The heat is on

Another day, another citizens' group: It's been a foregone conclusion among residents for a long time that the French Quarter is too dangerous and the NOPD too inept to do anything about it.

Now--in the wake of Wendy Byrne's murder almost 2 weeks ago--it seems citizens are mad as hell and aren't going to take it any more.

Just short of taking up torches and pitchforks, they're sitting down in meetings to stand up to the powers-that-be to vent their anger and frustration.

It's hard to count them all, but let's see: there was a meeting at Buffa's Lounge last Friday of vociferous locals, a vigil and march the following night, a meeting at Maison Dupuy on Monday night that no one seems to know who called it, another vigil the next night, a press conference today by a parent group called M.O.M representing virtually every organized group in the Quarter, another residents' meeting at Buffa's set for Saturday. Anyone left out?

The danger is that all these splintered groups can mount only a fragmented effort to solve a major problem. The strength is that the number of groups mobilizing will make it undeniable that citizens of this city can't be pushed any further. The problem is we have to endure for another year a mayor who just doesn't care, and he's the boss of a police chief who just doesn't have a clue of what to do.

If M.O.M's not happy, nobody's happy: Today's confab, monikered "Meeting of the Minds" (M.O.M) and honchoed by Chuck Ransdell, is the latest effort to budge the city and state to recognize that the French Quarter is the goose laying the golden egg of tourism.

In letters to both Gov. Jindal and Mayor Nagin, the group states the obvious: "The inadequacy of a police presence evenly dispersed throughout the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle provides fertile ground for the criminal element to prey on residents and visitors alike, particularly on the picturesque, less heavily trafficked residential streets. The tourism industry and the tax revenues of the State and the City of New Orleans suffer whenever a violent crime occurs in the French Quarter or Marigny Triangle."

In the letter to Jindal, the group says: "We ask you to please send State Police patrols to protect the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle. We also ask you to please continue the patrolling until such time as the city demonstrates the capability to provide and maintain frequent, visible patrols on every block in the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle. In addition, as there may be funding opportunities for these law enforcement needs in the federal economic stimulus package currently being considered by Congress, we ask that you work with our congressional delegation to pursue all avenues for federal assistance."

In the letter to Nagin, the group tells the mayor that New Orleans needs the same crimefighting strategy that New York used to clean up Times Square, saying it demands "that the City promptly engage in a comprehensive crime-fighting strategy which includes the following services for the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle:

"1) Zero-tolerance for criminal conduct;

"2) Adequate police presence, including frequent, visible patrolling of every block in the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle by foot as well as vehicle--even if the city must request assistance from the governor for State Police patrols;

3) Repair and upgrade of all public street lighting (in the French Quarter consistent with Vieux Carre Commission guidelines);

4) Monitoring working police cameras strategically placed in and around the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle;

5) Zero-tolerance of graffiti, pan-handling, loitering, hustling and public urination;

6) Repair of public infrastructure, particularly streets and sidewalks;

7) Timely towing of all vehicles illegally parked around street corners and on sidewalks, or that block driveways or business entrances;

8) Seeking funding opportunities for these law enforcement and infrastructure needs in the Federal economic stimulus package currently being considered by Congress;

9) Quarterly and annual reports to the undersigned and the public at-large on progress made on the foregoing list of demands; and

10) Include representatives of the undersigned in the development of the city's comprehensive crime-fighting strategy for the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle for the implementation of the foregoing list of demands."

Of course, in their optimism, they'll have to assume Gov. Jindal will some day return from Presidential politics across the country to immerse himself in Louisiana's problems, and that Mayor Nagin will have to give a you-know-what instead of just taking one. I'm not that optimistic.

Riley rips one: Big Chief Warren Riley attended MOM's meeting but didn't speak until after it, when he stunk up the place by telling reporters that crime is down significantly since last year. He might be referring to 2009 over 2008--but who knows? The NOPD's crime maps only record up to Jan. 14 this year.

If you compare 2008 versus 2007, robberies are up over 11% from 186 in 2007 to 197 in 2008. Assaults declined by only 4, from 82 to 78. Thefts jumped from 1,262 to 1,282. Burglaries stayed static: 143 each year (what are the odds of that?). Auto thefts showed a slight decline from 545 to 513 (but that's almost 10 a week!).

