SHPSO Making Progress on Burglary Cases

St. Helena Parish along with several neighboring parishes have been faced with many burglaries to solve and to apprehend in the past months.  Things are looking up for victims, some of whom returned home to find their doors kicked in.  The major items bing taken were flat screen TVs.  Lee Burton and Roy Abron were arrested by Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office and Hammond Police Dept. which were the results of a multi-agency investigation of burglaries occurring as far as the Mississipi state border.  As the investigation continued, one of the suspects was taken through parishwide wards of St. Helena as he pointed out homes that he and his accomplice had broken into.  As a result, 32 burglaries have been solved..  Eleven flat screen TVs, firearms. laptops and jewelry were recovered.  According to Chief of Detectives Joe Chaney of the St. Helena Parish Sheriff's Office who was working with the Tangipahoa Parish Burglary Task Force, they focused predominantly within the two parishes.

Sheriff Williams Discusses Past and Upcoming Terms

Sheriff Nat Williams talked about his history as Sheriff and expectations of his current term in an interview on January 13, 2012.  He explained that his experience of the past four years  were successful and that many things were accompllished within the department as well as the surrounding communities.  Williams told how the Narcotics Task Force has been revamped by issuing new computer software technology.  By accomplishing this, the force will be better able to battle crime.  He also spoke of how the criminal patrolling department has been strengthened throughout the parish.  Because of the effort put forth, less narcotic cases were reported in 2011 which proves that a dent is being made in the fight against crime.  Sheriff Williams' goals for the future are to contiue to move the department further and to bring infrastructure by  adding more hardware and software for the computers.  He stated the importance of working with the public and surrounding parishes.  More burglary cases could be solved by strngthening a relationship with the Tri-Parish.  He also feels that the departament could also continue to better educate children at an early age of the wrongful things in every day life of drugs, burglaries, and things that are potentially harmful.  It is also important to keep the senior community safe by keeping them abreast of scams and how to help prevent crimes against them.  Sheriff Williams feels that the upcoming term will be more successful because it is all about putting God first and continuing to keep the faith.

St Helena Teacher Charged

St. Helena deputies arrested a St. Helena Middle School Teacher for alleging injuring a fifth grade student at the school.  Lesley Lowman was booked on charges of 2nd degree battery and later released on a $10,000 bond.  Lowman injured the student by slamming the student's foot with a door, the child's mother, Jessica Travis , stated as reported by the media.  According to Travis, her daughter was diagnosed with a minor fracture and severe bruising and was scheduled to see a foot specialist.  Lowman is the third teacher in the Florida Parish area to be arrested in recent weeks.

Greensburg Man Arrested in Amite

Amite Chief of Police stated a another arrest was made in a stolen credit card case that his detectives have been investigating. The card was reported stolen on October 9 when an employee of Mike's Catfish Inn discovered the window of car had been broken and a credit card was missing.  Eddie 'Curly' Cutrer, 35, of Greensburg was charged with forgery, identy theft, felony theft, and principal to forgery.  Another suspect was also arrested, Ricky Smith, 54,  of Greensburg and charged with simiple burglary, and illegal possession of stolen things.   More arrests in the case should be forth coming.

REWARD

A reward is being offered for the return of the St. Helena Parish Historical banner to the Welcome Center.  The banner was attached to the front fence during the Forest Festival and was removed.  It has the West Florida Lone Star flags on it and has the wording of Celebrating 200 years of History. A reward is being offered.  For more information please call 225-222-7000.

 Greensburg Man Arrested in 
Independence

The Independence Police were dispatched on October 21, 2011 to where it had been reported that a black male had approached a female with a gun adn threatened her with bodily harm.  When the officers arrived on the scene, they witnessed a blue Jaguar leaving the parking lot.  They made a traffic stop on the vehicle.  The suspect, Terrell Harrell, 34, of Greensburg gave officers consent to search at which time they found a 9mm semi automatic Ruger on the front passenger seat with three fully loaded clips.  The altercation between the subject and the female steamed from an ongoing dispute.  Harrell was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a fire arm.

