A little of what's going on

Better to be pissed off than pissed on: A resident of the 1000 block of Barracks Street (between Burgundy and N. Rampart streets) nearly became the victim of an armed robbery early yesterday morning (8.17.08) when he chastised a black teenager for urinating in the street.

The victim (a white male for whom the 8th District refused to provide an age) was returning home about 12:40 a.m. when he noticed 2 black dudes standing between 2 cars near his home. He told the black guy not to pee in the street and an argument broke out. One of the young hoodlums pulled out a pistol and demanded the victim's money. When the victim refused to give it up, the punks fled on their bicycles.

A short time later, Ofc. Charles Stamps, of the 8th District's Taskforce, apprehended the 2 at Conti and Bourbon streets. Arrested were: Willie Sorden, 18, (left) and Keith Perkins, 17, (right). Both were charged with attempted armed robbery and illegally carrying a weapon. Each is being held on $60,000 bond in OPP.

Wait, there's more: The above incident was the ONLY crime reported by the 8th District for the past week. I don't know why the 8th District is trying so hard to cover up what's happening in the French Quarter, Marigny Triangle, and CBD--except maybe it's so bad they're terribly embarrassed. But from a couple of reliable sources we've learned of these incidents:

• From a reliable source who has previously supplied us with accurate information: A friend of hers was robbed yesterday morning (8.17.08) between 1 and 1:30 a.m. at Royal and St. Peter streets while walking to his car after getting off work. She had no more information than that, but, of course, the 8th District had none.

• From an anonymous source, believed to be a NOPD officer: A black man was caught stealing a woman's purse Saturday evening at the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant near Harrah's Casino during the Saints' game. He was subdued by the patrons and bartenders until the police arrived.

Supposedly the same miscreant was caught 2 hours earlier stealing a woman's camera in Spanish Plaza, but the victim didn't press charges because she got her camera back. So the thief was let loose to strike again--within only a matter of hours.

Crackhouse can't be ignored: After we reported last week that neighbors in the Lower Quarter were distressed that Maj. Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th District, was ignoring a crackhouse at the corner of Gov. Nicholls and Bourbon streets, Deputy Chief Kirk Bouyelas, the chief of operations and Hosli's boss, stepped in.

Alerted to the problem by NOcrimeline, he wrote back: "I will make sure that Maj. Hosli is aware of the situation and your concerns," and added, "I am confident that together we can address this situation successfully."

Now that the top brass in the NOPD has been alerted, let's see what happens.

More on "Open Carry": Our report on an anonymous group advocating armed citizen patrols of the French Quarter stirred some interest. If you want more information on the legality of openly carrying firearms in Louisiana, go to this website sponsored by OpenCarry.org. It attempts to clarify the issue.

A citizen resident of the Marigny Triangle who claims to already "open carry" elaborated further in a NOLA.com forum. He says he goes out, usually between 2 and 4 a.m., patrolling his neighborhood beginning at N. Rampart Street and St. Bernard Avenue, walking toward Elysian Fields Avenue, and going down some of the side streets.

"I carry a Mossburg 500 Persuader (pistol grip) and a 12-gauge slung on my back as well," he writes. He claims in the year and a half he's been doing this, he's "stopped 2 rapes, 3 armed robberies, 2 car jackings, 2 home burgleries."

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

Thom Kahler

Neighbors worry, NOPD silent

Drugs in the Quarter, police don't care: Neighbors in the Lower French Quarter have repeatedly alerted the NOPD to an alleged crackhouse at Gov. Nicholls and Bourbon streets, but their complaints have met with silence.

It's gotten so bad that one neighbor reports, "One night we had a man standing in the street screaming to call 911 because there was a crackhouse dealing drugs on the corner--we called as we were worried about the man's safety. Police didn't show up for that either."

Now the neighbors are speculating that the recent spate of robberies near that corner in the wee hours of the morning might be related to the drug dealing there. The victims have given police scant or no descriptions of the perpetrators.

The robbers, one neighbor conjectured, "are probably waiting on someone to make a deal, and they probably jump them for the drugs they just bought, or the money they have ready to buy the drugs. And, of course, the victims don't want to give a description."

Our queries to the 8th District about this problem met with silence too. So what are we waiting for? Some one of us to be murdered walking past this scene some night?

Marigny/Bywater in fear: Residents of Marigny and the Bywater are in fear once again as another unsolved murder haunts them.

The killing of Jessica Hawk, 32, (pictured) whose body was found Monday morning (8.11.08) in her home at 3013 Chartres St.in the Bywater, recalls memories of the murders of Helen Hill, 37, last year on N. Rampart Street in the Faubourg Marigny and of Michael Frey, 28, the year before that on Chartres Street in the Marigny Triangle.

None of the murders have been solved, and worse, the police are releasing few details in Hawk's murder, compounding the fear her neighbors already feel.

What is known: "Dr. Bob" Shaffer, a renown artist whose studio is a few doors from Hawk's house, viewed the crime scene with detectives before the body was removed. He told neighbors Hawk's body was propped up and had suffered multiple stab wounds. The body was also nude, raising the specter of sexual assault.

You can see why residents there are fearful.

Hall's murder last year prompted a massive march on City Hall. The Mayor and Police Chief both made big promises, promises which were never kept. Now Hawk's neighbors are talking of new tactics to try to get Mayor Nagin and the NOPD serious about crime in the city.

One has suggested "civil disobedient graffiti"--painting the outline of a body at each murder scene in the neighborhood as a graphic reminder of the dying they live with daily.

Another tactic: An anonymous spokesman for a group called "French Quarter Predator Watch" says his group has received many calls for help from the residents of Burgundy and Dauphine streets, and he posted this on a NOLA.com forum:

"After studying the problem for several months, talking to crime victims, local police, residents, and researching how other crime-ridden neighbors in America and other countries have solved the same problems we are experiencing, we believe we have an answer: Armed citizen security patrols, groups of local citizens armed with weapons, cameras, flashlights, cellphones, walking their own neighborhoods, confronting thugs, prostitutes, drug dealers, etc., asking questions, taking pictures, calling police."