Then he had the audacity to tell them that with 1,500 officers now, his force could protect the entire city. But he admitted being baffled "too much juvenile crime"--the very thing that brought down Wendy Byrne.

Buffa's bash: The ad hoc grassroots group that planted itself at Buffa's Lounge (Esplanade Avenue and Burgundy Street) last week will be back at noon on Saturday (1.31.09), and supposedly Chief Riley and Maj. Hosli, among others, will be their to hear their liturgy of gripes.

Slow justice: A juvenile court judge won't decide until 2.25.09 whether to try Ernest Cloud, 14, as an adult in the death of Wendy Byrne. His two 15-year-old buddies are going to play with the big boys.

Scooter boogie?: Some residents expressed alarm when they said they saw the motorscooters from in front of the 8th District HQ being loaded up and shipped out of the Quarter. They were worrying that the NOPD might be trying to hide their lack of use.

Not so, says Maj. Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th. The scooters were hauled to where the Traffic Division is conducting a 3-day class for 9 officers on how to use them effectively.

Narcs on the prowl: You're not likely to notice them, but the 8th District has undercover officers on foot every night in the Lower Quarter.

They're targeting anyone suspicious loitering on stoops and calling in Task Force officers in marked cars if they find narcotics on them.

Lighten up: Some residents have practically made a hobby of counting the streetlights in the Quarter that aren't working.

Not to worry, says Mary Cunningham in Councilman Carter's office. She says the city's contractor is working on a list compiled from citizens' complaints to 311 and that the Department of Public Works expects all lights to be fixed and glowing by Mardi Gras (2.24.09).

I hope that includes the one I reported on 1.5.08--before Mardi Gras LAST YEAR. (It's case #2023392, in case you want to make me happy.)

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

Thom Kahler

Is he old enough?

He was there: In juvenile court this afternoon (1.26.09), a judge determined there was probable cause for the arrest of 14-year-old Ernest Cloud (pictured) in the murder of a woman in the French Quarter and ordered him held on $250,000 bond.

Now the question is: Should the young black boy from Kenner be tried as an adult--the fate facing his two 15-year-old friends. All are accused of murdering Wendy Byrne, 39, a popular local bartender, in a botched robbery attempt on 1.17.09 at Gov. Nicholls and Dauphine streets.

But because he is 14, he gets a few breaks his older buddies don't. One is the question of whether he could be "rehabilitated" in the juvenile court system; if the judge decides he can't be, he will be tried as an adult. Even if he is convicted as an adult of murder, he can only be held until he's 35; his friends will be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.

Homicide Det. Richard Chambers said Cloud admitted being present when Byrne was killed, shot in the back by one bullet. Chambers testified during the juvenile court hearing last week for Reggie Douglas and Drey Lewis that Douglas confessed to pulling the trigger and Lewis admitted he was there. All 3 suspects turned themselves in at the urging of their parents after artists' sketches of 2 of the 3--Douglas and Cloud--popped up in the media. Ironically, Lewis--for whom the police did not have a sketch--was the first to surrender.

Chambers said the composite sketches were developed from descriptions given by victims in 2 close-by crimes that happened shortly before the murder. In the first, he said, 2 people were pickpocketed. (The 8th District did not report any such crime and Chambers didn't specify where or when it happened.) Then, he claimed, 2 other people were robbed at gunpoint at Gov. Nicholls and Bourbon streets.

"The murder happened a couple of seconds after the armed robbery...(which) was in the same city block as the actual murder," he testified. (Funny. The police report said there was only ONE victim in the armed robbery, and the victim said the 2 robbers--not 3--fled toward Bourbon, not Dauphine Street, where the murder occurred.)

Officers ousted: It has been confirmed that Police Chief Warren Riley reassigned 2 lieutenants out of the 8th District for what he said was failure to properly supervise patrols in the French Quarter.

