Missing St. Bernard Parish teen-age girl is now home

A 14-year-old Violet girl who had been missing since June 5 is now home, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The girl’s legal guardian, who had reported her missing, notified the Sheriff’s Office that she was back home, the sheriff said.

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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

A group looks over the Sheriff’s Office bomb robot, used to check out suspicious items.	Members of the bomb squad, including, from left, Sgt. Chris Scheeler and Lt. Steve Ingargiola, second from right Capt. Daniel Doucet and at right Sgt. Ryan Melerine, with SWAT commander Lt. Robert Norton at center.
Some of the members of the SWAT team answer questions from the academy participants.	Lt. Raymond Theriot discusses some of the weapons the Sheriff’s Office uses, as well as smoke bombs and other items.
Lt. Robert Norton, commander of the Sheriff’s Office SWAT team talks to the Junior Deputy Academy about the responsibilities of the SWAT team.	Preslie Jarman, 10, tries on the gas mask.

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 twice-a-week course that runs through graduation on July 20. They are hearing from various divisions of the Sheriff’s Office and being introduced to functions that impact the parish.

But on June 14 the group of more than 30 boys and girls 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.

SWAT team commander Lt. Bobby Norton explained to the kids the SWAT team is used in special circumstances such as when a troubled person is holding others against their will or is threatening to harm himself. “We want things to end peacefully,’’ Norton said, and SWAT team members are trained to work toward that.

Capt. Charles Borchers spoke to the group about what it entails to be a negotiator in a SWAT situation, such as when he has had talked to individuals in an effort to get them to come outside

Members of the SWAT team also answered questions from Junior Deoputy Academy participants.

The kids were shown 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. 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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Public’s assistances sought in locating a missing 14-year-old St. Bernard Parish girl who may be in eastern New Orleans; If she is seen, call local police or the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office is asking the public’s assistances in locating a 14-year-old Violet girl who is missing and apparently has been in eastern New Orleans, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of Dashanaire Reddick, who has been missing since June 5, they should call local police or the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at 271-2501.

Her legal guardian, Tronell Anderson, reported her missing and fears for her safety.

On Monday, June 13, family members of the girl learned she was at a residence in the area of Downman Road in eastern New Orleans, the sheriff said.

But when Reddick learned her guardian was aware of her location she fled on foot but is still believed to be in that general area, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

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Homeless man booked with 10 vehicle burglaries in Violet from June 9-10; When arrested June 11 he was wearing a pair of pants and a belt from a victim taken two nights earlier

A man who said he was homeless had the audacity to be wearing another man’s pants and belt taken in a car burglary two nights earlier when he was arrested Sarturday night, June 11, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Patrick Sikes, 24, was booked with 10 counts of vehicle burglaries that happened in the Violet area the night of June 9 and morning of the 10th when he was initially arrested June 11 on a separate charge of aggravated battery against a Violet area woman, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Sikes, being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lienu of bond set at $100,000, became a suspect in the burglaries when he was spotted pulling on vehicle door handles on a home surveillance camera near the site of one of the break-ins.

Several sheriff’s deputies who had handled previous arrests of Sikes said they thought they recognized him from still photos taken from the surveillance footage and an alert was put out that Sikes was wanted for questioning in the burglaries.

When Sikes was taken into custody the night of June 11 for the aggravated battery, arresting deputies got in touch with the sheriff’s detective handling the burglary investigations, the sheriff said.

Det. Sgt. Ryan Melerine went to the scene of Sikes’ arrest and questioned him about the burglaries, which he first denied committing.

But Melerine learned one of the victims of the burglaries had reported a specific type of pants and belt were among items stolen from his vehicle and saw Sikes was wearing those type pants and belt.

The victim, at the scene, identified the pants and belt Sikes had on as stolen from his vehicle after Sikes removed the belt and the victim saw an extra hole the victim had made in it to make it fit better, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Confronted with the witness’ identification, Sikes admitted he had committed all the burglaries in search of loose change and other items because he was homeless and wanted to support what he said was a drug addiction.