A resident of the Marigny responded that he had already jumped the gun, so to speak:

"I now 'open carry' in the evenings and very late evenings/mornings. Just the sight of a .40-caliber on the hip has sent a lot of 'strangers' walking the other way."

And he adds parenthetically: "Yes, 'open carry' is legal in Louisiana."

That well illustrates the lack of confidence in the NOPD and its failure to keep our neighborhoods safe.

Word on the street: Big Chief Warren Riley, largely blamed for the inept leadership that has left the NOPD floundering, may not be around that much longer. The rumors circulating is that he only has to hold on until the end of November and he'll have 3 years in as chief, which means he can retire at his full salary ($172,000 a year).

Then Mayor Nagin, rumor has it, will appoint Asst. Chief Marlon Defillo as the new superintendent. I worked with Defillo on the Mayor's Transition Taskforce for Public Safety in 2002 and I found him to be intelligent, well spoken, and not at all plagued by the insecurities that have handicapped Riley.

Quiz the DA candidates: Though we've received no official notice of it, we hear there's a forum Wednesday (8.20.08) where the 4 candidates for Orleans Parish District Attorney will meet face to face in a question-and-answer session moderated by Dennis Woltering of WWL-TV.

The forum will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Royal Orleans Hotel in the 600 block of St. Louis Street.

All 4 candidates are expected to attend: Linda Bizzarro, Leon Cannizzaro, Ralph Capitelli, and Jason Williams.

The key question to ask might be, "What will you do, if elected, to reverse the trend of previous DAs in refusing more charges than are accepted for prosecution?"

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

Thom Kahler

They're not all getting away with it

Deal or no deal: As a white man was opening the door of his car in the 800 block of Dumaine Street at about 9:56 p.m. Sunday evening (8.10.08), 2 black guys on bicycles rode up, one of them pulled a pistol and demanded the car keys.

The car owner turned them over and the punks got in and started the car. But apparently the duo failed drivers' ed along with most other things in life and were thwarted by the car's manual transmission. The victim then offered them money in exchange for the keys. The thieves took the deal and fled on their bicycles toward N. Rampart Street. The victim hopped in his car and followed the robbers.

The police captured Kendrick Burbank, 27, 5'6" tall, weighing 150 pounds, at Bourbon and Ursulines streets.He was charged with carjacking and possession of stolen property--the case the victim had given him: $62. He is being held on $160,000 bond in OPP. His cohort, who is still on the loose, was described as the same height and weight.

Not so fast, dude: A white man was held up Saturday morning (8.9.08) at 4:20 a.m. while walking near Dauphine and St. Louis streets by a black man who approached him from the rear and pushed what seemed like a gun in his back, demanding his money. The victim complied, but when the thief fled on foot, the victim took after him.

Police shortly thereafter apprehended Dameon J. Brown, 32, and charged him with armed robbery, possession of stolen property (almost $300), and flight from an officer. He is being held in OPP on $104,500 bond.

What's with being out at 4 a.m.: Last week it seemed victims were getting knocked off around 2 a.m.; this week it's 4 a.m. There's something about that hour that also seems to dull the ability of victims to describe their attackers:

• A white man was walking near the corner of Gov. Nicholls and Bourbon streets around 4 a.m. Friday (8.8.08) when he was accosted by 2 or 3 black dudes who pushed him to the ground and took his wallet. The robbers fled on Bourbon toward Esplanade Avenue. The victim couldn't give a description of the thieves.

That corner, you might remember, is where an alleged murderer pulled out a shotgun and robbed a white couple just 3 weeks before, albeit earlier in the evening.

• A couple of white guys were walking in the 600 block of Toulouse Street around 4 a.m. Sunday (8.10.08) when they were jumped from behind by 5 or 6 black thugs. The gangsters punched the victims in the back of the head and demanded money. The victims gave up their loot but couldn't give a description of the robbers.

Taking a stab at it: A gutter punk attacked a white guy about 8:29 p.m. Sunday evening (8.10.08) in the 1000 block of Decatur Street while the victim was walking with a group of friends. The punk, also white, and his girlfriend began hustling the group for money. When they refused to give them any, the punk pulled a knife and stabbed the victim in the leg. The victim's friends grabbed the assailant and held him until police arrived. Arrested was Steven Law, 25, 5'8" tall, weighing 170 pounds, and charged him with aggravated battery.

With friends like that: A white guy returning to his apartment in the 1300 block of Royal Street at about 10:35 p.m. Friday (8.8.08) was confronted by his roommate. The 2 began arguing and the roommate pulled a knife and allegedly stabbed the victim. The police issued an arrest warrant for Obie Goodman, 30, and caught up with him just after noon yesterday (8.11.08) and booked him for aggravated battery.

When cars are outlawed, only outlaws will have cars: A 33-year-old black man from Slidell was walking near the intersection of Pauger and N. Rampart streets in the Marigny Triangle shortly after 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning (8.10.08) when a car purposely ran him over--and over a couple more times, for good measure. The man, Devin Legaux, was dead on the scene.

Detectives learned the victim was walking with another man when the driver of a vehicle that couldn't muster much of a description from witnesses at the scene. The driver fled on northbound N. Rampart toward Elysian Fields Avenue.

Homicide Detective Brian Pollard is in charge of the investigation. He can be reached at 658-5300. Detectives are in the process of gathering information on the identity of the suspect(s) and vehicle involved in this incident.

Citizens with information that can help solve this crime are asked to call Crimestoppers at 822-1111. You could receive a cash reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the responsible person(s). You do not have to give your name nor testify to receive the reward.

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

Thom Kahler

We should be afraid, very afraid

Crime big time: Sometimes it's easy to think of the armed robbers attacking the French Quarter as rather harmless little punks. But this case should show just how dangerous they are:

A week ago Wednesday (7.30.08), the NOPD arrested Alonzo Gonzales, 18, after a gun battle in Gert Town in which Gonzales was wounded. When all the charges were tallied up, Gonzales was accused of the murder of a Slidell contractor in Broadmoor, attempted murder of 5 police officers, and 2 armed robberies--which happened less than 2 weeks before in the French Quarter.

