Pet dog found shot to death outside home in Arabi on Tuesday

An Arabi woman’s pet dog was found shot to death earlyTuesday morning after the animal was let outside, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Keiser, a 9 or 10-year-old Shepherd mix, was shot once to the chest and was found dead about 8:30 a.m., the sheriff said. It appeared a pellet gun was used to kill the dog.

The incident happened near the intersection of Anne Street and Center Street.

Sheriff’s deputies and parish Animal Control were called to investigate.

No arrests have been made.

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

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St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann reminds residents it’s free ride home program runs through Jan. 2 to discourage impaired driving; Call 271-2501

St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann reminds residents the Sheriff’s Office holiday free ride home program – the oldest in the New Orleans area going back to 1984 – is in effect through Jan. 2.

Sheriff Pohlmann says the goal is to discourage impaired driving.

“Just call us at (504) 271-2501 and you can get a free ride home, no questions asked,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “We don’t want to arrest you for DWI or see you injure yourself or someone else in an accident .”

To date this year we have had 14 people call the Sheriff’s Office for this helpful ride home, the sheriff said. Last year, Sheriff Pohlmann said, “we ended up with 24 people using the program by Jan 2, which we believe was the most ever for us.”

Anyone living in St. Bernard would receive a ride home, but not to another bar or party, Sheriff Pohlmann said .

Those in the parish but who live elsewhere can be taken to one of several police stations in the parish where they can make arrangements for someone to pick them up, the sheriff said.

“Do yourself a favor. Please accept our offer of a ride home instead of driving if you are impaired,” Sheriff Pohlmann said.

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Sheriff’s Office C.O.P.S. for Christmas program helps four St. Bernard families

In front, seated, is Amesha Jackson, holding daughter Fantasia and son, Elijah, and next to them is Jaxson Allnet, son of Dep. Sgt. Shannon Cooper. In back are Sgt. Cooper, Cpl. Wayne Babin Jr., Jackson’s son, Khalil; Lt. Jamie Penton, Capt. Angela Huff, Seth Penton, son of Lt. Penton; and Kaya Penton, daughter of Lt. Penton.

In front, from left, are Kaya Penton, Jaxson Allnet, below him Jackie Penton, Lt. Jamie Penton, and Tijae Hugle. In back are Seth Penton, Cpl. Wayne Babin Jr., Capt. Angela Huff, Sgt. Jennifer Dassau, and family members Tireill Hugle, Wakesia Hugle and Tireyona Hugle.

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office C.O.P.S. for Christmas program – standing for Caring Officers Provide Smiles for Christmas – was able to help four parish families with combinations of food, a tree and presents.

Officers primarily from the Communications Division and the Corrections Division, who formed the group several years ago, donate money and get other help to provide the assistance for needy families.

The number of families helped varies but this year four Chalmette families were selected to help at Christmas.
It was the fifth year the C.O.P.S. for Christmas program has been held. Also helping with donations to the program besides officers included several St. Bernard businesses.

The Sheriff’s Office also separately helps other groups at Christmas, including by distributing 20 children’s bicycles donated annually by Associated Terminals of Chalmette.

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Times listed for legal use of fireworks in St. Bernard Parish through New Year’s Day

By St. Bernard Parish ordinance, here are the times when fireworks can legally be used in the parish through New Year’s Day.

Through Dec. 28 fireworks can legally be used from 9 a.m.
until 11 p.m.

On Dec. 29 and 30 they can be used from 9 a.m. until midnight.

On Dec. 31, they can be used from 9 a.m. until 2 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2016.

On Jan 1, fireworks can be used from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m., at which time all use of fireworks must end for the New Year’s period.