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Car burglar caught in the act in Arabi and held at gun point by a relative of the victim; Suspect booked in total of two car burglaries

An Arabi resident caught a man burglarizing his daughter-in-law’s vehicle at 5:30 a.m. and held him on the ground at gun point as the Sheriff’s Office was called, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Nicholas Russell, 19, of Arabi, was booked June 7 with simple burglary and illegal possession of prescription pills in the incident on Friscoville Avenue., the sheriff said.

Russell was booked with an additional count of car burglary on Thursday after further investigation and is a suspect in other car burglaries in Arabi, the sheriff said.

Sheriff Pohlmann said the resident who held Russell at gun point saw him in his daughter-in-law’s vehicle when he was loading his own vehicle for work about 5:30 a.m.

As Russell got out of the car, the resident retrieved his handgun, approached and ordered him to the ground.

Hearing the commotion, the man’s son came out and saw his father holding Russell and called the Sheriff’s Office.

When Russell was taken to jail, three prescription pills were found in a book bag he had, resulting in the drug charges.

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Det. Sgt. Ryan Melerine graduates bomb technician school; Becomes fourth bomb technician at the Sheriff’s Office; Are only 3,100 in nation

 

Det. Sgt. Ryan Melerine recently graduated from Hazardous Devices School located at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville,  Ala., which is put on by the FBI and U.S. Army.

Melerine, who has been with the Sheriff’s Office nearly 10 years, becomes the fourth certified bomb technician at the department.

He said the 250-hour class was a great experience and “some of the best training I received since becoming a law enforcement officer.’’

“There are only approximately 3,100 bomb technicians in the United States, all trained at this one and only academy,  and its a privilege to become a part of that small community.”

Melerine is assigned to the Criminal Investigations Bureau.

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Second year of Junior Deputy Academy begins; Some kids say they want to be cops, others took class to see department weapons, the jail or firing range; Sheriff tells them they will like what they will see

Sheriff James Pohlmann tells the class they will have “some awesome things to do.”	Capt. Charles Borchers, right, speaks to the Junior Deputy academy class and next to him is Dep. Sheriff Eric Eilers.
Dep. Sheriff Eric Eilers shows a group the inside of a police car and demonstrates a radar gun.	Lt. Steve Ingargiola discusses the work of the Patrol Division to the class.

Alicia Chatham pf Chalmette said she wanted her son, Michael, 12, to take the Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputy Academy class which opened June 7 to help him learn more about “discipline, respect and that there are consequences for actions.’’

Daniel Rodriguez of Chalmette said he wants his grandson, Elijah Payne, 10, “to learn about police. He’s been saying he might want to be a policeman.’’ And he added, “I was a Junior Deputy when I young,’’ in the 1960s when the program was first held by the Sheriff’s Office.

Some of the more than 30 kids who attended the opening day of the Junior Deputy Academy’s second year under Sheriff James Pohlmann had various reasons they were interested in the class that runs two days a week through mid-July.

Alexis Brewer, 12, said she is taking the class for the second year because. “It was fun last year’’ and she looks forward to seeing the department’s bomb robot, used for checking out suspicious items.

James Shaneyfelt, 11, said he wants to see the Parish Prison. Bob Manual, 9, said, “I want to learn about being a cop.’’

Sheriff James Pohlmann told the group. “My staff has put together a great program and I think you will like what you see.’’

He added, “You are going to have some awesome things to do.’’

The sheriff also spoke about problems youth can have and stressed they need to understand that their life will be about the decisions they make, including who they choose to associate with.

“We have a lot of people in our jail who have made bad decisions,’’ often including the use of drugs that got them addicted and led to being involved in crime as a way to find money for more drugs.

Capt. Charles Borchers and Dep. Sheriff Eric Eilers are coordinating the Junior Deputy Academy.

Borchers told the class that police “are not people to be scared of. You can trust us.’’

Eilers let the class get a look inside a sheriff’s car and its lights and sirens, and demonstrated a radar gun to them.

Also, on the first day of class, Lt. Steve Ingargiola, a veteran of the Patrol Division and graduate of the FBI Academy in Virginia, spoke about the day-to-day job of a police officer, running them through various types of things they do on patrol and the types of calls they handle.

Ingargiola also stressed to the children not to be afraid or leary of police.

“We are approachable.’’ Ingargiola said. “You can talk to us. We are here to help you.’’

