Archives: January2018

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Agents arrest three Violet residents on felony drug charges

Three Violet residents were arrested Jan. 9 on felony drug charges, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

James Thomas, 48, Alvin Thompson, 66, and Tiffany Thompson, 38, all of the 2800 block of Stacie Drive in Violet, were booked with possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia after agents obtained a search warrant for their home.

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Agents executed the search warrant shortly after 3 p.m. when they came in contact with the three subjects.

Once inside the home, Sheriff Pohlmann said, Narcotics Agents recovered one clear plastic bag containing a white powder-like substance determined through field testing to be cocaine, a burnt hand-rolled cigar containing marijuana, and several rock-like objects which field tested positive to be crack cocaine. Pipes, plastic bags and a chor boy, a type of scouring pad commonly used during the smoking of crack cocaine, also were recovered.

Alvin Thompson is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison on a $21,750 bond; Tiffany Thompson was released on a bond in the same amount.

Thomas also was booked on outstanding warrants out of the New Orleans Police Department and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and was transported to Orleans Parish Prison.

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office administrative offices closed Thursday due to inclement weather

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office non-enforcement administrative offices will be closed on Thursday, Jan. 18 due to inclement wintry weather conditions. The administrative offices are scheduled to reopen on Friday, Jan. 19.

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office administrative offices closed Wednesday due to inclement weather

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office administrative offices will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 17 due to expected inclement wintry weather conditions. The administrative offices are scheduled to reopen on Thursday, Jan. 18.

St. Bernard Sheriff to be inducted into Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame

St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann will be one of a select group of people inducted into the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame on July 6 in Baton Rouge.

Founded in 2004, the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Louisiana State Penitentiary Museum Foundation, a non-profit organization that administers the second largest museum complex of its kind in the nation devoted to the study and preservation of judicial and correctional activities.

Each year, the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame honors about a half-dozen great leaders in areas of law enforcement, the judiciary system and the armed forces, as well as those involved in civil rights initiatives.

According to Michael D. Wynne, chairman and director of the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame, the Induction Award is considered by many to be the top award that can be bestowed upon an individual in these arenas.

“The nominees come from federal, state, parish and municipal governmental organizations, as well as private citizens. They are people from all walks of life who have helped better the great state of Louisiana,” Wynne said. “We have honored some remarkable people over the years, and now we are delighted that Sheriff Pohlmann will be among them.”

The induction ceremony will take place at the Louisiana Hall of Fame Museum, located at the gates of the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. A special gala honoring Sheriff Pohlmann and the other inductees also will be held at the Lod Cook Conference Center located on the grounds of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

A special exhibit depicting Sheriff Pohlmann’s professional and personal accomplishments throughout his life, along with exhibits for the other inductees, will be unveiled during the event and will remain on display in the museum throughout 2018.

Sheriff Pohlmann is delighted to receive such a prestigious honor.

“I’m deeply pleased and humbled to be given such an amazing acknowledgment,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “I’m honored to be among the other inductees, both past and present, who are so admired and respected.”

In addition to Sheriff Pohlmann, other 2018 inductees will include Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.

Wynne said Sheriff Pohlmann and the other inductees were selected from more than 100 nominations. The Sheriff’s accomplishments impressed the nomination committee, he said.

“We not only looked at the Sheriff’s personal and professional accomplishments, but we also took into consideration the great department and the officers and staff members he has assembled,” Wynne said. “The people of St. Bernard Parish should be very proud and feel blessed to have such a great sheriff.”

A native of St. Bernard Parish, Sheriff Pohlmann began his career with the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office in 1983 at the age of 18.

Sheriff Pohlmann has served in virtually all areas of the department, including Communications, Corrections, Patrol, Traffic, Criminal Investigations and SWAT.

The Sheriff has also held various commands throughout his career, including SWAT Commanding Officer and Chief of Field Operations.

After serving as chief deputy for former St. Bernard Sheriff Jack A. Stephens for nearly four years, overseeing all law enforcement operations, he was elected sheriff in November 2011. Sheriff Pohlmann was re-elected without opposition to another four-year term in 2015.

He has received numerous hours of law enforcement training and is a graduate of the 181st session of the prestigious Federal Bureau of Investigation National Training Academy.

The Sheriff has also received several commendations throughout his career, from the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office, as well as outside law enforcement agencies and civic organizations.

In 2009, he was selected by Crimestoppers as the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, and in 2010 the St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce named him Citizen of the Year.

Sheriff Pohlmann has also represented the department on numerous boards and committees, including the board of the St. Bernard Parish 911 Communications District, as well as the St. Bernard Housing Redevelopment and Quality of Life Commission.

He also has served on the Louisiana Crime Victims Reparations Board, which awards payments to help victims of violent crimes, and in 2016 Sheriff Pohlmann was appointed by Gov. Edwards to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, representing the 1st Congressional District.