He said he had come to the Quarter in the wake of the Wendy Byrne murder a week ago and "saw somethings I didn't like." That led to the replacement of the lieutenants, who weren't named.The jobs of Maj. Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th District, and his assistant, Lt. Eddie Selby, head of the district's detectives, are intact.

"Something had to change," said one ranking officer, seeming to acknowledge the problem with patrols in the Quarter, which residents blame for failing to prevent Byrne's death.

Still dangerous out there: In the middle of the afternoon on Saturday (1.24.09), a white woman walking near Conti and Burgundy streets at 3:28 p.m. was accosted by a black man who tried to grab her purse away, but she hung on and he fled. Then a block away in the 200 block of Burgundy, the thug tried to rob a black man, who fought off his attacker.

The 8th district unit assigned to patrol the dangerous Dauphine/Burgundy corridor (first we've heard of that special unit) arrived and apprehended Terry Gibson, 32. He was charged with attempted pursesnatching, attempted simple robbery, and simple battery. He's being held in OPP in lieu of $90,000 bond.

Why this scumbag is still on the street is a mystery. He has over 40 arrests and a number of felony convictions going back to 1996.

Then later that day, another white woman walking in the 200 block of Chartres Street (between Iberville and Bienville streets) at 9:45 p.m. was robbed of her purse by a black man who succeeded in pulling it way from her. He met up with an accomplice at Bienville and the duo fled on foot toward the river.

The robbers were described as in their 20s, one 5'11" tall, weighing 220 pounds, with short twists in his hair and a dark complexion, wearing a brown suede jacket; the other was 6'1" tall, weighing 170 pounds, with a light brown complexion, wearing a white sweatshirt with blue horizontal stripes and a white skull cap.

In case you missed it: The Times-Picayune had an excellent analysis of the homicides in New Orleans in 2008. It answered almost every question you might have about the 179 murders: where they happened, when they happened, the ages of the victims, how many killers were caught, the disposition of their cases, etc. The lead story gives a great overview and the second story breaks down the statistics with terrific graphics.

Just so crazy it might work: A tourist contemplating a visit to New Orleans and worried about robbers wrote NOcrimeline the other day and asked if we knew where he could buy Mace here since he couldn't carry it with him on the plane.

Then an idea hit him: Why not go to the hardware store in the French Quarter (Mary's on Bourbon Street near Dumaine Street) and buy a can of Traffic Yellow spray paint.

"Maybe if the robbers got a dose of yellow paint the police could find them!"

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

Thom Kahler

Last suspect surrenders

Strike 3!: It took a while, but the third suspect in last Saturday's murder in the Lower French Quarter--a 14-year-old black boy--was persuaded by his momma to turn himself into police late last night (1.22.09).

Ernest Cloud (pictured), of Kenner, faces a hearing before a juvenile court judge who will determine if there's probably cause to try him as an adult--the fate that befell his 2 accomplices.

District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro said today that the fact the boy is 14 years old makes it a bit tougher for his office to convince the judge to hand him over to be prosecuted as an adult.

Cannizzaro revealed today that his office planned to proceed with adult prosecutions of Drey Lewis (left) and Reggie Douglas (right), both 15, after a juvenile court judge decided Wednesday (1.21.09) that the 2 deserved to be prosecuted in big peoples' court, where they face charges of murder and attempted armed robbery. If convicted, they will spend the rest of their lives in prison.

Lewis and Douglas, being held now on 1st-degree murder charges in OPP, are expected to undergo a bond hearing this weekend, but Cannizzaro's office indicated it will ask that the boys be held in OPP without bond.

The trio is accused in the murder of Wendy Byrne (pictured), 39, a popular Quarter bartender, who was shot in the back and killed during what police are calling a botched armed robbery at Gov. Nicholls and Dauphine streets last Saturday (1.17.09) just before 8 p.m. Douglas reportedly confessed to being the shooter, while Lewis admitted his involvement in the crime. No word on the other young punk's statement to police.

Grassroots take hold: An ad hoc group--mostly of strangers who met online in the Vieux Carre forum on NOLA.com--expressed their frustration with police protection--or more correctly, lack of it--in the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny at a meeting at Buffa's Lounge today at noon.