In that robbery on 7.18.08, a white couple walking on Bourbon Street at 10:15 p.m. was accosted by a shotgun-toting thug as they crossed Gov. Nicholls Street. They surrendered their money and the robber hopped into a black Ford Mustang that was waiting on Bourbon. The getaway car fled down Barracks Street toward N. Rampart Street.

The robber was described as in his 20's, 6'1" tall, weighing 170 pounds, with medium twists in his hair, wearing a black tank top and dark shorts. When 8th District detectives showed the victims a photographic line-up, they positively identified Gonzalez as the man who robbed them. He was booked Wednesday (8.6.08) with 2 counts of armed robbery.

Gonzales is being held without bond in the 1st degree murder of the contractor and on bonds totaling over $3 million for the other charges.

Gonzales' buddy, Brent M. Braneon Sr., 19, is charged with similar crimes.

The French Quarter victims were fortunate this kid didn't turn killer 2 weeks earlier. He could have fired that shotgun...

Same night as "Night Out Against Crime": Just 5 hours after allegedly holding up The Nail Place at 2024 St. Claude Ave. on Tuesday (8.5.08), Steven Atlow, 38, was arrested by 8th District detectives and charged him with 2 counts of armed robbery.

According to the police report, the proprietors of the shop, a black man and woman, were closing the business about 6:30 p.m. when 2 black dudes knocked on the door. The victims let them in and the perpetrators pulled handguns. One of the perps took the money from the open cash register drawer and the robbers fled on foot.

The detectives showed a photographic line-up later in the evening to the victims and they positively identified Atlow, 5'4" tall, weighing 135 pounds, as the robber. By 11:45 p.m., the detectives had picked up Atlow and booked him into OPP, where he's being held on $200,000 bond.

Now that's what I call a "Night Out Against Crime"!

Took longer, but they got him: It took almost 3 1/2 months, but 8th District detectives finally hauled in the guy they think robbed a man 4.19.08 in broad daylight at 2 p.m. at Dauphine and St. Ann streets.

Detectives showed a photographic line-up of black men to the white victim and he positively identified Gilbert Rollins as the man who came up to him and demanded money, which the victim gave to him. They charged Rollins on 7.30.08.

Rollins, 33, 5'10" tall, weighing 170 pounds, was originally booked on a host of charges, including drug trafficking (which was dismissed) and felon in possession of a firearm (which is pending). He's being held on $70,000 bond.

Surprise, surprise: We never thought they'd get this one because the woman who was robbed waited 2 days to report the crime. Well, they don't actually have the culprit, but 8th District detectives have issued an arrest warrant for Melvin Bland who they believe held up the woman on 7.16.08.

Bland, a 38-year-old black man, 6' tall, weighing 170 pounds, has convictions on drug charges and for prostitution and crimes against nature.

According to the police report, the white victim was standing outside 1431 Royal St. (between Kerlerec Street and Esplanade Avenue) at 2 a.m. when a black man came up and asked for a cigarette. He then pulled out a pistol and demanded her money. She complied and he fled on foot.

The victim positively identified Bland, who was described as 30 to 40 years old, 6' tall, weighing 170 pounds, withe short flat-top hair, wearing a purple button-down shirt over a black T-shirt.

Wouldn't it be nice if the police would publish a picture of a suspect when he's out running loose in our neighborhood? In this case, look for a snappy dresser, dressed as either a man or a woman.

Fuzzy thinking at its finest: Big Chief Warren Riley made a big deal this week in releasing the crime statistics for the first half of the year by saying murders were down compared to last year. By 2. Only 94 in 2008 versus 96 in 2007.

One of the reasons I don't get excited about crime stats is that differences don't matter if you're one of the group of 94 or 96. Dead is dead. But "dead is dead" at least keeps the police from fudging the figures. It's almost impossible to classify a homicide as something less, like a burglary, to make your figures look better.

But that's exactly what Riley's been doing this year--if you can't control crime in the city, you can at least control how they're reported.

• First, he lays out the "crimes per 100,000 residents", then wiggles and jiggles the population numbers this year versus last year. This makes the situation look better this year--on the presumption there are more people in the city, the number of crimes isn't as great as last year.

• Then Riley combines the 1st quarter stats with the 2nd quarter stats, issuing only figures for the 1st half--so you can't see if the situation improved or got worse in the past 3 months. Why didn't the NOPD issue stats separately for the second quarter as it usually does? A NOPD spokesman told the Times-Picayune "they were not available."

Uh, wouldn't that have been as simple as subtracting the 1st quarter figures from the combines 1st half figures? These are the people you trust to keep your city safe. Now you see why it isn't.

• When a crime isn't as clear-cut as a homicide, then Riley often calls it something else. Such as when an armed robbery is committed inside a house--like a "home invasion"--it's called an "aggravated burglary." This means even though armed robberies have soared for the year, the numbers would have been even worse if all the robbers were properly classified. And it allows the NOPD to classify the robberies as a "nonviolent" crime rather than a "violent" crime.

Sounds a lot better, doesn't it? Not so scary. Don't bet on it--what if it was your family being robbed at gunpoint in your own house by a gang of thugs?

Or here's a classic: After the NOPD first classified the shooting of a man 5 times last weekend in the French Quarter as "aggravated battery", the neighborhood was outraged, wondering why the shooter wasn't charged with attempted murder. This prompted a TV reporter to ask Riley at the crime stats news conference, "Are officers under-reporting crime, such as classifying an attempted murder as aggravated battery?"

Riley's response was unbelievable. Mustering all the logic only a SUNO education could instill, Riley replied: "If a person is shot and they do not die, it is an aggravated battery."

Uh, Big Chief, Mr. Riley, sir...wouldn't that be murder if he died? He didn't mention "attempted murder" at all.

Try a different approach: In case you missed it, the Wall Street Journal this week had an article entitled "Going After Crimes--and Guns," telling how Richmond, Va., was cleaning up its city by severely punishing any firearms offense. It's an effort even the NRA supports. Well worth reading. Maybe something that would work here if everyone would work together. You noticed that word "if."