The Sheriff also is an active member of many professional and civic organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association and the Kiwanis Club of St. Bernard Parish.

Sheriff Pohlmann oversees several community outreach programs offered by the Sheriff’s Office, including a Citizens Police Academy, a free, 10-week program for residents to learn about police work, and a Junior Deputy Program for children. The department also holds a Refuse to be a Victim class, giving residents crime prevention advice such as what types of locks and lighting are recommended for homes and businesses.

Each year, Sheriff Pohlmann offers a free Holiday Ride Home program where residents who have had too much to drink during the holiday season can call a deputy for a safe ride home.

In 2017, Sheriff Pohlmann created an Addiction Resource Program designed to help residents struggling with an addiction, whether it be substance abuse, or even gambling related, find resources they need to better cope with their situation, such as rehabilitation programs, detox centers, therapeutic plans of action and faith-based assistance.

Under Sheriff Pohlmann’s leadership, the men and women of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office do an exemplary job of protecting its residents. St. Bernard Parish’s low crime rate makes it one of the safest communities around the New Orleans metropolitan area in which to work, live and raise a family.

Sheriff Pohlmann resides in Meraux with his wife, Monique, and their children.

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office administrative offices closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office administrative offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 15 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The administrative offices will reopen on Tuesday.

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrests Violet man for aggravated burglary

A Violet man was arrested for aggravated burglary after he forced his way into the home of a former roommate and threatened to kill him and a female friend, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

David Johnson, 45, of the 2400 block of Elizabeth Court, was booked Jan. 6 after he kicked in the back door to a residence where he once lived, forced his former roommate and a female friend who was visiting into a back bedroom, pointed a handgun at them and threatened to shoot them both.

On Jan. 6 shortly before 2 a.m., Sheriff Pohlmann said, deputies responded to a call about a home invasion at a residence in the 3000 block of Stacie Drive in Violet.

When deputies arrived on the scene they came in contact with the two victims who said Johnson forced his way in and threatened them. During the incident, the victims said, Johnson took a phone call from someone interested in purchasing a handgun from him. They said Johnson exited the residence shortly after the phone call and did not return.

Sheriff Pohlmann said neither victim was injured in the incident, and a fully-loaded, black .9mm magazine was recovered on the ground just outside the residence.

An arrest warrant was issued for Johnson, and he was apprehended the same day in Violet.

Johnson is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of a $30,000 bond.

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrests Chalmette man in connection with rash of car burglaries

Detectives with the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau arrested a Chalmette man in connection with more than a half dozen car burglaries which took place in Chalmette throughout the week leading up to Christmas, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Chad Melerine, 39, of the 2900 block of Pecan Drive, was booked Dec. 29 with one count of simple burglary, Jan. 2 with three counts and Jan. 4 with two counts. Charges also are pending for an additional two counts of simple burglary.

In all of the instances, Sheriff James Pohlmann said, the victim’s vehicles were unlocked. Sheriff Pohlmann said vehicles should be locked at all times in an effort to deter criminals from committing a “crime of opportunity.”

“This is why it’s very important to make sure your vehicles are locked at all times,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “Locking your vehicle and not leaving items of value in plain sight can greatly reduce your chances of being the victim of theft.”

The burglaries took place in the 8700 block of Livingston Avenue, the 2200 block of Fazzio Road, the 3500 block of Golden Drive, the 2800 block of Palmisano Boulevard and along East Carolina and East Carmack Drives.

In the burglaries on East Carolina and East Carmack, Melerine was identified from home surveillance video, and in the Palmisano Boulevard burglary Melerine left his cell phone behind in one of the vehicles.

Melerine is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison on a $15,000 bond.

Sheriff Pohlmann said this is the second case in the past three months involving more than two dozen residents in Chalmette and Meraux who reported their unlocked vehicles being entered and items of value such as wallets, purses and credit cards being stolen.

The Sheriff urges residents to lock their vehicles and report any suspicious activity in their neighborhood by calling the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501.

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office agents arrest violet couple for distribution of methamphetamine

St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann said a Violet 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. This is the second St. Bernard Parish couple arrested for dealing the controlled substance in the past month, the Sheriff said.

On Dec. 18, agents assigned to the Special Investigations Division executed arrest warrants for Stephen Schule, 39, and Leila Robinson, 34, at their home in the 2300 block of Riverbend Drive.

During the execution of the arrest warrants, agents recovered methamphetamine, dextromphetamine, heroin, Alprazolam, Oxycodone, and drug paraphernalia, including a glass smoking device, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

In addition to distribution of methamphetamine charges, Schule was booked with possession of methamphetamine, possession of heroin, possession of Alprazolam, possession of dextromphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Schule also was booked on a warrant for restitution out of the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office.

In addition to distribution of methamphetamine charges, Robinson was booked with possession of Oxycodone and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Schule is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison on a $125,000 bond; Robinson was released from the prison Dec. 28 on a $75,000 bond.

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.