illegal possession of pills.

Sikes was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bond set at $10,000.

When a deputy got there, Sikes was surrounded by several people who said he had entered a vehicle and stolen items.

A witness saw Sikes pulling on a door handle but he didn’t get in, the sheriff said

The witness also saw Sikes soon enter a truck in a driveway of a house in the 300 block of East Genie Drive, the sheriff said. The witness said he rushed the suspect, pulled him out and brought him to the house of the truck owner and announced what happened, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The Sheriff’s Office was called and Sikes was arrested after numerous items including change allegedly taken from the truck was found on him. A bottle with ten pills was also found on Sikes.

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Chalmette man sets fire to rental home of his estranged wife after an argument; no one injured

A Chalmette man set fire and heavily damaged the rental home of his estranged wife on Tuesday afternoon following an argument the night before in which he threatened to do so, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

John Schuster, 47, set fire in the afternoon to the home at 3004 Pecan Drive, where he had been staying with his estranged wife, the sheriff said. No one was injured.

The parish Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire and has brought in the state Fire Marshal’s office to assist.

Neither the wife nor their children were at home when the fire started. The sheriff said she had left the residence in fear Tuesday morning after she woke up to find he had stolen her sport utility vehicle and left.

Sheriff Pohlmann said Schuster, who has a criminal history that includes arrests for robbery and receiving stolen property, had threatened the wife the night before that he would tie her up in the house and burn it to the ground.

Schuster, who was seen removing items from the house before it went up in flames, was arrested about 5:15 p.m. when sheriff’s deputies were called to a disturbance at the residence of a relative of Schuster’s wife on Nicosia Drive in eastern St. Bernard Parish.

Schuster was booked with arson, criminal damage of more than $50,000 to the house, theft of the sport utility vehicle and theft of items from the house. Several items were recovered at the time of the arrest.

Schuster is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison and has not had a bond set in his case.

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