Can't we all just get along?

Violence abounds: Usually it's robberies of one sort or another that plague the French Quarter, but in the last few days it's ill-natured thugs pulling guns, knives, and broken bottles on one another:

• Sunday (7.12.09): A white guy parking his car near St. Ann and Burgundy streets was accosted by a Hispanic man and white chick. The foreigner pulled a gun on the car's owner, but the driver was unimpressed and drove off.

A short time later, 8th District cops apprehended Roberto Jaquez, 21, and Stacey May Junker (no, really--that's not a name James Lee Burke made up), 20, and charged both with aggravated assault with a firearm. They also charged Jaquez with illegal possession of stolen firearms and illegally carrying a weapon with a controlled dangerous substance.

He is being held on $20,000 bond set by Magistrate Gerard Hansen. Junker is being held on a $15,000 bond set by Magistrate Marie Bookman. Sounds like mighty little in both cases for 2 miscreants who seem to want to rob or shoot someone.

• Tuesday (7.14.09): Two black men waiting at bus stop near Carondelet and Canal streets around 6:30 a.m. were threatened by a 27-year-old black dude with a broken glass bottle.

They were not injured but police arrested Alemseged Zeray and charged him with aggravated assault and simple battery. Magistrate Anthony Russo set his bond at $4,000.

• Tuesday (7.14.09): A black man was walking in the 600 block of Frenchmen Street (between Chartres and Royal streets) around 5:30 p.m. when a white guy bumped into him and started an argument. The white thug allegedly pulled a knife and threatened the black fella.

That was enough for police to arrest Ross Colomb, 29, and charge him with aggravated assault. Magistrate Anthony Russo put a $3,500 bond on him.

Colomb beat another aggravated assault charge this past February when the DA had to drop the case because the victim didn't show up in court.

• Wednesday (7.15.09): A white guy standing near Bourbon and Bienville streets around 4:45 a.m. got into an argument with 2 black guys. One of the black guys clobbered him with a bottle, after which he and his buddy took off running toward the river.

Police caught up with them and charged Herbert Jones (left), 24, with aggravated battery and Justin Brooks (right), also 24, with a municipal charge of battery, which usually amounts to a slap on the wrist. Jones was being held on a $10,000 bond imposed by Magistrate Gerard Hansen. Brooks got out of jail later in the day on a $1,000 bond. Jones got out sometime today.

Hot time in the old town: You'd think a high school teacher from Baton Rouge wouldn't be so overwhelmed by the big city that he'd try torching his hotel.

But supposedly video surveillance cameras at the Westin Hotel in Canal Place showed Kelly Messenger, 33, setting fire to a sofa in the lobby Saturday (7.11.09) morning just after 5 a.m. before getting on the elevator to the 11th floor where he was staying. Hotel security staff put out the fire before 12 firefighters arrived.

Messenger was charged with aggravated arson. He must have friends in high places; he was out of jail quicker than you can imagine. And the court record only says, "A ROR (release on own recognizance) bond was issued--amount and by whom is unknown." Very strange indeed that court officials don't know what happened to him.

List keeps growing: Remember that guy they charged with all the burglaries in the CBD last week?

Well, Saturday (7.11.09) the police leveled another 5 charges of burglary against Robert Escobedo, to go along with the previous 15 charges. He supposedly confessed to 11 burglaries of businesses and one of a car.

He's sitting in OPP on $590,000 bond.

* * *

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

Thom Kahler