Police Juror Arrested

Chief Deputy Pritchett on  October 13, 2011 stated that Police Juror Frank Johnson was arrested for illegal possession of stolen property with a value of over $500. With technical support from the LA State Police and an agent from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, St. Helena detectives recovered a stolen 2004 pickup truck body and chasis at a Coleman Town location. The property was reported stolen out of Baton Rouge and was found at the residence of Mr. Johnson. No one was home when the officiers arrived and after securing the scene, they confirmed that the engine in a Mustang (registered to Frank Johnson, Jr.) was in fact stolen.  A few feet away from the Mustang was a four wheeler which was confirmed as stolen out of Tennessee.  As investigators worked the scene, Mr. Johnson, Sr arrived and after being advised of his rights, eventually invoked his 5th Admendent right to talk to his attorney.  The lead investigator, Capt. Jack Spring, faced with stolen property stolen from two different states and unsatisfactory answers from the property owner made a command decision to arrest Mr. Johnson and transported him to the St. Helena Parish Jail and booked him with illegal possession of stolen property with a value over $500.  Mr. Johnson was then processed in and released on a $7,500 bond with a February 12, 2012 court date.  The stolen truck, a Mustang with a stolen engine and the stolen four wheeler had a value of $2,500 and was one of the twenty 4 wheelers stolen from a Memphis dealership.  Mr. Johnson was never a focus of the investigation or deputies would have been armed with search warrants for his property and the sheriff's office would have made a different approach.  Mr. Johnson made himself a part of the investigation when he arrived on the scene and talked his wah into it.  Chiel Pritchett said that finding the stolen four wheeler was a complete surprise.  This has been a three month investigation and some additional agencies will become involved and additional arrests possible.  At the conclusion of the investigation all the evidence will be turned over to the district attorney's  office to handle as th4ey see it.

Sheriff Office Gets Much Needed New Rides

Six new vehicles were received just in time. They were obtained under a special lease arrangement as part of the Sheriff's Office Fleet Program.  The lease targets law enforcement and first responder agencies and is designed to allow agencies to replace high mileage vehicles. Many of the of them replaced patrol units approaching and exceeding 200,000 miles. They were purchased from the state fully outfitted.  The vehicles will be used to patrol the 409 sq mmiles of St. Helena Parish.

Greensburg Woman Charged With 2nd DWI After Hitting an Officer

According to reports from the LA State Troopers office, Vera Womack, 45, was identified as the driver of that 2003 Taurus that hit a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe head-on which was driven by a state trooper on Highway 38.  The accident occurred on 9/19/11.  Ms. Womack was transported to Lallie Kemp with moderate injuries and was charged with operating a vehicle whle intoxicated - 2nd offense; open container and careless operation. The state trooper wwas transported to St. Tammany Hospital with minor injuries.

Body Found by SHPSO

According to a report from the St. Helena Parish Sheriff's Office on 9/18/11, a body was discovered by authorities near Silver Fox Casino on Hwy 16.  Sam Lathers, Jr, 48, was found dead after a search by the SHPSO deputies.  Clothing believed to be worn by Mr. Lathers was found near an oxidation pond which prompted the investigation.  Deputies search the area on foot and by helicopter and later drained the sewer where Lathers' body was found.  He was reported missing by his mother, Mable Davis, on 9/17/11.  Pathology reports indicate that he died of drowning by asphyxiation.  The investigation is ongoing.

Michael Varnado Convicted of Manslaughter and 2 Counts of 2nd Degree Murder

According to DA Perrilloux, on September 22, a jury of 12 convicted Michael Varnado, 34, of manslaughter and 2 counts of 2nd degree murder.  He was charged with murdering Juana Roberts, 20 and her children, 2 mo old Demetrius Collier, Jr and one year old Mykell Roberts.  The defendent suffocated Roberts before setting her residence on fire.  The 2 children died of smoke inhalation.  The state was seeking the death penalty for Varnado who was originally charged with 3 counts of 1st degree murder.  After a 5-day trial, the jury deliberated for over 3 hours, concluding with a guilty verdict.  Although he was not convicted of 1st degree murder, he will still spend the rest of his life in prison.  Second degree murder requirs a mandatory life sentence without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

 SHPSO Seizes Huge Amounts of Illegal Incense

Tiffany Stewart's article in the Echo on August 24, 2011 shows pictures of Sheriff Williams and Chief of Detectives Joe Chaney alongside a mountain of illegal icense before it was destroyed on August 19.

The article goes on to say that over the past weeks, the St. Helena Sheriff's Office and their Drug Interdiction team, along with the help of the LA State Police, seized extreme amounts of incense from a residence on Hwy 43 north of Hwy 38.  There were over 20,000 packages, sealing machines, labels and a sack of ground up tea leaves,  all worth well over a million dollars. 

At one time the incense was legal to purchase and smoke and a person could pass a drug test after smoking it; therefore, individuals were smoking this product in place of marijuana.  Recently the product was banned because it contained illegal ingredients.

The St Helena Sheriff's Office along withe the Drug Interdiction Team will remain on the lookout for individuals who are illegally using and manufacturing these type of substances in the parish.

Also, in that edition of the paper, appeared an article regarding Janice Jones, wf 47, who plead no contest to driving while intoxicated (first offense).  She was sentenced to six months in jail which was suspended and Jones was placed on probation with a $665 fine.  She also must complete four eight-hour days of community service, attend the driver's improvement program and victim's impact panel, as well as undergo a substance abuse evaluation. 