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More than 300 5th-graders graduated the D.A.R.E. anti-drug program taught by the Sheriff’s Office in fall semester; Sheriff’s message to parents is to talk to their kids and watch for changes

D.A.R.E. essay winners at Willie Smith Elementary were, in front from left, Sheyla Cabrera, Cameron Marquez and Shamaya Cleggett. In back are D.A.R.E. instructor Sgt. Darrin Miller, Sheriff James Pohlmann, Maj. Chad Clark and Lt. Lisa Jackson, D.A.R.E. commander.	Maj. Chad Clark speaks at Arabi Elementary.
D.A.R.E. essay winners at Arabi Elementary were, in front from left, Elena Ozuna, Lilyan Aziz, Avery Edler and Isis Wilcox. In back are Lt. Lisa Jackson, Sgt. Darrin Miller, Maj. Chad Clark and Sheriff James Pohlmann.	D.A.R.E. essay winners at Our Lady of Prompt Succor were, from left in front,, Ella Lafrance, Halli Diecidue, Shania Raimer and Kathryn Kamlade. In back are Lt. Lisa Jackson, Sgt. Darrin Miller, School D.A.R.E. moderator Rachel Vogt, Maj. Chad Clark and Col. John Doran.

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office honored more than 200 fifth-graders at Willie Smith School, Arabi Elementary and Our Lady of Prompt Succor School on Dec. 15-17, who completed a 12-week program in Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., taught by instructors from the Sheriff’s Office.

It was the last D.A.R.E. graduation of the fall semester, which saw more than 300 students in five schools graduate the program, including at Chalmette Elementary and Lynn Oaks the week before the final three.

Lt. Lisa Jackson, commander of D.A.R.E., and Sgt. Darrin Miller are the instructors for the program, which was re-established in 2009, four years after Hurricane Katrina.

D.A.R.E. is aimed at trying to keep young people from using drugs including tobacco and alcohol, or taking part in violence or bullying of others.

Sheriff James Pohlmann told children at the graduations they must concentrate on making the right choices to have productive lives, including listening to their parents and teachers and deciding who they should and shouldn’t associate with.

The sheriff also praised those relatives of the graduates who turned out for the ceremony for showing their support for the students.

He encouraged them to continue staying focused on their children, including talking often with them and looking for warning signs to help prevent drug use or be alerted to them actually using drugs.

The sheriff said he supports anti-drug education programs from first-grade on in school systems to reach children as early as possible. And he supports treatment programs for users but firmly believes drug dealers must go to prison, he said.

“It comes down to choice,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann told students. “You have the choice every day’’ to hang with good people or bad people and to do drugs or refuse. And he said neither authorities, parents or anyone else can say they do enough to make sure drugs don’t reach children.

If parents notice changes in their kids indicating there might be a problem it is important to rescue them before they become involved in the criminal justice system and end up in prison, Sheriff Pohlmann said.
Don’t hesitate to ask what is happening. “It’s not something they will grow out of and it needs to be addressed,’’ the sheriff said.

Maj. Chad Clark, commander of the Special Investigations Division including the Narcotics Unit, said it takes the kind of education effort given by Sheriff’s Office drug resistance instructors at parish schools to affect the drug problem in America and solid law enforcement to stop drug dealers.

Clark said D.A.R.E. aims to begin educating children about the dangers of drugs and bullying before they encounter them because kids are exposed to drug use at an early age today. He said the efforts can be likened to a proverb by one of America’s founding fathers, Ben Franklin, who said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’’
At Prompt Succor, Col. John Doran, whose son, Seth, is a fifth-grader there and was taught the D.A.R.E. program, said he was speaking as a parent when he said, “This is the crucial age for your kids. Now is the time to really pay attention’’ to their friends and any changes in behavior that might signal drug use. And he told students, “Remember. Your parents are your best friends.’’

The resurgence of the deadly drug heroin is concerning law enforcement and health care officials throughout the nation and is something parents should be paying close attention to, Clark said. Heroin use has jumped more than 200 percent in a short period, Clark said.

But Clark said overdose deaths have been going down in the parish because of a combination of factors including law enforcement diligence.

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Three containers of presents for the Toys for Tots program were filled at a Sheriff’s Office sub-station in Arabi

Three containers were filled with presents for the Toys for Tots program held by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve at the Sheriff’s Office sub-station on Judge Perez Drive in Arabi and have been collected for distribution

New, unwrapped toys were collected.

Shown with the filled containers are, from left, Capt. Ronnie Martin, Sheriff James Pohlmann and Maj. Chad Clark. Clark and Martin, who are with the sheriff’s Special Investigations Division, are based at the Judge Perez Drive sub-station.

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Sheriff’s Office gets special visit from 5-year-old boy who loves to play police

Trever Rickerson, 5, holds a Sheriff’s Office badge he was given during a visit Dec. 17 to a station in Arabi. With him are Sheriff James Pohlmann and Capt. Ronnie Martin.

