Archives: July2019

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office looking for owners of lawn equipment

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office looking for owners of lawn equipment

Detectives with the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau are currently investigating several thefts of multiple pieces of lawn equipment.

The stolen items include several lawn mowers, a weed eater, an edger, a blower and a compressor.

Detectives are trying to locate the owners so they can return their property.

Anyone with information regarding these stolen items is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 278-7630.

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Would you like to meet Sheriff James Pohlmann and speak to him?

Would you like to meet Sheriff James Pohlmann and speak to him?
Would you like to meet the men and women of the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office and speak to them?
Would you like to see how they do their jobs and see the equipment they use to do those jobs?
If you answered yes then the 21st session of its Citizens Police Academy is just for you.
St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy course is a free, 10-week program offered so residents can learn about police work.
Now is the time to sign up. Classes start Aug. 21 and will meet each Wednesday at 7 p.m. through graduation night in October.
For more information or to register, call Capt. Charles Borchers at (504) 278-7628 or Sgt. Eric Eilers at (504) 278-7799
Call because space is limited.

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St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrests Mississippi man

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrests Mississippi man

wanted by St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office

A Mississippi man who was wanted by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office for vehicle theft and larceny was arrested July 24 in Chalmette after he fled from deputies, St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Randy Forschlar II, 36, of the 100 block of Margest Street in Nichols, Mississippi, was booked with aggravated flight from an officer, battery on a police officer, resisting an officer with violence, reckless operation, driving with a suspended driver’s license, and no seat belt in use.

Forschlar also was booked on an outstanding warrant out of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office for larceny, and on an outstanding warrant out of the Slidell Police Department for vehicle theft.

On Tuesday, July 23, detectives with the Criminal Investigations Bureau were informed by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office that an arrest warrant had been issued for Forschlar, who is known to frequent St. Bernard.

On Wednesday, July 24, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Sheriff Pohlmann said, detectives spotted a vehicle fitting the description of Forschlar’s in a business parking lot on Paris Road in Chalmette. As detectives approached the vehicle, the driver, later identified as Forschlar, fled the scene in the vehicle, southbound on Paris Road.

Forschlar disregarded several traffic lights, lost control of his vehicle and came to a stop when he hit a curb near the intersection of Paris Road and Morales Street in Chalmette.

Forschlar refused to comply with detectives, but was taken into custody and booked on the above charges.

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St. Bernard Sheriff's Office Junior Deputy Academy graduation

St. Bernard Sheriff's Office Junior Deputy Academy graduation

More than two dozen children graduated from the 2019 session of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputy Academy during a graduation ceremony held July 17 at Docville Farm in Violet.

The annual program, which ran this year from June 4 through July 11, is designed to teach youngsters ages 10 to 13 about the various aspects of law enforcement.

Patterned after the Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy for adults, the Junior Deputy program included visits from deputies with the Patrol, Narcotics and Marine Divisions, as well as the Crime Scene Investigation department. Participants learned about the department’s state-of-the-art equipment, firearms safety and first aid and CPR instruction. They also visited the Parish Prison.

St. Bernard Parish residents can register now for the 21st session of the Citizens Police Academy, a free, 10-week program offered to adults interested in learning about police work.

Classes begin Aug. 21 and will meet each Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office second-floor training center, 2118 Jackson Ave. in Chalmette, directly behind the Parish Courthouse.

For more information or to register, call Capt. Charles Borchers at (504) 278-7628 or Sgt. Eric Eilers at (504) 278-7799.

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St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Dep. Judy Bonicard

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Dep. Judy Bonicard
receives Kiwanis Club Life Saver Award

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Dep. Judy Bonicard received the Kiwanis Club of St. Bernard-Arabi Life Saver Award at a banquet hosted by Kiwanis on July 16 at Rocky and Carlo’s Restaurant in Chalmette, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Dep. Bonicard, a 15-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office who works in the Corrections Division at St. Bernard Parish Prison, was honored for her efforts to save the life of a patron at a local business in April, 2019.

On April 14, Sheriff Pohlmann said, Dep. Bonicard was working an off-duty, paid detail at a business in Meraux when she observed an adult female fall from her chair and become unresponsive.

The female was not breathing, but had a faint pulse so Dep. Bonicard immediately started performing CPR and continued until Acadian Ambulance paramedics arrived on the scene. The female was transported to a local hospital after suffering what appeared to be a seizure.

Although the female did not survive, Dep. Bonicard’s actions helped her have a chance at recovery.

Col. Kevin Sensebe, warden of St. Bernard Parish Prison and Dep. Bonicard’s supervisor, said he is not surprised by his deputy’s actions.

“In the 15 years I have known Dep. Bonicard, she has exemplified what a caring, dedicated professional she is as a deputy of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office,” Col. Sensebe said. “She comes to work ready to handle anything with a helping hand and genuine concern for everyone.”

Dep. Bonicard feels humbled to receive such an award.

“Being honored with this award shows that I made a difference by helping someone at a critical time,” Dep. Bonicard said. “What I like most about being a deputy is serving and protecting the citizens of St. Bernard Parish.”

Kiwanis Life Saver Committee Chairman Sam Catalanotto said the Kiwanis Club started presenting these awards more than a decade ago as a way to recognize first-responders in the parish for the work they do to protect the public. The award is presented quarterly to parish first responders chosen by the Sheriff's Office and Fire Department, he said.

"They are the first people through the door, and usually the last ones out, in an emergency, putting their lives on the line everyday,” Catalanotto said.

