St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office deputy arrested for sexual misconduct involving two minors

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrested a deputy who was recently under investigation for sexual misconduct involving minors, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Kevin Rickmon, 29, of the 8100 block of West St. Bernard Highway in Chalmette, was booked June 15 with sexual battery, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and attempted third degree rape.

Sheriff Pohlmann said the charges involve two female victims who were minors at the time of the alleged incidents, one which occurred recently and the other that occurred in 2016.

Sheriff Pohlmann said Rickmon was terminated upon his arrest. He is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison. Bond has not yet been set.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputy Academy: Week 2

 

Capt. Brian Clark, a retired state Wildlife and Fisheries agent who heads the Sheriff’s Office Marine Division, has some fun with Junior Deputy Academy participants Seth Ruiz, left, and Marcuss Campbell, right, by spraying water on them to simulate rain or water splashing in their face during a drill exercise to see how fast they could correctly put on a lifejacket in an emergency situation.

Capt. Brian Clark, a retired state Wildlife and Fisheries agent who heads the Sheriff’s Office Marine Division, speaks to Junior Deputy Academy participants about the various types of boats used by the Sheriff’s Office, including the airboat shown.

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputy Academy’s second week included visits from the Special Weapons and Tactics team, or S.W.A.T., and the Marine division.

The program, which began June 5 and runs through July 12, is patterned after the Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy for adults. The purpose of the program is to teach youngsters ages 10-13 about the various aspects of law enforcement.

During the program, participants visit St. Bernard Parish Prison, are given firearms safety instruction at a local shooting range and basic first aid and CPR instruction, and they witness demonstrations with some of the department’s state-of-the-art equipment. The program will wrap up with a graduation ceremony July 18.

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Three Men Arrested for Oyster Theft in St. Bernard Parish

A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agent arrested three St. Bernard men for alleged commercial fishing violations on June 8 in St. Bernard Parish.

The LDWF agent with assistance from the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested Lorenzo Nicosia, 25, of Violet, Bronson Dunnam, 47, of St. Bernard, and Garrett Ledet, 28, of New Orleans, for unlawfully taking oysters off a private lease and failure to have written permission.

An LDWF agent was on patrol south of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet channel when he observed a vessel actively dredging for oysters in Lake Coquille around 9:15 a.m. The agent determined the vessel was dredging on a lease not owned by Nicosia nor did any occupant have permission to dredge in the area.

The agent seized 17 sacks of oysters and returned them to the water. The agent also seized two oyster dredges and placed a forfeiture order for Nicosia’s vessel. The men were booked into the St. Bernard Parish Jail.

Unlawfully taking oysters off of a private lease and failing to have written permission both carry up to a $950 fine and 120 days in jail.

The men could also face having their oyster harvester licenses revoked by LDWF for up to 10 years. The violators could also be sentenced to perform 40 to 120 hours of community service and only be allowed to harvest oysters from a vessel that is equipped with a vessel monitoring device for up to one year for first offense or ordered to cease commercial oyster harvest during license revocation upon second and third offenses.

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Former St. Bernard Parish President and former Sheriff’s Office employee David Peralta found dead at his home

Former St. Bernard Parish President and former Sheriff’s Office employee David Peralta has died, St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

On June 12 shortly before 11 a.m., Sheriff Pohlmann said, deputies responded to a call about a man who had been found by a relative to be cold and unconscious inside his home in the 4400 block of Newport Street in Meraux.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they identified the man to be Peralta, 64, who was pronounced dead.

Sheriff Pohlmann said no foul play is suspected and Peralta’s death appears to be from natural causes.

Sheriff Pohlmann said he is saddened by Peralta’s passing.

“Dave worked for us at the Sheriff’s Office for a number of years, and he will be missed,” the Sheriff said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and close friends during this difficult time.”

The Sheriff asks for members of the news media and community to respect the Peralta family’s privacy as the grieve.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Addiction Resource Program sees success as it approaches one year in existence

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Addiction Resource Program formed in June 2017 by Sheriff James Pohlmann in an effort to provide assistance to the rising number of individuals fighting addiction has seen success in its first year, but the Sheriff says there’s still plenty of work to do.

“The program is designed to help residents struggling with an addiction, whether it be substance abuse, or even gambling related, find the resources they need to better cope with their situation,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “We are pleased with the number of individuals we have been able to reach out to in the last 12 months, but the need to get help to those who are struggling is still so great.”

Spearheaded by Stanley Simeon, the program provides individuals and/or their families with information on resources available to them, such as rehabilitation programs, detox centers, therapeutic plans of action and faith-based assistance.

Simeon, who has an extensive background in helping people with all sorts of addictions, works closely with Capt. Charles Borchers, director of the Community Relations Division, and Chaplain Aaron Johnson to facilitate the program.

With the program nearing one year in existence, Sheriff Pohlmann is pleased to report they’ve been able to reach out to more than 300 individuals who have sought help for their addiction.

Over the past year, Sheriff Pohlmann said, Simeon has been able to place more than 50 people into some sort of rehabilitation program.