St. Helena Parish Jail and Courthouse Goes Solar

St. Helena Parish Police Jury Grant Administrator Virginia Bell obtained grant funds to install water and electrical solar panels in the St. Helena Parish Courthouse and the St. Helena Parish jail.  The grants were issued by the Dept. of Natural Resources and are called EECBGs (Energy Efficient Conservation Block Grants.   An allocation grant was issued for $72,000 and also a competitive grant for $141,000.   Bell stated that the jail is a very old structure and the winter and summer months are very uncomfortable becuase of the temps.  Many complaints were made from people in the confinements of the buildings. In order to fix these problems without building new structures, grant money became available to have solar panels installed.  The jail houses a capacity of 75 inmates.  Each inmate uses approximately 15 gallons of water per day.This system is designed to cut back on electrical usage.  When the water in the tank is 9 deg. cooler than the water in the solar pumps, a pump is designed to kick on and circulate through pipes inside of the tank.  The hot water from the solar panels never mixes with the drinking water.  The addition to the front of the Sheriff's Office is where the panels have been installed.  This will provide an extensive amount of energy efficient electricity for the jail and courthouse, as well.

 Crime Stoppers and Neighborhood Watch Programs Already Big Success

In the August 10, 2011 edition of the St. Helena Echo, Chief Deputy Pritchett was quoted as saying the the residents of neighborhoods have been putting up their Neighborhood Watch signs and have been alert to things going on which has been a huge help.  There were 16 arrests made in June, due to burglaries in the 6th Ward area.  Residents have been and will continue to keep their guards up . 

The burglaries have narrowed down parish wide due to the Neighborhood Watch Program.  Sheriff Williams and residents have truly enforced the actions of the watch activity,

The Crime Stoppers Program aided in the arrest of Sedrick Smith who had been charged with car-jacking in this parish.  Smith surrended to U.S. Marshalls, feeling he was under intense pressure.  Sheriff Williams and other officials were negotiating him in, and Crime Stoppers was also featuring his face on digital billboards in Livingston, Tangipahoa and Baton Rouge Parishes.  Smith was brought to Livingston Parish and transported from there to Tangipahoa and then to the Catahoula Correctional Institution where he is currently being held. 

Crime Stoppers and law enforcement officials will continue to work together to fight crime in this parish.

Escaped from a Catahoula Transport Officer

On July 22, 2011, a St. Helena inmate Sedrick Smith was being transported to the Catahoula Parish jail by a Catahoula Transport Officer when  he escaped from the officer in Hammond.

Two Greensburg Men Arrested in Narcotic Bust 

On July 20, 2011,Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Narcotic Agents with the assistance of DEA and Hammond Police Department, conducted a narcotics investigation in Kentwood which resulted in the arrest of two Greensburg and one Greenwell Springs men.  Cristien Scott, James Self and Tullie Whitten were booked with the possession with intent to distribute 15 pounds of marijuana and approximately 115 grams of cocaine based 'crack'.  They also found a .38 calliber pistol inside the vehicle in which the arrestees were driving.  They were arrested and booked in the the Hammond Police Dept jail to await being transpoted to the U.S. Marshall Service where the men will face federal charges in the Eastern District of Louisiana.

 Multiple Arrests Made

Sheriff Williams announced on June 21, 2011 that during the past three weeks 15 people were arrested for a widespread series of home burglaries, thefts, criminal mischief and damage to cemeteries that have been occurring in St. Helena Parish.  Thirteen of those arrests were tied to the north end of the parish where the sudden rash of property crimes has prompted organization of a Community Watch Program.  The latest home burglary occurred over the weekend.  Detectives and Community Policing Officers were called as additional support to a house burglary on Parnell Lane in the 6th ward.  Sgt. Jerome Hookfin and Dep. Lee Carmona found a broken window, a glove on the window ledge and a shoe outside.  The complainant was missing her purse which containied cash and credit cards.  Also, reported missing were a rifle and shotgun.

Several witness identified Andrew Gill as the suspect who commited the burglary.  While searching the area, Andrew was found hiding in the back of a vehicle.  He was arrested and transported to the St. Helena Parish Jail.  This investigation led to the arrest of four persons, Andrew Gill, wm 18(charged with 2 counts of desecration, two counts of contributing to the deliquency of minors, one count of aggravated burglary of an inhabited dwelling, two counts of simple escape, battery on a police officer, criminal damage to property, possession of schedule 1 and 2 drugs and two counts of introduction of contraband into a penal institution; Dorothy Parnell wf 37 (charged with principal to aggravated burglary of inhabited dwelling, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, two counts of desecration of graves and possession of a firearm by convicted felon; and two juveniles, wf 16 and wm 15 (charged with principal to aggravated burglary and principal to desecration of graves and placed in Florida Parishes Detention Center in Robert, LA.)