Most notable about their meeting--aside from the 50+ residents there--was their ability to draw Councilmen Arnie Fielkow and James Carter, plus DA Leon Cannizzaro. Maj. Edwin Hosli, commander of the NOPD's 8th District, which encompasses the Quarter and Marigny Triangle, was invited to the confab but reportedly was prohibited from attending by Big Chief Warren Riley because the group had no legal standing.

The DA drew enthusiastic applause for his declaration of a tough stance against the criminals hauled in by the NOPD. But noting that most of the complaints were against the NOPD, Fielkow asked the group to compile a catalog of their myriad of complaints to submit to the City Council.

Fielkow promised that he would request a meeting with Riley to discuss and get answers to all the issues. If Riley refused the meeting, he said the council could call a formal hearing, and if Riley refused to testify there, the council could subpoena him. If they were still thwarted in obtaining Riley's cooperation, Fielkow alluded to the council's legal power to remove Riley from his post. (Applause was thunderous for that possibility.)

Look for film at 5--all the major TV news outfits were there.

Meanwhile: While the French Quarter has been preoccupied this week with last week's murder, the armed robbery action seems to have migrated to the CBD. This might fit into the "if at first you don't succeed..." category:

At 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday (1.20.09) a white guy getting out of his car in the 400 block of Natchez Street (between Magazine and Tchoupitoulas streets) was accosted by 2 black dudes who pulled guns and demanded his car keys and money. The victim complied, but the dummies couldn't get the car started, so the victim took off running to Tchoupitoulas, heading for Canal Street.

He described the robbers as 18 to 20 years old, one 5'9" tall with a thin build, short hair, and dark complexion, the other 5'6" tall, with a thin build, short dreadlocks, and clean shaven. Both were wearing dark colored hoodies.

Several minutes later, he saw the guys who robbed him scoot pass on Tchoupitoulas toward Canal driving a white Kia Spectra. Read on...

A black guy sitting in his car at 1:37 a.m. at the corner of Natchez and Camp streets, a little over a block away from the previous carjacking attempt, was accosted by the same robbers armed with handguns, who demanded his car keys and money.

This time they got the car started and fled in the victim's white 2007 Kia Spectra, Louisiana tag RPB 762. The car was found abandoned by police a short while later.

Put this in the "dumb you-know-what" file: A couple of days earlier, on Sunday (1.18.09) around 10 a.m. a 66-year-old white man parked his car in the 400 block of Girod Street (between Magazine and Tchoupitoulas streets) was held up by a black guy who pulled a semi-automatic weapon and demanded his car keys. He told the robber he didn't have any keys, but gave up his jacket.

The robber took it and hopped into a green Volkswagen Passat, which fled on Tchoupitoulas toward Calliope Street. 6th District cops apprehended Curtis Ray, 19, and found him holding the victim's coat.

They charged him with 2 counts of armed robbery (one from another incident) and for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He is being held on $305,000 bond in OPP.

He got a break last September when the previous DA decided not to prosecute him for 2 armed robberies and an attempted armed robbery from early 2007. Some people just don't learn.

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

Thom Kahler

Murderer still on the loose

Don't let your guard down: Just because the NOPD hauled in 2 of the teenage black boys suspected in the last Saturday's night murder in the Lower French Quarter that doesn't mean danger's disappeared.

It's hard to know why the third suspect in that case is still running free after 5 days, but he is.

• Why haven't the police been able to put together an artist's sketch of this punk, like they did of the first 2? (Those sketches were so accurate that the boys' own mothers recognized them and turned their sons into the police.) Then maybe the public would recognize the fugitive and get him behind bars like his buddies.

• Why is there no massive manhunt for the third suspect, since police say they know his name? At least one of the 2 booked so far is reported to have lived on Frenchmen Street. Could the missing miscreant be that far away? Do you suppose there's any connection with the 15-year-old black boy who committed suicide in midcity yesterday morning?

And don't forget the robbers: While Big Chief Warren Riley would like you to believe these murderous minors are responsible for an armed robbery a block away just moments before, it's likely that was committed by 2 other thugs roaming the Quarter that night with robbery on their minds.

