A very bad man, indeed

Maybe they can put him away for good: If the District Attorney does his job right this time, Corey J. Jordan may finally go away for good. 8th District detectives arrested him last Thursday (3.26.09) for what to him must seem like a petty crime.

The police say Jordan is the black dude who put a stop to a cat fight among 3 girls believed to be hookers on a Sunday morning (3.22.09) around 5 a.m. at Bourbon and Conti streets. In that fracas, 2 white women got into it with a black chick they had exchanged words with earlier in the evening, and the black woman began to fight with one of the white chicks.

A black guy--thought to be Jordan--came up and conked the white chick in the head with his pistol, then pointed it at the other whitey. The fighting stopped and Jordan allegedly picked up the white woman's purse from the ground and fled with the black chick in a tan SUV.

The 2 white female victims waited several hours before notifying the police about the incident, but apparently they knew who had done them wrong: Jordan.

Detective Sean McElrath charged Jordan with armed robbery with a firearm and aggravated battery. He is in OPP on $185,000 bond. What? No charge for felon in possession of a firearm? Turn him over to the feds on that one and he'll get 10 solid years, for sure.

Jordan, 35, has been in trouble with the law since he was 18 (and betcha a dollar to a doughnut, he had a juvy record before that). In 1995, he pled guilty to 2 counts of armed robbery and he was sentenced to 5 years in prison "without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence."

Considering those terms, it's hard to figure out how he was out in less than 3 years in 1998 when he was charged with 3 counts of attempted murder. Never mind though, former DA Harry Connick couldn't get it together in time to prosecute him on the charges and Jordan walked on a "701" release--for attempted murder, no less!

Then when Jordan got busted in 2007 for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, he was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of possession of cocaine. The judge gave him a 3-year suspended sentence and tried to "rehabilitate" him by sending him to drug court. Now he's got a charge of parole violation against him too for this latest episode he was allegedly involved in.

Let's hope the new DA, Leon Cannizzaro, goes after him as a multiple offender--and puts him away for life. It's scary to think that kind of guy has been running around the French Quarter all these years. Suppose that's the allure to all the tourists who flock here?

Robbings and beatings, oh my: Thanks to the flashing blue lights in the Lower French Quarter, residents there have been spared the turmoil riling the tourist playground in the Upper Quarter:

• Armed robbery, 3.26.09: A black man walking on Common Street near Carondelet Street around 10:30 p.m. when 2 black dudes and a black chick accosted him, with one of the black guys pulling a gun and demanding his money. He complied, and they fled in a teal-colored, 4-door, Jeep-style vehicle toward Baronne Street.

The victim described the robbers as one man being 5'9" tall, weighing 150 pounds, with short hair, a dark complexion and clean shaven, wearing a red hat, a black shirt and black shorts; the other man was 6' tall, weighing 180 pounds, with short dreadlocks, a medium complexion, and wearing a royal blue hoodie and a light blue shirt; the woman was described as 5'9" tall, weighing 150 pounds, with short black hair and a dark complexion, wearing a pink shirt with white lettering and pink capri pants.

• Armed robbery, 3.28.09: A 20-year-old white man walking in the 400 block of Bourbon Street (between Conti and St. Louis streets) around 3:30 a.m. was held up by a big black guy wielding a knife. The victim handed over his loot and the robber fled on foot toward Canal Street. For whatever reason (under-age drinking, maybe?), the victim waited several hours before reporting the robbery to the police.

He described the robber as 6'1" tall, weighing 190 pounds, wearing a dark T-shirt and blue jeans.

• Aggravated battery, 3.31.09: A couple of white guys got into it in Jackson Square last night around 7:20 p.m. near St. Peter and Chartres streets. The argument got heated and one man allegedly beat the other on the head with his walking cane, knocking him to the ground and sending him to the hospital.

8th District officers arrested Kermit Ramagos, 45, and charged him with aggravated battery.

Beware, the men of steel: Well, okay, iron, and maybe women too. To accommodate the ironman triathlon this Sunday (4.5.09), Esplanade Avenue to Decatur Street and Decatur to Jackson Square will be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic during the foot race portion of the event.

The closing will run from approximately 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vehicles will be allowed to cross the race route when safe to do so, but will not be allowed to turn onto the route.

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

Thom Kahler