New group, the One Voice Task Force, seeks to bring community together and foster good relations with law enforcement to continue to have a safe parish

A child hugs Sheriff James Pohlmann.	Sheriff Pohlmann is flanked by Justice of the Peace Barbara Manuel and Pastor Rodney Jiles.
Jashayla Parker, 9, with the Sheriff’s Office bomb robot used to check suspicious items, displayed at the One Voice Task Force event.	Kids play knockerball.

Carol Emery of Violet said it is imperative St. Bernard Parish residents come together, learn how they can help one another, and foster good relations with law enforcement so the parish can continue to be a good place to raise a family.

Emery is assistant pastor of Living Cornerstone Church International on St. Bernard Parkway, just over the St. Bernard Parish line at Braithwaite. Jean Treadaway is pastor of the church, located in a former trade school.

She is part of a new group, the One Voice Task Force – which is comprised of ministers and lay people – which is working with kids and adults to try to identify specific problems the community faces and encourage people to work with the Sheriff’s Office to eradicate illegal drug-dealing and crime it causes.

“Our goal is to find out what people need’’ so they can find solutions, Emery said. “And we want to bring the community and law enforcement officers together.”

Sometimes, she said, “people need to e shown how to take care of themselves’’ and that’s something the One Voice Task Force would like to help do.
But people also need to help police so they can keep St. Bernard Parish a safe place, said Emery, who grew up in Violet and continues to live there. “This has to be a safe place where kids can go outside and play.’’

Others who formed the group include Pastor Treadaway, Minister Rodney Jiles of Violet, pastor of Higher Dimensions Deliverance Ministries, Terrance Sanchez, Justice of the Peace Barbara Manuel, Courtney Treadaway and Katedra Williams.

Jiles said, “The goal is to work with the parish, as a whole.’’

He said some people “like to point fingers’’ and blame others for problems, when the solutions are to work together. “People need to be accountable” for themselves in what they do and say, Jiles said.

The group had a community back-to-school outreach event Aug. 27 with food, games and other activities for kids on the grounds of the Living Cornerstone Church International.

The Sheriff’s Office participated in the event, assigning officers from its S.W.A.T. team and Drug Abuse Resistance Education program or D.A.R.E., along with bringing equipment including its bomb robot for investigating suspicious packages, a motorcycle, and other vehicles.

Sheriff James Pohlmann mingled with participants and had the juveniles there join him as he told the audience. “We have to look toward the future of this parish and the children are the future.’’

The Sheriff’s Office, he said, wants to continue a long history of trust by the community and wants to work with the community to combat drug abuse and the crime it leads to as addicts steal to support a habit.

The parish Fire Department also brought its smoke house to the event to show children how to safely escape a fire and also brought a fire truck.

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Sobriety check point results in a number of arrests for narcotics possession and driving while intoxicated, as well as the seizure of four weapons

A man is arrested during the check point.

Several guns were seized during the check point.

A sobriety check point in Chalmette the night of Aug. 25 resulted in a number of arrests for narcotics possession and driving while intoxicated, as well as the seizure of four weapons, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The check point was conducted by the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, along with the Plaquemines Sheriff’s Office and Louisiana State Police.

Two arrests were made for driving while intoxicated, along with 7 arrests for narcotics – one for heroin possession and six for marijuana possession. Also, four guns were seized, two of which had been reported stolen and were possessed by convicted felons.

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St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office deputies cut grass at homes of Livingston Parish first-responders affected by flooding

Members of the St. Bernard Parish Sheriffs Office took a day to go cut grass for first-responders in Livingston Parish who do not have time to do so or who lost all of their lawn equipment in recent flooding.

Shown from left to right are Lt Ricky Hunt, a former deputy of St. Bernard now working with the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office; and St. Bernard deputies Sgt Chris Scheeler, Dep. Kenny Sierra, Capt. Brian Clark, Cpl. Shane Lulei, Lt. Michael Ingargolia, Capt. Walter Dornan, Capt. Ronnie Martin and Deputy Matthew Martin.

Other St. Bernard officers who took part but are not pictured include Lt. Justin Meyer, Dep. Richard Scheuermann, Dep.
Blake Kelly, Dep. Cory Bordelon and Dep. Jacob Ricouard.

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Chalmette man booked with burglary and possession of stolen things after he was seen inside one vehicle and was pulling on door handles of others

A Chalmette man was booked with simple burglary, possession of stolen things and other charges after he was seen inside one vehicle and was pulling on door handles of others, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Louis Flores, 19, 3702 Shangri La Drive, was arrested just after 1 a.m. Aug. 24, on Gladiators Drive in Chalmette after he was seen inside a vehicle in the area of Titans and Jupiter drives, the sheriff said.

Flores was also booked with criminal trespass, resisting arrest and criminal mischief, as well as the counts of burglary and possession of stolen things. He is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bond set at $18,000.

When sheriff’s deputies confronted him he dropped several items on the ground. The items included a purse, several wallets and multiple identification cards.