During the Academy, deputies from various divisions of the Sheriff’s Office will visit with participants and introduce them to 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 Narcotics Division, Crime Scene Investigation and the department’s state-of-the-art equipment.

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DOTD announces temporary hours of operation for the Judge Seeber Bridge

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announces temporary hours of operation following the emergency closure of the Judge Seeber (Claiborne Avenue) Bridge on Tuesday, June 7, due to malfunction.

The bridge is now open to vehicular traffic from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., daily, with a right lane closure of the northbound lane, going into the city. During this period, the bridge will be closed to marine traffic.

The bridge will be closed to all vehicular traffic and fully open to marine traffic between the hours of 7:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., nightly, until the bridge is repaired.

The suggested alternate route is the La. 46/St. Claude Avenue Bridge or the Florida Avenue Bridge.

Motorists can access the latest updates on real-time traffic and road conditions using the 511 Traveler Information System by dialing 511 from their telephone and saying the route or region on which they are seeking information. Out-of-state travelers can call 1-888-ROAD-511 (1-888-762-3511). Travelers can also access this information by visiting the 511 Traveler Information Web site at www.511la.org.

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Ministry proclaims Day of Honor for SBSO and NOPD, giving officers a lunch at a location in both Arabi and New Orleans

Pastor Robert Collins and wife, Florence, in front of their Trumpet of Truth Ministry at 7415 West St. Bernard Highway, Arabi.

St. Bernard sheriff’s deputies eat lunch under a tent at the Trumpet of Truth Ministry in Arabi.

An Arabi ministry provided both food and prayers for St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office deputies at its church on Tuesday.

The same group, Trumpet of Truth Ministries, did the same for New Orleans police at a location in the city.

Led by Pastor Robert Collins, who lives in Gentilly with his wife, Florence, Trumpet of Truth Ministries proclaimed a Day of Honor for officers of the SBSO and NOPD.

Bar B Que lunches were made for police, who accepted the gracious offer.

Asked why the event was held, Collins said “These officers are servants to all of us,” as he and his wife sat at one of many tables set up under a tent outside the church at 7415 West St. Bernard Highway in Arabi, site of a former Winn-Dixie grocery store.

“We pray for these officers and want to make their jobs easier,” the pastor said.

“We stand with them.”

Collins said the church in Arabi, which he said has about 100 members, has been there about a year.

There are also Trumpet of Truth ministries in Slidell and Bogalusa, he said.

A publication by the church said, “The vision of Trumpet of Truth Ministry is to restore a life that has been devastated by substance abuse; to encourage teen-agers to stay in school; to mend the broken-hearted; to see the smiling face of a lonely person; to visit those in prison; to visit the sick; to offer shelter to a stranger; and to meet the needs of those who require assistance both locally and abroad ”

Sheriff James Pohlmann, who ate lunch at a table outside the church in Arabi, said he is grateful for what Pastor Collins did.

“I always appreciate it when people support law enforcement,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “Especially in these times when so much you see in the media seems critical of law enforcement.”

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Sheriff’s Office takes part in WWL-TV hurricane preparedness conference with other parish government, law enforcement and emergency officials

Bernard Parish Chief Deputy Richard Baumy and other local law enforcement, parish government and emergency officials at the WWL-TV hurricane meeting June 6.

WWL-TV meteorologist Dave Nussbaum talks about the 2016 hurricane season.

St. Bernard Parish Chief Deputy Sheriff Richard Baumy took part in a WWL-TV hurricane preparedness meeting that brought together numerous parish government, law enforcement and emergency officials and meteorologists from the National Weather Service.

Hurricane season began June 1, runs through Nov. 1, and has already had several storms impacting states, including Florida which had a storm hit its coastal area days ago.

At the WWL-TV meeting on June 6, meteorologists went over what over factors affecting how many storms could develop this season.

Parish officials got to ask questions and interact in discussions about their parish.

“It was a good chance for officials from around the New Orleans area to get together and discuss the hurricane season that just began,” Chief Deputy Baumy said. “We all have a common interest in it.’’

St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis and John Rahaim, director of Homeland Security for parish government, also attended the hurricane meeting.

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