Challenge for Cannizzaro: The fact that Juvenile Court Judge Louis Douglas (no relation to the suspect) decided that the 2 murder suspects caught so far--Drey Lewis (left) and Reggie Douglas (right), both 15--should be tried as adults, it is not a done deal.

It is new District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro's first real chance to prove he's going to get tough on crime, as he promised when he ran for office. He has 120 days to decide whether to bring 1st or 2nd degree murder charges against the 2 youths and seek a grand jury indictment.

Since the teens could not be executed because of their ages even if convicted of 1st degree murder, it's more likely he'll seek 2nd degree murder charges (which require only 10 jurors' votes out of 12 for conviction) that will guarantee the 2 creeps will spend the rest of their lives behind bars if convicted.

The 2 suspects were booked into Central Lockup just after 4 p.m. today (1.22.09) and are due to have a bond hearing before a Criminal District Court magistrate. The DA said he would ask for the duo to be held without bond.

If somehow you missed the details: The 2 teen boys, both 15, are charged in the murder of Wendy Byrne, a popular Quarter bartender, who was shot in the back Saturday (1.17.09) night just before 8 p.m. at Gov. Nicholls and Dauphine streets during a botched robbery.

According to testimony by NOPD Homicide Det. Richard Chambers in juvenile court yesterday (1.21.09), Reggie Douglas confessed to shooting Byrne. He testified that Drey Lewis said he knew Douglas had a gun and confessed to his role in the crime. Chambers testified that the teens said they had planned to go to the Quarter with the intention to rob people.

Chambers said the man accompanying Byrne that night as they walked along Gov. Nicholls toward N. Rampart Street told police they passed a group of young boys who mumbled something they couldn't comprehend, so they kept walking. It was at this point that Byrne was shot in the back.

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

Thom Kahler

2 murder suspects give up

Mothers turn in their children: Perhaps a little late to start proper parenting, but the mothers of two 15-year-old black boys suspected of killing a popular bartender in the Lower French Quarter turned their sons into the police after artist's sketches of them were published yesterday.

The first teenager surrender to police just befrore midnight Monday (1.19.09) and the other around 1 p.m. today (1.20.09). They reportedly will be charged with 1st degree murder, but District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro has been extremely quiet so far on the case, despite promises to send his own investigators to the scene of homicides. The first young punk allegedly confessed to the murder.

None of the names of the alleged murderers are being released by the NOPD because they're all juveniles under the age of 17.

Police are still searching for a third 15-year-old black boy wanted in the murder of Wendy Byrne, 39, who was shot in the back Saturday night (1.17.09) around 8 p.m. at Gov. Nicholls and Dauphine streets during what police are calling a botched robbery.

Connected or not?: The NOPD keeps insisting these young thugs are connected with another robbery moments earlier and less than a block away. But analysis of the NOPD's own reports don't add up.

According to the 8th District's official report, the first robbery happened at 7:49 p.m. in the 800 block of Gov. Nicholls near Bourbon Street when a 29-year-old man walking down the street saw 2 black boys sitting on the steps of a residence. As he passed them, both punks pulled out handguns and forced him to lie on the ground while they took his cash, cellphone and wallet.

A different report by a Sgt. J. Wuguespack, said "The victim also stated heard shots being fired in the area as the perpetrators were fleeing." A report by a Det. Darling, said the shooting of Byrne occurred at 7:51 p.m.--just 2 minutes after the other robbery.

The shots the robbery victim near Bourbon reported hearing were likely from the robbery less than a block away at Dauphine Street.

The victim of the robbery near Bourbon also reported the suspects fled on Gov. Nicholls and turned on to Bourbon. He did not say which way they went, but whether they turned toward Ursulines Avenue or Barracks Street, they would have had to run a whole block on Bourbon to one of those streets, then another block on either of those streets to Dauphine, and another block on Gov. Nicholls to get to the scene of the Byrne shooting--3 whole blocks in Olympic-record time.

It's highly unlikely they could have covered that much territory in that short period of time.