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

Thom Kahler

VIEW from the street: What's going on when nothing's going on

Recently we noted the 8th District reported only one crime had occurred during the whole week. But the manager of a shop in the 100 block of Bourbon Street saw plenty in a week of observing life in just her block of the underbelly of the French Quarter. Here's what's going on when "nothing" is going on, according to Eleanor Lahey, manager of Hustler Hollywood, 111 Bourbon St., in her own words:

I was just reading about the NOPD only reporting one crime, and thought I would share the ones we witnessed or had to deal with last week.

7.24.08, 6 p.m.: A black male “bucket drummer” wearing a long white T-shirt with no sleeves and brown shorts who was playing his buckets on the side of Foot Locker (corner of Canal and Bourbon) got into a fight with a white woman whom he seemed to know. It got physical, and his friend was attempting to separate them. I called the cops, and they came by and shooed the woman away.

7.24.08, around 11 p.m.: A mid-40’s black male, dirty white T-shirt, denim pants, unshaven, with mid-length hair, wearing a black Georgia Bulldogs baseball cap, was caught shoplifting. We attempted to detain him for the police, but he took off. Another employee called the cops while I followed him to Iberville, hoping that the cops that are usually standing around on the corner would be there. When the shoplifter got off Bourbon, he started running towards Rampart.

I was unable to locate any police officers. When they arrived 5-10 minutes later, they told me that they were standing on the corner of Iberville and Bourbon, that I must have just not seen them.

While they were in the store, I noticed that there were quite a few shoe shines out hustling people, and I pointed this out to the officers, who watched them for awhile from within the store and then went outside and spoke with them.

7.25.08, 11:45 a.m.: We went outside and saw a black male, mid-50’s, with missing teeth, short unruly hair, ungroomed facial hair with a goatee, wearing an "I (heart) NO" shirt, green trousers. He was shoving several stacks of T-shirts--2 styles, 10-12 of each style--into a green duffle bag and a black and silver backpack. He was attempting to sell them to passers by. We could see that one of the styles was a skull with crossed swords Jolly Roger- design. The other had blue writing, but I couldn’t tell what it said.

These were not from our store, probably from one of the tourist trap stores. They were obviously from a snatch-and-grab, so we called the police. The officer responding ran him off, and then we went to speak to him. He stated that he couldn’t search the man's bags, even though we saw him conceal the merchandise, and that since we didn’t see him steal the shirts, nothing could be done. We asked our closest T-shirt shop neighbors if the shirts came from their stores, and no one claimed them. The officer said that if the store reported it, then they could get the guy, but otherwise, nothing.

7.25.08, around 6:30 p.m.: At least a dozen cops and many cop cars were in front of our building arresting a belligerent drunk. They maced him repeatedly, and put him in a car. He attempted to kick out the windows, so they pulled him back out and eventually got him in a car with bars over the windows.

We overheard a police supervisor yelling at the officers--we were able to gather that they’d done something wrong, but not what was done wrong. We heard the supervisor tell the officers that “all of their names were going on this."

7.26.08, around 1:30 a.m.: A drunk, clean-cut looking, white guy wearing a white T-shirt with black writing on it and jeans who was in our upstairs decided to try to break his way out onto the balcony. He hit the doors hard, and they partially opened, but he didn’t do any damage. I promptly him escorted out, as he muttered incoherent things. Then he wanted me to go outside with him to “prove a point”. I said no way, I’ll call the cops, scram.

He went outside, and I told several other employees to watch and make sure he didn’t re-enter the store, and went back upstairs to the customers I’d been talking with. Shortly after, this same guy started screaming Bible quotations through the door, and assaulted a customer who was coming into the store. Our staff immediately called the cops. They took 20 minutes to arrive, and the guy was gone.

7.27.08, early afternoon: One of the local juvenile delinquents (black, short--5’5”-ish, obese, walks with a limp) came in the store, hassled an employee, and then attempted to leave through the emergency exit door, setting off the alarm. After that, he was told not to return.

At around 9:30 p.m., he attempted to enter the store again and an employee told him he had to leave because he had been kicked out a previous night. The boy left the store, but he would not get off the sidewalk where he proceeded to continuously clap his hands loudly.

The police were called and they came, gave him a talking to, and shooed him away. We wanted to have this individual charged with trespassing, but the cops did not give us the opportunity to do so.

None of these events are earth-shattering, but their existence does prove that things are not being reported, so I decided they were worth sharing. Eleanor Lahey

Battery not charged

Getting it right, eventually: The neighborhood was in an uproar when police originally charged a culprit 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.

A witness heard the gunfire about 3:40 a.m.on Saturday morning (8.2.08) and saw a black dude shooting the victim, a 34-year-old black man, with a handgun.

The perpetrator fled on Clinton Street to Iberville Street toward N. Peters Street, with the witness in pursuit. As the perp crossed N. Peters, the witness flagged down a passing NOPD K-9 unit which apprehended the suspect at Bienville and Front streets and recovered the weapon used in the crime.

Arrested was Nathaniel Payton, 26, who has drug arrest after drug arrest, going back to nearly the turn of the century.

For some reason, the NOPD is cloaking this case in a lot of mystery. Initially, the NOPD's flak refused to release the suspect's name, noting that he was being "very uncooperative." (What? You act up and the police won't give you your 15 minutes of fame?)

But the flak did say they guy would be charged with aggravated battery, rather than attempted murder, which is what set the neighbors off, who were all over TV yesterday ranting at the NOPD.

When the suspect's name did become known, it was found he was booked with attempted 2nd-degree murder and resisting an officer, but that a charge of aggravated battery was dismissed for lack of evidence.

For some reason, Payton isn't shown as a guest in OPP. There are 2 guesses on this:

1) If he's as big a drug dealer as he appears to be from arrest records, he might have easily made the measly $80,000 bond put on him by Magistrate Rudy Gorrell; or,

2) the resisting an officer charge may have had to do with trying to get away from the K-9 dog, which might have taken a bite out of his butt, sending him to the hospital.

The police don't seem to know where he is. He might, of course, be back roaming the streets of the French Quarter again, seeking to settle other scores.

Hang on to your purses: A white woman walking in the 700 block of Fulton Street (between Julia and Notre Dame streets) on Sunday (8.3.08) at 4:30 a.m. was robbed of her purse when an older model white Lincoln Towncar pulled alongside of her and a black dude got out and grabbed her purse. The car fled down Fulton toward Canal Street.

