Archives: December2017

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office D.A.R.E. program graduations

W. Smith Jr. Elementary School fifth-graders who were named D.A.R.E. essay winners are, first row, from left: Mariyah Odom, second place; Jayden Williams, second place; Jaylin Williams, first place; and Innocence Spencer, first place. Pictured with the essay winners are, second row, from left: Lt. Lisa Jackson, D.A.R.E. anti-drug program supervisor; Lt. Daniel Bostic, of the Special Investigations Division Narcotics Unit; Col. Robert McNab, commander of the Special Investigations Division; Lt. Ricky Jackson, of the Special Investigations Division FBI Task Force; and Sgt. Darrin Miller, D.A.R.E. anti-drug program supervisor.

Lt. Lisa Jackson, D.A.R.E. anti-drug program supervisor, serves some celebratory cake to W. Smith Jr. Elementary School fifth-graders following the school’s D.A.R.E. graduation ceremony held Dec. 5.

Sgt. Darrin Miller, D.A.R.E. program supervisor, fastens the seatbelt of Daren the Lion, the D.A.R.E. program mascot, prior to the beginning of a graduation ceremony held at W. Smith Jr. Elementary School in Violet.

Lt. Lisa Jackson, left, and Sgt. Darrin Miller, right, D.A.R.E. anti-drug program supervisors, present certificates of completion to D.A.R.E. graduates at W. Smith Elementary.

W. Smith Jr. Elementary School students perform an anti-drug skit during a graduation ceremony for fifth graders who completed the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Drug Abuse Resistance Education program.

Sheriff James Pohlmann said the D.A.R.E. anti-drug program, taught in St. Bernard Parish schools by program supervisor Lt. Lisa Jackson and Sgt. Darrin Miller, is aimed at discouraging youngsters from using drugs, including tobacco and alcohol, or taking part in violence or the bullying of others.

Fifty W. Smith Jr. Elementary School students graduated from the program in a ceremony held Dec. 5 at the school in Violet.

Times for legal use of fireworks in St. Bernard Parish

According to St. Bernard Parish ordinance, here are the times when fireworks can legally be used in the parish surrounding the New Year’s celebration:

From Dec. 15 through 28, fireworks can legally be used from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m.

On Dec. 29 and 30, fireworks can be used from 9 a.m. until midnight, and on Dec. 31, they can be used from 9 a.m. until 2 a.m.

On Jan. 1, fireworks can be used from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., at which time all use of fireworks must end for the New Year’s period.

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

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Free Ride Home Program Runs Through Jan. 2

St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann, left, and Capt. Walter Dornan at one of the five signs in the parish announcing the start of the Sheriff’s Office free Holiday Ride Home program. The annual program kicked of Thanksgiving day and runs through Jan. 2. St. Bernard residents who have too much to drink during the holiday season can call the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 for a safe ride home.

Since Thanksgiving, several residents have already taken advantage of the program, which allows residents who have too much to drink during the holiday season to call the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 to receive a free ride home from a deputy, no questions asked.

A Sheriff’s Office deputy will pick residents up and take them to their home in St. Bernard or, if someone lives outside the parish, they will take them to a Sheriff’s substation where they can make arrangements to be picked up by a friend or family member.

Sheriff Pohlmann said the goal of the program is to cut down on drinking and driving to prevent injuries from vehicle crashes.

“It is so simple and it could save your life or the life of someone you might hit in a traffic accident,” the Sheriff said.

Callers will be given a ride home, but not to a bar, nightclub or to another party.

“We don’t want to arrest you for driving while intoxicated or another impairment,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “So, instead of getting behind the wheel if you are impaired, just give us a call and we will pick you up and give you a ride.”

The free Holiday Ride Home program was started in St . Bernard Parish in 1986 and was the first of its kind in the New Orleans area. About two dozen people take advantage of the program each year.

More than two dozen attend the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office ‘Refuse To Be A Victim’ lecture

Capt. Charles Borchers, head of community relations and longtime Crime-Prevention and Neighborhood Watch director for the Sheriff’s Office, shows participants at the “Refuse To Be A Victim” lecture held Dec. 6 what types of deadbolt locks are best for homeowners. Also pictured is Sgt. Eric Eilers, far left, who helped present the program.

St. Bernard Parish resident Mike Sherwood, left, listens intently along with nearly 30 others as Capt. Charles Borchers offers his advice about crime prevention measures.

More than 30 St. Bernard Parish residents took advantage of free expert advice on crime prevention measures for their home or business by attending the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office annual “Refuse To Be A Victim” lecture, St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The presentation, given Dec. 6 by Capt. Charles Borchers, head of community relations and longtime Crime-Prevention and Neighborhood Watch director for the Sheriff’s Office, and Sgt. Eric Eilers, included safety tips on how to avoid becoming a crime victim.

Capt. Borchers offered advice on everything from the best kind of deadbolt locks for homeowners, to tips on how people who live alone can deter criminals, to suggestions about what to do and what not to do when you are going to be away from home for extended periods of time.

“You have to put yourself in the mindset that you are going to ‘refuse to be a victim’,” Capt. Borchers told lecture participants.

St. Bernard resident Mike Sherwood said he was very impressed with the amount of valuable information provided during the lecture.