What this means is:

The black boys who robbed the man on Gov. Nicholls near Bourbon are still out there to terrorize the neighborhood. Both hoodlums are described identically as 16 to 18 years old, 5'8" tall, weighing 140 pounds, wearing a black hooded sweatshirts with orange linings and dark pants. What are the odds of them being clones of each other?

It means the description of the trio who tried to rob Byrne at Gov. Nicholls and Dauphine must have come from Byrne's companion that night.

Not much has been said by the police about him. He is reportedly 58-years-old. Police give no indication whether or not he was shot at when Byrne was shot and killed.

There is at least one story that he told police the trio of black hoodlums who killed Byrne never asked her for money; police never said whether or not she was robbed. This gives some credence to a rumor that the boys were sent out as part of a gang initiation to kill a white woman.

Among other rumors, Councilman James Carter said Maj. Edwin Hosli, commander of the NOPD's 8th District which encompasses the French Quarter, has promised increased patrols in the Lower Quarter. No one who lives in the Lower Quarter has heard that--or seen that.

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

Thom Kahler

Suspects in LQ murder

Murderers on the loose: Unverified reports indicate that the teenage black boys suspected in the murder of a woman during a robbery Saturday evening were spotted this morning (1.19.09) around 11 a.m. near Jackson Square. Reportedly 5 police cars and undercover cops surrounded and questioned 3 black boys who tap dance by Walgreen's on Decatur Street. Maj. Edwin Hosli said that's not true and the suspects have not been located.

Early this morning, the 8th District made available artist's sketches of 2 of the suspects in the murder at Dauphine and Gov. Nicholls streets.

They are the same thugs suspected of a robbery moments earlier at Gov. Nicholls near Bourbon Street. The victim, a 29-year-old white man, was walking on Gov. Nicholls shortly before 8 p.m. when he saw 2 black boys sitting on the steps of a residence. As he passed them, both pulled out handguns and demanded his money. The victim complied and the suspects fled on foot toward Bourbon.

Then minutes later, Wendy Byrne, 39, was robbed at Gov. Nicholls and Dauphine, but when she attempted to flee, she was shot once in the back and died shortly after at the hospital.

The suspects are described as black boys in their teens, one 5' tall with a thin build, dark complexion, wearing a tan hooded sweatshirt; the other about 17 years old, 5'10" tall, with a thin build, dark complexion and short dreadlocks, wearing a lime green jacket with a bright orange lining.

Citizens with information that can help solve this crime are asked to call Crimestoppers at 822-1111, toll-free 1-877-903-STOP (7867). You
could receive a cash reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the responsible person(s).

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

Thom Kahler

Death on Dauphine

Details are still sketchy about the murder on Dauphine Street in the Lower French Quarter, but here's what we think we know (revised and additional information 1.19.09):

Police so far have only reported that a 39-year-old woman was the victim of an "apparent shooting death" on Saturday (1.17.09) night just before 8 p.m. at Gov. Nicholls and Dauphine streets.

We have since learned from reliable sources that the woman's name was Wendy Byrne, that she worked as the day bartender at Aunt Tiki's bar, 1207 Decatur St., just around the corner from Brad Pitt's and Angelina Jolie's pied-a-terre on Gov. Nicholls.

She is also said to have tended bar at the Ninth Circle, at N. Rampart and St. Peter streets, and The Country Club in Bywater.

She reportedly lived on St. Philip Street and was recently engaged to be married to an offshore oil worker. She was said to be on her way home with the tips she had earned that day when she encountered 3 black thugs loitering on a stoop on Dauphine near Gov. Nicholls.

The shooting occurred as she apparently tried to flee down Dauphine to escape a robbery attempt by the trio and was shot once in the back. When EMTs arrived on the scene, she was pronounced dead.

Police believe this incident might be linked to a robbery shortly before at Gov. Nicholls and Bourbon Street in which a 29-year-old white man was robbed of $350.

This tragedy corroborates what one 8th District NOPD commander used to warn: "Every armed robbery is one squeeze of the trigger away from being a homicide."

It also violates what every police commander always pleads: "Give a robber what he wants and get away with your life."