The robber was described as 5'9" to 5"11" tall, with hair in dreadlocks, wearing a long white T-shirt and blue jeans.

Buck bagged?: A NOcrimeline subscriber reports that the police arrested a suspect Saturday morning (8.2.08) about 1 a.m. near her home at Pauger and Dauphine Streets who looked an awfully lot like one of the 2 black bucks who pulled off 2 armed robberies earlier in the week just a block or 2 from her home.

She said 3 cop cars converged on the intersection to take him down and seemed very happy to have collared the guy. Police won't say whether or not they think he's one of the culprits from the robberies at Royal and Frenchmen streets on Tuesday or at Royal and Touro streets on Wednesday.

No wonder we have car thieves: The DA has set loose 2 more car thieves by refusing to prosecute Patrick Porter and David Cobarruviaz, both 21.

It's another slap in the face to the efforts of 8th District officers Brandon Ludwig and Billy Tregle who arrested the duo at 4:48 a.m. 6.2.08 for breaking into cars at Decatur and Conti streets.

No wonder the Quarter is plagued with car windows broken out and the interiors pillaged. The DA--who's now going to be a judge--just doesn't take the crime seriously.

Is that all?: The arrest of the shooting suspect and the one pursesnatching listed above were the lone crimes reported by the 8th District since the middle of last week. If, indeed, those are the only crimes in the last 7 days, the 8th District ought to be crowing about their success in corralling crime.

I suspect there's much more we're not hearing about in the 8th District. In the 2nd District (Uptown) sends out an email on the crimes that happen there. It's hard to know if it's for each crime that occurs there, but I had no less than 27 of them on my computer this morning. Of course, the officer who sends them out usually forgets to put the date and time on them, so it's hard to know just what they cover. But judging by 27 reports, you wouldn't want to live Uptown.

Let NOcrimeline know what's happening near you in the Quarter, the Marigny Triangle and CBD. If we can't get prompt and complete reports from the 8th District, perhaps we can rely on residents to alert their neighbors to what's happening and help prevent them from becoming victims of crime.

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

Thom Kahler

Crimes reported in July 2008

These are the crimes reported during July, 2008 in the 8th District (French Quarter, Marigny Triangle, CBD) as listed on the NOPD's crime map, which gives the dates and locations, but not the time the crimes occurred:

Armed robbery
7.07.08, gun, 1100 Royal St.
7.14.08, attempted, gun, Gravier St. & S. Rampart St.
7.16.08, gun, 1400 Royal St.
7.18.08, gun, Bourbon St. & Gov. Nicholls St.
7.18.08, gun, Dauphine St. & Ursulines Ave.
7.20.08, gun, 100 University Pl.
7.21.08, 100 Royal St.
7.23.08, attempted, gun, 900 Orleans Ave.
7.27.08, gun, 700 Esplanade Ave.
7.29.08, gun, Frenchmen St. & Royal St.
7.29.08, gun, Frenchmen St. & Royal St.
7.30.08, gun, Royal St. & Touro St.

Simple robbery
7.03.08, 900 St. Charles Ave.
7.05.08, 700 Canal St.
7.07.08, pursesnatching, Chartres St. & St. Ann St.
7.08.08, 1100 Dauphine St.
7.14.08, pursesnatching, 900 Bourbon St.
7.19.08, pursesnatching, Bourbon St. & St. Philip St.
7.20.08, pursesnatching, 900 N. Rampart St.
7.20.08, 100 St. Charles Ave.
7.20.08, pickpocketing, 800 Burgundy St.
7.30.08, Conti St. & Burgundy St.

Assault & battery
7.01.08, aggravated battery, shooting, Royal St. & Toulouse St.
7.02.08, aggravated battery, 500 Bourbon St.
7.03.08, aggravated assault, Dauphine St. & St. Louis St.
7.05.08, aggravated assault, Girod St. & LaSalle St.
7.05.08, aggravated assault, Orleans Ave. & Bourbon St.
7.06.08, aggravated battery, shooting, 1100 Canal St.
7.10.08, aggravated battery, 200 Chartres St.
7.12.08, aggravated assault, St. Peter St. & Bourbon St.
7.14.08, aggravated assault, LaSalle St. & Tulane Ave.
7.17.08, aggravated battery, 100 S. Claiborne Ave.

Burglary
7.09.08, residential, 500 Conti St.
7.12.08, residential, 1900 Dauphine St.
7.13.08, business, 700 Canal St.
7.14.08, 500 Dauphine St.
7.14.08, business, 600 Gov. Nicholls St.
7.18.08, business, 1000 Annunciation St.
7.18.08, business, 700 Camp St.
7.20.08, residential, 300 Julia St.
7.26.08, business, 100 S. Rampart St.
7.26.08, residential, 800 Bienville St.