Trever checks out the Sheriff’s Office bomb robot used to investigate suspicious items.

Trever Rickerson is a 5-year-old boy who loves to play police.

He had a special visit on Dec. 17 to a Sheriff’s Office station on West Judge Perez Drive in Arabi where he got a tour of the new building with Sheriff James Pohlmann and Major Chad Clark, whose officers in the Special Investigations Division are based there.

Trever, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2 and rides a powered wheelchair, received some special gifts including a Sheriff’s Office hat, a badge like the ones deputies carry, police patches and other items. Trever also showed off how he maneuvers his wheelchair.

Then he was taken to the parking lot behind the station to check out the Sheriff’s Office bomb robot used to check out suspicious items. The boy then got to try his hand at driving the robot around the parking lot.

Also, a remote-controlled tiny police car containing Darren the Lion, symbol of the D.A.R.E. anti-drug program, arrived and soon there was race across the parking lot that was won by Trevor.

Did the boy like his adventure? “He loved it,’’ his mother, Brittany Cotogno Rickerson said the next day. “He has been playing police all day.’’

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Associated Terminals donates 20 children’s bicycles to Sheriff’s Office to give to needy St. Bernard families

Associated Terminals, exclusive operator of the Port of St. Bernard’s marine facilities, has donated 20 children’s bicycles to the Sheriff’s Office to give to needy St. Bernard families for Christmas.

Sheriff James Pohlmann said recipients of the bicycles have been chosen.

Associated Terminals, the largest midstream stevedoring company on the Mississippi River, operates at sites including at Chalmette Slip in St. Bernard Parish, in Plaquemines Parish and in Reserve.

Sheriff Pohlmann met Dec. 17 with Jason Perez, Associated Terminals’ operations manager, and Louis Fos, its cranes manager, to receive the girls’ and boys’ bicycles.

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

Associated Terminals has donated bicycles to the Sheriff’s Office at Christmas for a number of years to help the needy and has also donated bicycles to several other groups in St. Bernard.

Employees at Associated Terminals donate money to help fund the bicycle project, which has been active with the Christmas bike project in several parishes since 2002.

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Sheriff’s Office announces closure hours and dates for administrative offices during the holidays

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office has announced closure hours and dates for administrative offices during the holidays.

On both Dec. 18 and Dec. 23 administrative offices will close at 2:30 p.m.

Offices will be closed entirely on Dec. 24 and 25, then resume regular office hours on Dec. 28, 29 and 30. Offices will then close Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, then resume regular office hours on Jan. 4.

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Groups give separate donations to the Sheriff’s Office to purchase body armor for officers and for the Reserve Division for events it worked this year

Sheriff James Pohlmann holds one of the checks given to the department by labor unions to purchase body armor for officers. At left is Al Bostick of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and at right is Roy Serpas Jr. of the International Union of Operating Engineers.

Capt. Charles Borchers, who coordinates the Reserve Division, accepts a check from Russell Serpas Sr., Grand Knight of Rummel Council 5747 of the Knights of Columbus in Chalmette in appreciation of events the reserves worked this year. At left are Reserve Division Lt. Tony Jeansonne and at right is Reserve Division Sgt. Albert Loar.

Two groups have given separate donations to the Sheriff’s Office to purchase body armor for officers and for the Reserve Division in appreciation of work it does.

A group representing unionized workers contributed checks totaling $2,500 to Sheriff James Pohlmann on Dec. 9 to purchase body armor for officers.

Roy L. Serpas Jr., business manager-president of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 406, and Al Bostick, political director/assistant business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, presented checks to Sheriff Pohlmann on behalf of their groups. They also gave him checks from crafts of the Southeast Louisiana Building and Construction Trades.

Also, the Knights of Columbus Archbishop J.F. Rummel Council 5747 in Chalmette made a donation to the Sheriff’s Office Reserve Division on Dec. 13. The donation was in appreciation for events worked by the reserves in 2015 including the Louisiana Crawfish Festival held annually by the Knights of Columbus.

Council Grand Knight Russell Serpas Sr. gave a check to Capt. Charles Borchers, who coordinates the Reserve Division, during the ceremony.

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