And there's another lesson or two:

If you see trouble lurking, avoid it, detour, step into a doorway--don't try to think you're going to walk right through it unscathed.

If you see a thug or a gang loitering on a corner or a stoop or where they don't belong, don't hesitate to call 911. Let the police check them out. The police can't stop suspicious persons on their own for fear of being accused of "profiling"--but they can stop them if YOU report them as suspicious.

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

Thom Kahler

Stalking the neighborhood

You can't be too careful: A threatening situation erupted in broad daylight yesterday afternoon (1.15.09) around 3:30 p.m., when 2 black thugs cruising the Lower Quarter came upon a pretty white woman walking on Bourbon Street between Ursulines Avenue and St. Philip Street.

The duo, described as in their 20s with dreadlocks, pulled alongside the petite blond in a shiny late model burgundy Lexus 4-door sedan and propositioned her, asking her to get in the car. As the driver started to get open his door to enforce the invitation, 2 tourists stopped to ask if she needed help.

The Lexus took off, but witnesses got the license number: Louisiana tag PUE 369. The car turned on Ursulines but slowly came down St. Philip as the woman waited for the police to arrive.

The police arrived promptly and scoured the neighborhood for the unwelcome visitors. Maj. Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th District, still hasn't said whether his officers tracked the thugs down.

The lesson: You have to be vigilant out there, no matter what time of day.

"They call me Mrs. Tibs": Showing, perhaps, you're never too old to be a drug dealer, the SWAT team swooped down on the home of a 67-year-old black woman yesterday (1.15.09) and arrested her for the umteenth time for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and possession of marijuana.

Arrested was Sylvia Tibs in the 1500 block of N. Robertson Street near Columbus Street, just a few blocks outside the French Quarter in the 1st District. Acting on a search warrant, police found 15 grams of crack cocaine and 5 grams of marijuana, plus $1,500 in cash.

Mrs. Tibs, AKA "Mom" Tibbs, has drug arrests--most for dealing crack--going back to 1992 but has never received a serious sentence. Her bond this time was set at only $11,000 and she posted that quickly and is back on the streets.

Arrest doesn't mean you'll do time: Jeffery Graves, 32, pled guilty yesterday (1.15.09) to distribution of marijuana and was sentenced by Criminal District Court Judge Terry Alarcon to 5 years in prison--suspended.

It's not like Graves, 6'1" tall, weighing 205 pounds, was a kid who needed another chance: He has arrests going back to 1995 for illegal weapons, drug possession, possession of stolen autos, carjacking, and prostitution and soliciting a crime against nature, and is a registered sex offender.

His latest arrest was in March last year when Ofc. Richard Valley and Ofc. Jonathan Rivet arrested Graves and a cohort in the 1000 block of Toulouse Street and charged them with possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

He was being held in OPP on $25,000 bond until Criminal District Court Judge Frank Marullo--out of the goodness of his heart, I guess--released him on his own recognizance. Now he's on the street again, thanks to another judge.

Of course, you could just not show up: Donnie Nelson, 28, was due in Criminal District Court last Tuesday (1.13.09) for arraignment on 3 assault and battery charges stemming from a fight on Bourbon Street last summer.

That's not going to sit well with the bonding company who put up $15,000 on the aggravated assault charge, and it should have Judge Julian Parker asking what he was thinking when he released Nelson on his own recognizance for 2 simple battery charges and a couple of municipal attachments.

Police arrested Nelson 6.28.08 for allegedly stabbing a white guy trying to break up a fight between his friends and a black gang in the 200 block of Bourbon Street at 3:35 a.m. He told police he felt one of the blacks punch him in the back of his neck, but only after the black gang fled and a friend of his told him he was bleeding did he find the stab wound in his neck.

Carjack suspect goes free: You would hope that with all the recent carjackings in and around the French Quarter that maybe the district attorney would crack down on those arrested for it. So far, that's not the case.

We just learned that the DA dropped charges against Steven Lee, 17, who was arrested 10.15.08. No reason given for not prosecuting him, though police said the victim positively identified him from a photographic line-up.