Theft
7.01.08, shoplifting, 400 N. Peters St.
7.01.08, 700 Iberville St.
7.01.08, 400 Bourbon St.
7.01.08, 300 Chartres St.
7.01.08, 1000 St. Peter St.
7.01.08, exterior of auto, Decatur St. & St. Ann St.
7.04.08, 500 Canal St.
7.05.08, bicycle , 800 Decatur St.
7.05.08, 800 Decatur St.
7.06.08, 1000 Elysian Fields Ave.
7.06.08, 500 St. Charles Ave.
7.06.08, 800 Poydras St.
7.07.08, 300 Magazine St.
7.07.08, 100 Chartres St.
7.07.08, 500 Gravier St.
7.08.08, bicycle, attempted, Barracks St. & Dauphine St.
7.08.08, shoplifting, 900 Canal St.
7.08.08, 1400 Pauger St.
7.09.08, 400 Chartres St.
7.09.08, Poydras St.
7.10.08, 200 N. Peters St.
7.10.08, 900 Magazine St.
7.12.08, bicycle , 600 Esplanade Ave.
7.12.08, 100 Carondelet St.
7.12.08, 700 Conti St.
7.12.08, exterior of auto, Poydras St.
7.13.08, bicycle , 500 Common St.
7.13.08, shoplifting, 100 Elk Pl.
7.13.08, 800 N. Rampart St.
7.13.08, 600 Canal St.
7.14.08, 200 St. Charles Ave.
7.15.08, bicycle , Canal St.
7.15.08, bicycle , 200 Decatur St.
7.15.08, 500 Tchoupitoulas St.
7.15.08, Bourbon St. & Canal St.
7.16.08, shoplifting, 600 Bourbon St.
7.16.08, 1000 Annunciation St.
7.16.08, 800 Camp St.
7.16.08, 400 Poydras St.
7.19.08, bicycle , 600 Iberville St.
7.19.08, 1400 Tulane Ave.
7.20.08, bicycle , 900 Poeyfarre St.
7.20.08, 900 Bourbon St.
7.20.08, exterior of auto, 600 Dumaine St.
7.21.08, bicycle , 200 Decatur St.
7.21.08, 1300 Perdido St.
7.21.08, 500 Canal St.
7.22.08, 800 Iberville St.
7.24.08, bicycle , 700 Canal St.
7.25.08, 1800 N. Rampart St.
7.25.08, 400 Bourbon St.
7.26.08, bicycle, attempted, 800 Conti St.
7.26.08, shoplifting, 300 Canal St.
7.26.08, Canal St.
7.26.08, 700 Orleans Ave.
7.27.08, Canal St.
7.28.08, shoplifting, 100 Elk Pl.
7.28.08, 800 Union St.
7.28.08, 200 Royal St.
7.29.08, 700 Canal St.
7.29.08, Poydras St.
7.30.08, shoplifting, 500 Bourbon St.
7.30.08, 300 Camp St.

Auto theft
7.01.08, Magazine St. & St. Joseph St.
7.01.08, Girod St. & Loyola Ave.
7.01.08, 300 Loyola Ave.
7.01.08, 400 Burgundy St.
7.01.08, 500 Canal St.
7.03.08, Dauphine St. & St. Louis St.
7.04.08, Girod St. & Magazine St.
7.04.08, Common St. & Tchoupitoulas St.
7.05.08, Royal St. & Iberville St.
7.05.08, 700 S. Rampart St.
7.05.08, N. Diamond St. & S. Peters St.
7.05.08, Camp St. & Gravier St.
7.05.08, attempted, 700 S. Rampart St.
7.06.08, Poydras St. & Clara St.
7.06.08, Cleveland Ave. & S. Villere St.
7.06.08, Dauphine St. & Kerlerec St.
7.06.08, Bourbon St. & St. Ann St.
7.06.08, Gravier St. & O'Keefe Ave.
7.06.08, Camp St. & Gravier St.
7.06.08, 800 St. Louis St.
7.06.08, attempted, St. Joseph St. & Magazine St.
7.07.08, Girod St. & Loyola Ave.
7.07.08, Julia St. & Loyola Ave.
7.09.08, Burgundy St. & Kerlerec St.
7.09.08, 900 Magazine St.
7.09.08, attempted, Girod St. & S. Rampart St.
7.12.08, 800 Tchoupitoulas St.
7.12.08, 800 Bourbon St.
7.15.08, Barracks St. & Royal St.
7.18.08, Carondelet St. & Union St.
7.18.08, Lafayette St. & Tchoupitoulas St.
7.18.08, Lafayette St. & Tchoupitoulas St.
7.19.08, 500 Esplanade Ave.
7.19.08, St. Louis St. & Decatur St.
7.21.08, Ursulines Ave. & N. Peters St.
7.21.08, Poydras St.
7.21.08, Andrew Higgins St. & Tchoupitoulas St.
7.21.08, Canal St. & Magazine St.
7.22.08, 800 Bienville St.
7.23.08, 300 Loyola Ave.
7.23.08, Canal St. & S. Villere St.
7.24.08, 400 Canal St.
7.26.08, Conti St. & Decatur St.
7.26.08, Royal St. & Ursulines Ave.
7.27.08, 300 Burgundy St.
7.27.08, Girod St. & Loyola Ave.
7.29.08, 100 S. Claiborne Ave.
7.29.08, 200 N. Rampart St.
7.30.08, 1400 Royal St.

Car break-in
7.03.08, Canal St. & University Pl.
7.05.08, Burgundy St. & Iberville St.
7.05.08, 1100 Gravier St.
7.06.08, 1000 St. Anthony St.
7.06.08, Julia St. & O'Keefe Ave.
7.06.08, Girod St. & Loyola Ave.
7.06.08, Girod St. & S. Rampart St.
7.06.08, Howard Ave. & Loyola Ave.
7.06.08, St. Peter St. & Chartres St.
7.06.08, S. Liberty St. & Poydras St.
7.06.08, Poydras St. & S. Rampart St.
7.06.08, Girod St. & Loyola Ave.
7.06.08, Cleveland Ave. & S. Villere St.
7.06.08, Girod St. & O'Keefe Ave.
7.06.08, Julia St. & O'Keefe Ave.
7.06.08, O'Keefe Ave. & Lafayette St.
7.06.08, O'Keefe Ave. & Julia St.
7.07.08, Julia St. & Magazine St.
7.07.08, 700 O'Keefe Ave.
7.14.08, 800 Baronne St.
7.16.08, Bourbon St. & Dumaine St.
7.22.08, 600 Royal St.
7.22.08, 1000 Dumaine St.
7.22.08, 1000 Dumaine St.
7.22.08, 500 St. Louis St.
7.26.08, 800 Magazine St.
7.26.08, 400 Notre Dame St.
7.27.08, 700 Conti St.
7.27.08, 300 Burgundy St.
7.28.08, 100 University Pl.
7.28.08, 100 University Pl.
7.30.08, 1300 Canal St.
7.30.08, 1300 Canal St.

The night time is no good time

What is it about 2 a.m.?: A rash of armed robberies in the past few days have all happened shortly after 2 a.m. In the 2 most recent, both in the Marigny Triangle, 2 black bucks are described as the culprits.