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High Speed Crash Causes Fatality in St. Bernard Parish

St. Bernard Parish – This morning, shortly after 7:00 am, Louisiana State Police investigated a fatal crash on LA 39 (East Judge Perez), just east of the Violet Bridge.  The crash claimed the life of 21 year old John L. Stafford of Gretna, LA.

Preliminary investigation revealed that a 2005 Dodge Ram, driven by 66 year old Larry Ducote of Chalmette, LA, was stopped on the right shoulder of LA 39 south and merged into the right lane.  Shortly after merging into the lane, the Dodge was struck in the left rear by a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro, driven by Stafford.  The Camaro veered to the left and Stafford overcorrected the Camaro veering back to the right.  The Camaro ran off the roadway and the driver’s side impacted a tree.  The Camaro then caught on fire.  Stafford was pronounced dead on the scene.  Ducote was wearing a seat belt and suffered minor injuries.

Impairment is unknown on the part of Stafford and toxicology results are pending an autopsy.  Troopers do not suspect impairment for Ducote.  Speed is believed to be a factor of the crash and it remains under investigation.

This was the first of two fatal crashes that Troop B investigated in a 45 minute period.  Both crashes involve speeding vehicles.  Nationally, according to NHSTA, speeding is a factor in one-third of all fatal crashes.  Speeding is defined as speed too fast for conditions or in excess of the posted speed limit.  Speed limits are implemented in the best interest of public safety.  Numerous factors are taken into consideration when deciding on a speed limit.  Some of those include lane and shoulder width, vertical alignment, superelevation and curve radius.  Troopers witness firsthand the devastating effects in motor vehicle crashes caused by speeding.  Please be a responsible driver, obey speed limits, drive sober, buckle up and avoid distractions.

Contact Information:

S/T Melissa Matey
State Police – Troop B
Public Affairs Section

Office: (504) 471-2780
[email protected]
www.LSP.org
www.facebook.com/LouisianaStatePolice

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Participants say they are taking free Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy class which just started because they want to learn about law enforcement in St. Bernard Parish

Several people said they are taking the free Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy class which started Aug. 24 because they want to learn what law enforcement is about in St. Bernard Parish.

Terrance Sanchez of Meraux, who is affiliated with the One Voice Task Force community group, said, “Our goal is to bring together the community and the Sheriff’s Office.’’

As part of that, he said, “I wanted to see what law enforcement goes through on a day-to-day basis,’’ Sanchez said. “It looks like it will be an interesting class.’’

Bilin Thomas of Chalmette said she took the class in preparation for applying to become a sheriff’s deputy. “I have wanted to be a police officer for a long time’’ and thought the class would be a good educational tool.

And Suzanne Maitre of Chalmette said, “I want to be better informed’’ in order to “give moral support’’ to relatives already on the Sheriff’s Office force. She also said, “I want to learn whatever I can to make St. Bernard a better place.’’

Capt. Charles Borchers and Dep. Sheriff Eric Eilers coordinate the 10-week course, now in its 18th year, which includes a graduation ceremony on Oct. 26. More than 700 parish residents have taken the Citizens Police Academy class.

Sheriff James James Pohlmann will also address the group of about 40 St. Bernard Parish residents.

The course is primarily about hearing from veteran representatives of each division of the Sheriff’s Office, with a chance to ask questions and get frank answers, get to see the equipment the officers use and visit the Parish Prison for a look at what goes on there.

“Participants learn about what police work entails in the parish,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Maj. Chad Clark, commander of the Special Investigations Division which includes the Narcotics Unit and Street Crimes, told the group his officers work daily tracking leads on drug-dealers in the parish and work with federal authorities, State Police and agencies in other parishes to fight drug networks that stretch across parish lines.

He frankly said, “I don’t know if we are winning the war on drugs, but I believe we are winning in St. Bernard Parish.”

And Clark said residents need to understand the surge in the use and sales of heroin, which is ravishing many parts of the nation as well as the New Orleans area, including St. Bernard.

The purity of the drug, matched with the fact it has gone down in price as drug cartels have flooded America with their product, is responsible for so many overdose deaths nationally, Clark said.

St. Bernard, luckily, has seen OD deaths decline to one in the last year, a fact Clark credits to the parish Fire Department and its policy of responding to medical emergencies with the drug Naloxone, commonly known by the brand name, Narcan, which often can reverse the effects of an opiate overdose.

Clark said everyone should know heroin is highly addictive but said some may not realize how difficult a drug it is to kick once a person is addicted. “There is not a lot of success when it comes to the battle of heroin addiction and everyone should be aware of its effects,” he said.

Parents also have to be concerned about synthetic marijuana which has killed some young people and the use of prescription drugs, sometimes by juveniles who steal them from the medicine cabinet of relatives and the parents of friends, Clark said.