“Several individuals who were longtime users are now coming up on one year of being drug free thanks to the resources we have been able to connect them with through this program,” the Sheriff said.

Drugs are directly related to crime in many ways, the Sheriff said.

“If you want to get rid of the crime problem, you have to start with the drug problem,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “We spend a lot of money on incarceration, on people who have drug problems that commit crimes to support their drug problems and they’re sitting in jail. They don’t need to be in jail, they need to be in treatment.”

If you or someone you may know could benefit from this program and would like more information, call Simeon at (504) 517-2944 or (504) 278-7659. Participation in the program is kept confidential.

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St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputy Academy Receives Donation

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office recently received a $100 Walmart gift card donation from the Vietnam Veterans of America, St. Bernard Chapter 550 to benefit the department’s Junior Deputy Academy, a program for children ages 10 to 13 designed to foster community pride and teach them about law enforcement.

The Junior Deputy Academy, started in 2015 and held over a five-week period during June and July, is patterned after the Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy for adults. Officers from various divisions of the Sheriff’s Office visit with participants during the course to introduce them to different aspects of police work. Participants visit St. Bernard Parish Prison and a local shooting range, and learn basic first aid and CPR.

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St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputy Academy kicks off fourth year

St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann, right, and Dep. Skyler Rauch, left, say the Pledge of Allegiance June 5 with Junior Deputy Academy participants prior to the start of the opening session of this year’s program.	Dep. Skyler Rauch speaks to Junior Deputy Academy participants on the first day of the 2018 summer program.
Dep. Skyler Rauch shows Junior Deputy Academy participants what the inside of his patrol car looks like during opening day of this summer’s program.	Sgt. Eric Eilers shows Junior Deputy Academy participant Bronson Navarro what a taser looks like during the first class of this summer’s program.
Sgt. Rodney Burke speaks to participants in the 2018 session of the Junior Deputy Academy program.	Lt. Daniel Bostic shows Junior Deputy Academy participants kits that are used to test various types of narcotics.
Lt. Daniel Bostic shows Jacob Lystra how heavy the Street Crimes Unit vests are that agents wear when on patrol.	Sgt. Darrin Miller, right, and Lt. Lisa Jackson, left, speak to Junior Deputy Academy participants about the dangers of using drugs and alcohol, and the dangerous substances that can be found in tobacco.

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputy Academy kicked off the fourth year of its annual summer program on June 5, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Formed in 2015, the Junior Deputy Academy is open to children ages 10 to 13 who reside in St. Bernard Parish.

Patterned after the Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy for adults, the program is designed to foster community pride and self esteem, while teaching youngsters about the various aspects of law enforcement.

The Academy, which runs two days a week through July 12, will include a visit to St. Bernard Parish Prison, firearms safety instruction at a local shooting range, basic first aid and CPR instruction and demonstrations with some of the department’s state-of-the-art equipment. A graduation ceremony also will be held July 18.

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St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office books Violet man with burglary after he broke into an Arabi home while a teen was home alone

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrested a Violet man for burglarizing an Arabi residence while a 13-year-old girl was home alone and getting a friend to help him evade deputies by making a false 911 call, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

David Williams, 21, of the 3500 block of Shannon Drive in Violet, was booked with simple burglary, and Sean Williams, 23, of the 2900 block of Angelique Drive in Violet, was booked with accessory after the fact to simple burglary and criminal mischief. The two are not related.

On May 31, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Sheriff Pohlmann said, deputies received a call about a residence burglary in the 1800 block of Angela Street.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they met with the juvenile’s father who works nearby and was summoned to the home by his daughter as she was hiding from the suspect. The father told deputies when he arrived home he confronted the suspect, later identified as David Williams, but he fled on foot.

Sheriff Pohlmann said the juvenile was not injured in the incident.

Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau were able to identify Williams by a backpack he dropped as he fled from the scene, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

During the course of the investigation, detectives determined David Williams hid in a nearby residence under construction, and was aided by Sean Williams in calling 911 to make a false report about a carjacking near Torres Park in an effort to distract deputies, and providing him with a ride out of the parish.

Working along with the New Orleans Police Department’s Tactical Intelligence Gathering Enforcement Response Team and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crimes Task Force, St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office detectives apprehended Williams at a relative’s home in New Orleans. Sean Williams was apprehended at his place of employment.

A criminal history check was done on both subjects which revealed David Williams has several prior simple burglary charges and one conviction for simple burglary out of St. Bernard Parish.

David Williams and Sean Williams are both being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison. David Williams’ bond has not yet been set; Sean Williams’ bond is $15,000.

Sheriff Pohlmann said criminals who think they can commit crimes of this nature in St. Bernard Parish and flee to surrounding parishes and not get caught are mistaken.

“We will not tolerate dangerous individuals who put the safety and well-being of our residents at risk,” the Sheriff said. “Our relationships with these other jurisdictions are stronger than they realize. We will not stop until we find you and arrest you.”

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