“I really enjoyed the class,” Sherwood said. “There were a lot of good tips that they presented.”

St. Bernard Sheriff’s office agents arrest chalmette couple for distribution of methamphetamine

St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann said a Chalmette couple was arrested for distribution of methamphetamine after Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Agents were able to make purchases from each of them on separate occasions during an undercover investigation.

On Nov. 21, agents assigned to the Special Investigations Division executed arrest warrants for Ida Murchison, 34, and Michael Virga, 37, at their home in the 2900 block of Veronica Drive.

During the execution of the arrest warrants, agents recovered methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, including two digital scales and a glass smoking device, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

In addition to distribution of methamphetamine charges, both Murchison and Virga also were booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison with possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Virga is being held on a $31,500 bond; Murchison was released Dec. 2 on a bond in the same amount.

Sheriff Pohlmann reminds residents to call the Sheriff’s Office narcotics hotline at (504) 271-DOPE or 3673 to report suspected illegal drug activity in St. Bernard Parish. Callers can remain anonymous, and all calls will be acted upon.

Registration being accepted for St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office ‘Refuse To Be A Victim’ lecture

St. Bernard Parish residents looking for free expert advice on crime prevention measures for their home or business are encouraged to register for the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office’s “Refuse To Be a Victim” lecture set for Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Sheriff’s Training Center, 2118 Jackson Blvd. in Chalmette.

Presented by Capt. Charles Borchers, head of community relations and longtime Crime-Prevention and Neighborhood Watch director for the Sheriff’s Office, and Sgt. Eric Eilers, the lecture will include safety tips on how to avoid becoming a crime victim.

“Refuse To Be A Victim” is nationally recognized program founded in 1993.

To register, call Capt. Borchers at (504) 278-7628 or Sgt. Eilers at (504) 278-7799.

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office signs protocol to foster child advocacy

St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann and District Attorney Perry Nicosia recently met at the St. Bernard Parish Courthouse with representatives from various local organizations to sign a protocol establishing a partnership between a multidisciplinary team of professionals whose mission it is to advocate for children who have been abused or neglected. First row, from left, are: Elizabeth Lincoln, Department of Children and Family Services bureau of general counsel; Lorrie Brennan, New Orleans Children’s Advocacy Center and the Audrey Hepburn Care Center within Children’s Hospital program director; Stacie LeBlanc, New Orleans Children’s Advocacy Center and the Audrey Hepburn Care Center within Children’s Hospital executive director; St. Bernard District Attorney Perry Nicosia; St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann; and Lt. Michelle Canepa, St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Juvenile Detective Bureau commander. Second row, from left: Jacque Touzet, St. Bernard Assistant District Attorney; Larry Aisola, St. Bernard Assistant District Attorney; LaShawn Fernandez, St. Bernard District Attorney’s Office victims assistance coordinator; Amber De Los Reyes, St. Bernard District Attorney’s Office victims legal assistant; Danielle Gauthier, Metropolitan Center for Community Advocacy at Children’s Hospital case manager; St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Detective Joe Warren; 34th Judicial District Judge Jacques Sandborn; St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Detective Donald Shreve; and Tim Farrelly, St. Bernard Assistant District Attorney.

On a recent November afternoon at the St. Bernard Parish Courthouse, Sheriff Pohlmann met with St. Bernard District Attorney Perry Nicosia and representatives from various local organizations to sign a protocol establishing a partnership between a multidisciplinary team of professionals whose mission it is to advocate for children who have been abused or neglected.

Joining Sheriff Pohlmann and District Attorney Nicosia were Lt. Michelle Canepa, commander of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Juvenile Detective Bureau, Detectives Donald Shreve and Joe Warren, and representatives from the New Orleans Children’s Advocacy Center and the Audrey Hepburn Care Center within Children’s Hospital, the Department of Children and Family Services and the Metropolitan Center for Community Advocacy.

The agreement signed will help continue the partnership already established between the Sheriff’s Office and the New Orleans Advocacy Center and the Audrey Hepburn Care Center within Children’s Hospital for providing forensic interviews and medical examinations for children who have been abused or neglected, and it also will help implement new procedures for a team of professionals who will work together in reviewing all child abuse cases.

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Administrative Offices Closed Tuesday, Dec. 5

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office administrative offices will be closed Tuesday, Dec. 5 due to a water outage associated with construction work being done around the annex.

The administrative offices will reopen on Wednesday, Dec. 6.

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office searching for Meraux teen reported missing Dec. 3

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help finding a 16-year-old Meraux teen who was reported missing by her family Dec. 3.

Sheriff James Pohlmann said Caitlynn Murrell was last seen near her grandmother’s home on the night of Dec. 2. Caitlynn was spotted by a neighbor walking near the corner of Paul and 1st streets in Meraux, carrying bags of what appeared to be clothing. She was seen getting into an older model red Pontiac Grand Prix around 11:15 p.m., and she has not returned home or been heard from since.

When she was last seen by her family, Caitlynn was wearing a light blue shirt and blue jeans.

Caitlynn is 5’2” tall and weighs about 130 pounds.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Caitlynn Murrell is asked to contact the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501 or Detective Donald Shreve at (504) 278-7744.