• Wednesday (7.30.08), 2:05 a.m.: A white couple were walking near Royal and Touro streets when a black Ford Expedition pulled along side of them them and 2 black dudes got out, each armed with a pistol. They demanded the victims' wallet and purse and the victims complied. The robbers got back in their vehicle and fled down Royal to Esplanade Avenue.

The robbers were described as both in their 20's, one 6' tall, weighing 160 pounds, the other 6'2" tall, weighing 170 pounds, both wearing all black clothing.

• Tuesday (7.29.08), 2:30 a.m.: A white couple walking near Royal and Frenchmen streets were accosted by 2 black dudes, one of whom pulled a pistol and demanded money. The victims complied and the robbers fled on foot up Frenchmen, turning on Burgundy Street, heading toward Elysian Fields Avenue.

The robbers were described as 26 to 28 years old; one 6' tall, weighing 170 pounds, with short twists in his hair, no facial hair; the other 6'2" tall, weighing 160 pounds, wearing a dark hat; both were wearing dark clothing.

• Saturday (7.26.08), 2:38 a.m.: A white woman, walking in the 700 block of Esplanade Avenue, near Royal Street, was approached from the front by a Hispanic man armed with a pistol. He took the woman's purse from her shoulder and fled to a late-model, dark-colored SUV which sped down Esplanade toward the river.

The robber was described as 27 to 34 years old, 5'5" tall, weighing 170 pounds.

Broad daylight: An Asian woman, maybe a tourist, was walking with another woman along Burgundy Street near Conti Street at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday (7.30.08), when a black man driving a dark green GMC Suburban leaned out of the window and grabbed the woman's purse. He fled down Burgundy. No further description of the thief was available.

"I've been robbed, I think": A white guy told police on Friday (7.25.08) that he had been robbed almost 4 weeks earlier on 6.30.08. He was attempting to use his credit card in the ATM machine near Bourbon and Canal streets at 2 a.m. He said someone grabbed the card from his hand and fled. The "victim" said he was too intoxicated to give a description of the alleged perpetrator. But now he has the paperwork from the police he needs for his insurance company.

Malta's murderer?: NOPD detectives yesterday (7.30.08) booked Mark Anthony Ott, 31, with 1st-degree murder in the June, 2007 death of Robin Malta, the owner of Salon D'Malta in the 1200 block of Decatur Street.

Malta, 43, was beaten to death inside his home in the 600 block of Port Street in the Faubourg Marigny. Police said Ott was linked to Malta's murder by DNA evidence.

Last November, police said they had arrested Laura Michelle Lapaz in Malta's murder, saying she had hired someone to kill Malta for a drug debt owed to Lapaz. Lapaz, who is in federal custody awaiting trial in August on federal drug and gun charges, has not been charged by the NOPD in Malta's murder.

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

Thom Kahler

Back on the street again

Thanks, your honor: Apparently Judge Frank A. Marullo Jr. is confident that a suspected drug dealer is no threat to the public as long as he pees in a cup twice a week.

He let Howard Fleming, 27, who was being held on $57,500 bond, out of OPP last Thursday (7.24.08) on his own recognizance as long as he takes a drug test twice a week and is monitored by "intensive probation." Isn't that just swell of the judge, who faces no opposition in this fall's election?

When 8th District Task Force officers hauled Fleming in last May, they had a fight on their hands. Ofc. James Lipscomb and Ofc. Kelly Morel managed to subdue Fleming at Chartres Street and Elysian Fields Avenue 5.16.08 and charge him on 7 counts: possession with intent to distribute Ecstasy, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, attempted escape, resisting arrest, flight from an officer, assault on a police officer, criminal damage.

By the time the DA (who's now going to be a judge too) was done, all that remained were the 2 drug dealing charges, and one count of resisting an officer, and 2 counts of simple assault. Nothing so bad that Judge Marullo couldn't give him a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card.

Down and out: Last year about this time, when the 8th District was plagued by 22 armed robberies in a month--15 of them in the Lower Quarter and Marigny Triangle--Lt. Eddie Selby unleashed a 12-man taskforce on the territory to change the tide.

On just the second night of this assault on crime, Detectives Donald Haynes, Jason Giroir and Joey Catalanotto spotted a black dude checking out cars parked along Chartres Street around 2 a.m. and ordered him to halt. The suspect, Vincent Beverly, allegedly tried to outdraw them by pulling a .40-caliber Glock from his waistband when he was corned by the officers near Gov. Nicholls Street. One of the cops was quicker on the trigger and shot Beverly once in the left side. While the shot was not fatal, Beverly, now 19, is expected to be paralyzed for life.

Last Friday (7.25.08), Beverly pled guilty to 2 reduced charges of 1 count of simple robbery and 1 count of aggravated assault with a firearm on a police officer. Judge Camille Buras (another judge who will be back on the bench for another term without opposition) gave him a 7-year suspended sentence, with the first 6 months served under house arrest and then 5 years of active probation--and, oh yeah, he has to get his GED and be drug tested for 12 weeks.

Beverly was originally charged with 2 counts of armed robbery, 1 of simple battery, and 1 of assault on a police officer. When his picture was shown in a photo lineup to victims in several of the robberies that prompted the intense patrols, the victims in 2 robberies were able to positively identify Beverly as the man who robbed them. The victim in a third robbery said he couldn't be sure it was Beverly.

He was charged in the robbery of 2 white men 7.23.07 at 1417 Royal St. and the robbery of a man 7.28.07 in the 1200 block of Bourbon Street. A man who was robbed in the 900 block of Esplanade Avenue on 7.26.07 was not able to positively ID the suspect.

Only one crime?: If you believe the 8th District NOPD, there was only ONE crime committed in the French Quarter and environs last week.

According to the "8th District Update" emailed Friday, a white couple were walking in the 900 block of Orleans Avenue toward Burgundy Street at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday (7.23.08) when a black boy came up behind them with a handgun and demanded the woman's purse. She refused and began screaming, which sent the hoodlum fleeing.

A juvenile was apprehended a short while later and positively identified by the victims. The punk was only 16, so we won't know his name until he turns 17 and turns pro.