Anyone interested in joining the St. Bernard/Arabi Kiwanis Club community service organization is welcome to attend one of its luncheons each Tuesday at noon in the Rocky and Carlo’s Sicilian Room, 613 W. St. Bernard Highway in Chalmette. For more information, call Robby Showalter at (504) 616-7312.

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ST. BERNARD SHERIFF’S OFFICE TO DISTRIBUTE SANDBAGS

ST. BERNARD SHERIFF’S OFFICE TO DISTRIBUTE SANDBAGS

Due to conditions expected from an approaching tropical system, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office will distribute free sandbags to parish residents Thursday, July 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the sandbag barn in the old Kaiser facility at the rear of the Port of St. Bernard in Chalmette.

“We have sandbags that have been pre-made and are ready to be given to residents of St. Bernard,” Sheriff James Pohlmann said. Parish prisoners make the sandbags throughout the year in preparation for the next hurricane season.

St. Bernard residents must show proof of residency in order to receive sandbags, and there will be a limit of 10 per vehicle, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Motorists wishing to pick up the sandbags at the Port can enter the road to the port off West St. Bernard Highway at Keane Drive, next to the old Kaiser smokestack, and follow the road to the rear of the port, near the Mississippi River levee. Deputies will be there to assist, the Sheriff said.

The Sheriff’s Office is monitoring weather conditions associated with the tropical system and are in constant contact with local parish government leaders, officials from surrounding parishes and the National Weather Service.

“We’re reviewing our plans and are ready for this weather event,” Sheriff James Pohlmann said. “We also are prepared to bring in extra manpower to help with traffic control and road closures if need be.”

Sheriff Pohlmann reminds residents to use caution when driving down residential streets with standing water once conditions worsen. Residents who drive down flooded streets, endangering the property of others, can be fined up to $500.

Residents who would like to report any problems or suspicious activity in their neighborhood can contact the Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501.

“We are urging all residents and businesses to get prepared and stay informed,” Sheriff Pohlmann said.

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SBSO nears completion of new outdoor range

St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office nears completion of new outdoor range training facility

As law enforcement officers, St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office deputies are required to receive extensive firearms training each year, and with the construction of a new, state-of-the-art shooting range, that task has become easier and more convenient, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Thanks to the acquisition of federal funds and the use of Sheriff’s Office personnel and trustee labor, the Sheriff’s Office is near completion on a 1,000-foot by 1,000-foot open-air, outdoor shooting range which sits back 3,000 feet off Paris Road in Chalmette, near a vast area of wetlands.

Sheriff Pohlmann said the 12-month construction project cost $180,000, just 10 percent of what the actual cost would have been had deputies and trustees not provided the manpower.

Designed by Sheriff’s Office Col. Pete Tufaro, with input from Range Instructors Maj. David DiMaggio and Lt. Raymond Theriot, the range meets law enforcement range standards outlined by the National Rifle Association.

The training facility boasts a $66,000 state-of-the-art target system which features eight illuminated 360-degree turning targets and two running-man targets. A 20-foot tall by 200-foot U-shaped earthen retaining wall also was constructed behind the target line to serve as a back-stop or barrier to catch and prevent misaligned shots.

“This is something we have been trying to accomplish for quite a while,” the Sheriff said. “We had a limited amount of money and needed to make sure we spent every dollar wisely.”

Sheriff Pohlmann said having access to this type of facility provides deputies with a space where they can undergo mandatory firearms training and improve their marksmanship skills to be better prepared for a variety of situations.

“Our mission is to keep the residents of St. Bernard Parish safe from harm,” the Sheriff said. “This new range will provide our deputies with a place where they can easily receive the necessary training to defend our citizens, their fellow deputies and themselves, if and when the need arises.”

Sheriff Pohlmann said the range will be used by about 250 deputies in Patrol, Traffic, Corrections, Communications, Community Relations, Special Investigations, Criminal Investigations, Special Operations, Marine, Special Weapons and Tactics team, or S.W.A.T. team, and the Bomb Squad.

All Peace Officers Standards and Training, or P.O.S.T. certified deputies are required to complete year-round firearms training at the range, along with classroom instruction on weapons safety and maintenance.

Firearms training at the range is overseen by Maj. Bobby Norton and Capt. Stephen Ingargiola, director of training, and is implemented with the help of seven veteran deputies, including range instructors Maj. David DiMaggio, Lt. Raymond Theriot, Lt. Al Clavin, Lt. Robert Mire and Sgt. David Culpepper, and range safety officers, retired Sgt. Dick Beebe and Reserve Division Dep. Laurence Amberson.

Range instructors such as Maj. DiMaggio, a 37-year veteran of the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office with 10 years as a range instructor, and Lt. Theriot, a 36-year veteran with 18 years of range instructor experience, utilize the range to teach deputies the fundamentals of handgun marksmanship, weapon safety rules and relevant government regulations.

At the range, deputies undergo the most demanding courses of fire that involve accuracy, shoot, don’t shoot targets, movement and critical decision-making while mimicking actual incidents.

While everyone involved hopes these types of circumstances the deputies are being trained for never have to be dealt with in St. Bernard, Sheriff Pohlmann said his department always trains for the possibilities.

“It’s a question of being prepared in advance for what could happen, while hoping it doesn’t happen,’’ the Sheriff said. “In today’s environment, it’s the preparation that’s the key.’’

Keeping his team abreast of the latest trends in training for these types of occurrences is crucial, the Sheriff said.

“It is imperative we constantly provide our deputies with training opportunities often for the safety of the public, and also for our officers who could possibly be sent into these dangerous situations,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “I’m proud of the hard work our department is doing in order to protect our parish.”

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