...and away they go

"A" hanging judge: Section A Criminal District Court Judge Laurie A. White's gavel was smoking last week as she sentenced at least 3 armed robbers with links to the 8th District to prison on Thursday (11.13.08).

• Patrick W. Jones Jr.: Jones, 32, was the first to feel Judge White's gavel fall when she sentenced him to 17 years in prison for an armed robbery he admitted committing in July, 2007 in the Marigny Triangle. He couldn't wait to plead guilty after the DA agreed not to charge him on a "multiple bill", which based on his record as a career criminal, would have taken his sunshine away for a very long time.

At the time of his arrest, he was out on bond for an earlier arrest as being a felon in possession of a firearm. On top of that, he had a history of arrests for possession of marijuana and heroin. In this case, Jones pled guilty to robbing a 20-year-old black guy who was sitting on the steps of his house on Frenchmen Street at N. Rampart Street, talking on his cellphone, on a Friday night (7.6.07) at 11:50 p.m.

• Jernel J. Madison: Madison, who was 17 when he was arrested for armed robbery in October, 2007, pled guilty this October when his charge was reduced to attempted armed robbery. Judge White sentenced him to 4 years at hard labor.

Madison, who got out of OPP on bond in this case in early June, was arrested in early July for allegedly shooting a 16-year-old black boy in the back after a fight at Canal and N. Rampart streets and charged with aggravated battery. The DA wound up refusing to prosecute him on those charges in September.

• Lance R. Johnson Jr.: Johnson, 20, pled guilty to first degree robbery after the charge was reduced from armed robbery. Judge White sentenced him to 40 months in jail without probation or parole.

Johnson went into Adult Video at 425 Bourbon St. on 9.14.08 armed with a broken beer bottle and demanded money from the clerk behind the counter. He left with an untold amount of money before the cops quickly caught up with him.

Bank robber gives up: The guy who held up the CapitalOne Bank in the French Quarter last summer is running no more. Steven L. Fickes, 47, pled guilty last Wednesday (11.12.08) to once count of bank robbery before U.S. District Judge Helen G. Berrigan.

Fickes entered the bank at Royal and Iberville streets at 11:50 a.m. and walked up to the teller and demanded "all the hundreds" or he would shoot her. The teller gave him the banded bait money that contained a red dye pack in a bag. He fled on foot, running across Royal Street and into the Holiday Inn parking garage where the dye pack exploded, covering the robber with red dye. A citizen who saw the robber fleeing gave chase on foot across Canal Street, where cops caught up with Fickes in the 500 block of Common Street. For all his effort, he only made off with $400.

Fickes faces a maximum prison term of 20 years, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release following his prison term. He is scheduled to be sentenced on 2.18.09 at 9 a.m.

Would-be murderer roaming around: Remember the guy who was at the center of such a commotion last summer when he was charged only with aggravated battery after he allegedly pumped 7 or 8 shots into someone he apparently didn't care much for on Bienville Street near Decatur Street? Well, he's still out roaming around, taking care of business, still awaiting trial.

Nathaniel Payton, 26, who has over 2 dozen drug arrests and convictions going back to near the turn of the century, finally showed up in court last Wednesday (11.12.08) to plead not guilty to attempted 2nd degree murder.

He was arrested 8.2.08 and initially charged by 8th District cops with aggravated battery--not attempted murder, as you might expect--after a witness heard gunfire about 3:40 a.m.on that Saturday (8.2.08) and saw a black dude shooting a 34-year-old black man with a handgun.

Payton easily made the measly $75,000 bond the next day set for him by Deputy Magistrate Rudy Gorrell--the bad guy's best friend when it comes to setting puny bonds. Usually bond for attempted murder is set somewhere around $125,000-$150,000.

(While out on bond, Payton was arrested about a month later on yet another drug charge: distribution of heroin. That charge was reduced to mere possession of heroin, and is now being tried along with the attempted murder charge.)

Considering Payton's case is being heard in Judge Lynda Van Davis' courtroom, he's liable to be roaming loose for a long time before justice finds him.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com.

Thom Kahler