He also said he, like Sheriff Pohlmann, is adamantly opposed to the legalization of marijuana for several reasons, including the fact the potentsy of the drug being seen today is much greater than years ago, making it unsafe to drive on both for the user and anyone else on the road.

Also Clark said, with the high quality marijuana now worth $7,000 a pound, there are increasing cases of robbery of dealers – endangering anyone living in the neighborhood of the dealer. Also, it is common now to find guns being used by dealers to protect their product, which also raises the likelihood of shootouts in which bystanders get hurt.

Anyone who suspects drug activity anywhere in the parish should call the Sheriff’s Office narcotics line at (504) 271-DOPE or 271-3673. All calls are investigated and often lead to breaking up major narcotics networks, Clark said.

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Fundraiser brings in $2,500 to go toward protective vests for sheriff’s deputies

From left are Sue Murphy and Kelly Devenport , both of the Sheriff’s Office, with Melissa Lane of parish government, at the fundraiser at Katz Lounge. In back are Sheriff James Pohlmann and Parish President Guy McInnis.

Julie Murray and Lisa Levis, organizers of the fundraiser at Katx Lounge, with Sheriff James Pohlmann.

Lisa Levis, owner of Katz Lounge in Chalmette said she has been “really bothered’’ by shootings of police officers in recent months and she and Julie Murray, owner of J & K Pawn and Jewelry, decided a fundraiser to raise money for protective vests for sheriff’s deputies would be a step in the right direction.

“If they (deputies) aren’t safe they can’t keep us (the community) safe,’’ said Levis.

Murray added, “We wanted to give something back to our community,’’ Helping the deputies made sense, she said, because, “They have always been good to my business.’’

The women put together a fundraiser at Katz Lounge on Saturday night, Aug. 20. Levis said they raised $2,500 to donate for vests for deputies.

Sheriff James Pohlmann and sheriff’s deputies took part in the fundraiser.

It was the second fundraiser in three days held by Chalmette businesses to help sheriff’s deputies.

A fundraiser at Me Me’s Lounge on Aug. 17 raised more than $11,000.

Sheriff Pohlmann said the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office are delighted with the results of the fundraisers and appreciate it when people show their support for law enforcement.

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Man booked with burglary of four residences over last few weeks and most of the stolen property was recovered and returned to victims

A Chalmette man has been booked with four residence burglaries committed in the past few weeks and most of the property stolen has been recovered and returned to the owners, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Gregory Pichon, 29, was arrested on Aug. 17 after an investigation by sheriff’s detectives into burglaries in Chalmette and Arabi led to him, including finding stolen items he sold to a pawn shop, the sheriff said.

Detectives were also able to identify a vehicle used by Pichon as having been on the scene of several house burglaries.

Stolen property was also found at his home, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Pichon was also booked with three counts of possession of stolen property.

He was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bond set at $85,000.

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Sobriety check point to be held in St. Bernard Parish on Thursday night, Aug. 25

Sheriff James Pohlmann announces that sheriff’s deputies will conduct a sobriety check point in St. Bernard Parish on Thursday night, Aug. 25, from 7:15 p.m. until 1:15 a.m. the morning of Aug. 26.

Anyone found driving impaired from alcohol or drugs will be arrested.

The location of the check point wasn’t disclosed.

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Elected officials serve as guest bartenders as Chalmette bar and grille has fundraiser to donate money for protective vests for sheriff’s deputies

Sheriff James Pohlmann draws a beer for a customer.

Rae Ann and Chuck Williams, owners of Me Me’s Bar and Grille, during the fundraiser in their restaurant and bar.

Four St. Bernard Parish elected officials served as guest bartenders at Me Me’s Bar and Grille in Chalmette for two hours the evening of Aug. 17 during a fundraiser to donate money for protective vests for sheriff’s deputies. More than $11,600 was raised.

Rae Ann and Chuck Williams, owners of Me Me’s at 712 West Judge Perez Drive, said they were donating all funds from alcohol sales during a two-hour period Wednesday night.

Sheriff James Pohlmann, Parish President Guy McInnis, District Attorney Perry Nicosia and Assessor Jaylynn Bergeron Turner served as the guest bartenders.

“We as a community are proud of our Sheriff’s Office and want to do what we can to make sure the men and women are safe so they can protect the parish,’’ Rae Ann Williams said. That was why she and her husband wanted to donate money for vests for deputies, she said. “We wanted to give something back to them.’’

The community being safe because of the Sheriff’s Office was a main reason residents returned after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Williams said.

She said more than $11,600 was raised and will be donated to purchase the protective equipment for deputies.

“It was a fantastic night and we appreciate the generosity of those who attended,’’ Williams said.

Sheriff Pohlmann said the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office appreciate what the Williams’ have done and the continuing support the community has shown for law enforcement.

A similar fundraiser to donate equipment for sheriff’s deputies will be held Saturday, Aug. 20 at 9 p.m. at Katz Lounge in Chalmette, sponsored by Katz Lounge and J & K Pawn & Jewelry.

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