St. Helena Parish officials recovered the two weapons, $1,400 in cash and a number of solar lights stolen from graves.  The solar lights were damaged as the lithium batteries were destroyed and some grave ornaments were identified and returned.

During the Parish investigation, other arrests were made:  Cody Powers, wm 18, Kentwood, (charged with simple trespassing, criminal damage to property , theft over $500, and 3 counts of simple assault.); James Reynolds, wm 20, Kenetwood (charged with simple trespassing, criminal damage to property and theft over $500); Presley Reynolds, wf 20 (charged with simiple trespassing, criminal damage to property and theft over $500); Laura Roberts, wf 18 (charged with simple trespassing, criminal damage to property and theft over $500); Jason Barber, bm 27 (charged with theft over $500 and trespassing); Edward Story, wm 46, (charged with trespassing, theft over $500, criminal damage to property, simple assault, and theft of copper from Demco); Dione Null, wf 38, (charged with theft over $500 and trespassing); Chance Shaw, wm 19,Kentwood, (charged with unauthorized entry and theft under $500.);Patrick Guerin, wm 47, Baton Rouge, (charged with theft over $500, criminal damage to property and theft of copper from Demco); Brian Meachum, wm 18, Kentwood, (charged with trespassing and theft over $500.); Santanio Williams, bm 24, (charged with theft over $500 and domestic abuse.)

Sheriff Williams commented that as the COPS Unit and detectives continue their work, more and more crimes will be solved. The tension in the Parish should be eased. From statements made by these individuals, it appears that they were responsible for most of the theft and damages in the north end of the parish.  We are hoping that our developing relationship with the 6th Ward Community Watch Program will further provide additional eyes and ears to prevent criminal activity. 

Sheriff Williams met with that group and they have cleraed up some misunderstanding and agree on some policy matters that will guarantee a better working relationship.

More Meth Labs Arrests Made

After receiving a tip from an undercover operative on May 10, 2011, St. Helena Parish Narcotics Interdiction Team removed another meth lab from the streets.  The operative stated that while at the residence of Darrell Doyle, he noticed an overwhelming smell of ammonia inside the home, indicating the manufacturing of meth.  The operative also noted several items used in the manufacturing process.  The team obtained a search warrant for the residence and surrounding premises which netted them 4 meth labs, precursors, meth paraphernalia such as, 6 separate empty gallons of coleman fuel, scissors, 2 flat baking pans, 7 small glass pipes, several small cut rubber hoses or tubing, several razor blades, coffee filters, blenders, 3 different sized metal bowls, 2 fine gallon buckets, a clear gallon sized jub of ammonia, a jar of clear odorous liquid (meth oil), a small mason jar of meth oil as werll as finished meth product, a gallon glass jar containing meth oil, 2 different sized plastic funnels, a small plastic butter container containing fertilizer, several pieces of burnt aluminum foil, a large flex hose with a man made fan attached to the end, suspended out of a window, a security camera monitor, cigar box containing small,. clear baggies w/a yellow substance, several batteries.  Also located in the residence were several guns, all loaded.  Further searching revealed a 5 galon bucket on the back porch, along with more rubber tubing and a funnel, all of which had residue which tested positive for meth.  In the interior of a truch, agents located alum foil and a small clear plastic baggie containing a yellowish substance whch tested for meth, more funnels and rubber tubing.  3 subjects were arrestted, Darrell Doyle, his son, Robert Doyle and Rhonda Hatchell.  They were charged with 4 counts creation /operation of a clandestine lab for the unlawful manufacture of a controlled dangerous substance and one count of possession w/intent to distribute schedule II narcotics.  An agent stated that they are seeing more and more of these types of operations and will continue to work dilligently, around the clock if need be, to rid the parish and community of these crimes which pose a significant threat to the residents of our parish and particularly, and most importantly our youth."

Meth Lab Nets Two Arrests

On May 5, 2011, our drug team received a tip about the manufacturing of meth on Price Hill Loop in St. Helena Parish.  Greg Price and his girlfriend, Deborah Cobbs were allegedly buying precursors at several area drug stores and had been identified by store clerks to an undercover operative as having bought materials consistent with the manufacture of meth.  Upon arrival at the residence agents interviewed Price and Cobbs and received their consent to search their residence and premises.  During the search agents located 4 separate 'one pot' labs along with remnants of meth.  They also located several precursors and 2 blenders.  The most disturbing find was their 9 year old daughter who was present during the manufacture of meth.  Child protective services and AAS were brought in anda the child was taken to a local hospital for examination.  The scene was cleaned per protocol and the subjects were arrested w/ charges of 3 counts of creation/operation of a clandestine lab for the unlawful manufacture of a controlled dangerous substance and cruelty to a juvenile.  Price was also charged with possession with intent to distribute meth and possession with intent to distribute schedule II naracotics.

John Daniels of Denham Springs Arrested