But come on, really only one crime in the whole Quarter, Marigny Triangle and CBD in a week that was worth reporting? Maybe the cops aren't as afraid as we are, but I'll bet there was a lot more going on that that. If you want to help keep your neighborhoods safe, please report to NOcrimeline@gmail.com any incidents you know of, whether it involves you or a neighbor. By alerting others, you may help prevent a crime.

Who needs crooks when we've got cops?: There's a story flying all over Nola.com about a deputy NOPD chief fleeing a woman's house in the middle of the night last week wearing only a bed sheet after her husband came home early and started firing a gun at him.

The woman was reportedly a current or retired officer assigned to the 8th District; her husband is either a cop also or works offshore, depending on the version you've heard. The incident happened in a house in the NOPD's 3rd District near Dillard University.

Supposedly 3rd District officers charged the irate husband for shooting at the deputy chief, but another deputy chief, Bruce Adams, who's in charge of the NOPD's Public Integrity Bureau, arrived on the scene with instructions along the line of "by direct order of the superintendent, let him go."

All of that paints a pretty wide swath of who might have been involved, but that's the danger of the NOPD not reporting the facts. While hardly anyone gets hung any more for adultery outside of the Middle East and some parts of rural Louisiana, it does speak to moral issues among the top brass of the NOPD.

Superintendent Warren Riley made a big deal last week in dismissing 2 officers for their public misdeeds. The difference is, those misdeeds were highly publicized by the media. This incident is apparently being swept under Riley's rug.

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

Thom Kahler

Robberies all around

And a bank robbery to boot: Just as we were publishing yesterday's NOcrimeline posting, we figured it must have been a quite weekend in the ol' Quarter, since we hadn't received an 8th District Update for days. Boy, were we wrong! When we finally got an update around 4:30 p.m. it was full of robberies that happened all over the French Quarter over the weekend -- and that the "Update" may have been delayed due to the bank robbery that happened just before noon.

In that robbery, a white man entered the CapitalOne 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, according to various reports (the NOPD reported the wrong address for the bank; the Times-Picayune reports the incident happened at 1 p.m., the NOPD at 11:50 a.m.). The teller gave him the banded bait money that contained a red dye pack in a bag.

The robber 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 the robber in the 500 block of Common Street.

Arrested was Steven Fickes, 47, 6' tall, weighing 200 pounds.

Armed robberies abound: No less than 4 armed robberies marred the tranquility of the Quarter and its fringes in the past week:

• Wednesday (7.16.08), 2 a.m.: A white woman was standing outside 1431 Royal St. (between Kerlerec Street and Esplanade Avenue) when a black man came up and asked for a cigarette. He then pulled out a pistol and demanded her money. She complied and he fled on foot.

The robber was described as 30 to 40 years old, 6' tall, weighing 170 pounds, withe short flat-top hair, wearing a purple button-down shirt over a black T-shirt.

(This incident wasn't reported to the police until 2 days later, wiping out all chances cops could have scoured the area for the perp. C'mon, people! If you don't take a crime like this seriously, why do you expect the police to?)

• Friday (7.18.08), 10:15 p.m.: A white couple walking on Bourbon Street were crossing Gov. Nicholls Street when a black thug armed with a shotgun came up and demanded their money. The robber hopped into a black Ford Mustang waiting on Bourbon, which fled down Barracks Street toward N. Rampart Street.

The robber was described as in his 20's, 6'1" tall, weighing 170 pounds, with medium twists in his hair, wearing a black tank top and dark shorts.

• Friday (7.18.08), 10:25 p.m.: A white couple crossing the street at Dauphine and Dumaine streets were robbed by a thief who first tried to grab the woman's purse, then pulled a pistol when she resisted. He got the purse and fled on foot.

The robber was described as in his 20's, 6'2" tall, weighing 170 pounds, medium dreadlocks or twists, cleanshaven, wearing a white T-shirt and plaid shorts.

• Sunday (7.20.08), 1:05 a.m.: Apparently police haven't broken up that gang that's been terrorizing the area after all. A white man walking in the 100 block of University Place, just across Canal Street, was approached from behind by 4 or 5 black hoodlums. One pulled a pistol and demanded the victim's money. When the victim attempted to flee, he was pushed to the ground by the other hoods and beaten while they took his wallet and cellphone.

The culprits were all described as 18 to 22 years old, one was 5'8" tall, weighing 160 pounds, with a short haircut, wearing a dark T-shirt and dark pants; 2 others were each 6'1" tall, weighing 170 pounds, with shoulder-length braids, wearing white T-shirts and dark pants.

Pursesnatchings too, of course: Just because they don't have a gun (or you don't see a gun), doesn't mean these robberies are any less terrifying:

• Saturday (7.19.08), 11: 30 p.m.: A white woman was walking on Bourbon Street hear St. Philip Street when a white guy came up behind her and grabbed her purse off her shoulder. He fled on St. Philip toward Royal Street.

The robber was described as 20 to 30 years old, 5'8" tall, weighing 170 pounds, wearing a white T-shirt, khaki pants, and a dark baseball cap.

• Sunday (7.20.08), 6:20 a.m.: A white woman walking with 2 girlfriends near the corner of Royal and Iberville streets was approached by a black dude who tried to chat her up. She ignored him and continued walking, but he followed them across Canal Street. When they reached the 100 block of St. Charles Avenue (just the other side of Canal), the thief ran up and grabbed her purse. He fled into a waiting silver-colored Pontiac Grand Am, which sped down Common Street toward S. Rampart Street.

The robber was described as 28 years old, with shoulder-length braids, and wearing a white T-shirt, denim shorts, and orange tennis shoes.

Here's a tip: Lady, the minute this scumbag took a step in the same direction you and your friends were going, you should have whipped out your cellphone and dialed 911. You're lucky all you lost was your purse.

Here come the judge: It looks like District Attorney Keva Landrum-Johnson will be Judge Johnson, whether we like it or not.

The guy who signed up at the last minute to run against her, Gary Bizal, wimped out yesterday, quitting the "race" by saying, "At this point, it wasn't the path I wanted to follow." What do you expect from a civil rights lawyer?

Maybe he was just a "stalking horse" designed to keep anyone else from challenging her.

We can only hope she's a better judge than she was DA. How could she not be?

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

Thom Kahler