In the incident, a black man was sitting inside his vehicle at about 2:14 a.m. at the intersection of Canal and S. Rampart streets when 2 black dudes approached him and one of them pulled a pistol and demanded the driver get out of his car. He did and the robbers sped off in his car down N. Rampart Street.

Police never did find Lee's alleged accomplice who was described as 17 to 19 years of age, 5'10" tall, weighing 180 pounds, wearing a black T-shirt and dark jeans. So now both of them are still out on the streets.

And some go to jail: In another confusion case that has its origins going back to the theft of a bicycle in December 2007, Jerome Dominick is finally going to prison.

Dominick, 25, who in the course of the past year racked up offenses quicker than a taxicab meter turns over, was sentenced by Criminal District Court Judge Laurie White to 5 year in prison after he pled guilty to simple burglary when the DA agreed not to charge him as a multiple offender, which would have sent him away for a much longer time.

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

Thom Kahler

New day, new DA

Today starts a new era: We haven't been too pleased with some of the mop up work that Leon Cannizzaro has done while wrapping up the old district attorney's term. But let's give him the benefit of the doubt now. He was sworn in yesterday (1.11.09) for a full 6-year term and today he appointed the staff that will be responsible for helping him put the bad guys behind bars and keep them there.

Notable among the appointments was NOPD Capt. Jeff Winn (pictured) as his chief investigator. A highly-decorated 23-year veteran of the NOPD and a hero of Katrina who supplied leadership when there was none. He is a former SWAT team commander, former 1st District commander, and most recently was commander of the criminal intelligence division.

Cannizzaro also appointed not one, but 2, people to handle public information. Nina Killeen is director of public information and Nayita Wilson is deputy director.

Let's hope they're geared up to let us know when and why suspects are not prosecuted after arrested by the NOPD. We're tired of so many miscreants going free. The meter starts running TODAY on the way Cannizzaro fights crime.

Another carjacking: Early this morning (1.12.09) around 12:53 a.m., a 23-year-old black man was relieved of his wheels as soon as he parked his car in the 200 block of Burgundy Street (I don't care if it is close to the Ritz-Carlton--no one in their right mind parks there, at any hour!)

As he was getting out of his car, 2 black dudes came up, one pulled a pistol and demanded his car keys. He complied and they fled down Burgundy.

The car is a 2004 Infinity, 2-door, red in color, Louisiana tag RDW 309.

The thieves were both wearing black T-shirts and blue jeans, one had dreadlocks and the other short hair.

Beware of those high-heel sneakers: A white woman working in a business in the 200 block of Bourbon Street early Saturday morning (1.10.09) at 1:40 a.m. got into an argument with a black chick who allegedly struck her in the head with a high-heeled shoe.

Police wont' say what the business was, but considering the hour it's not likely it was Galatoire's. That leaves either a daiquiri establishment or a sex shop.

Police arrived on the scene and arrested Janelle Foster, 17, and charged her with aggravated battery, public drunkenness, and misrepresenting her name, age, and address.

She was released this morning on her own recognizance from Central Lockup, but she'll have to wear a new fashion accessory with her high heels--an ankle bracelet.

Look for the blue (high)lights: A white woman standing on the corner of Decatur and Frenchmen streets around 9 p.m. Saturday (1.10.09) lost her laptop bag (and presumably, computer) to a white guy who ran up behind her and grabbed it from her shoulder. He fled on foot down Decatur toward Elysian Fields Avenue.

The robber was described as 5'6" tall, weighing 130 pounds, dark hair with BLUE highlights, wearing a black shirt, black pants, and a leather belt studded with metal.

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

Thom Kahler

Their ride's over

Carjack arrests--2 out of 3: 8th District detectives this week arrested 2 teenage punks in the spurt of 3 auto thefts on consecutive days just before Christmas.

On Sunday (1.4.09), the detectives hauled in Donovan Taplette, 18, and charged him with 2 counts of armed robbery with a firearm and 2 counts of possession of a stolen automobile. (Apparently he's a member of the "drive-before-you-buy" club.)

He's cooling his heals in OPP on $457,500 bond. (Do I detect higher bonds being slapped on miscreants since the beginning of the year? Good!)

We're not sure what the second robbery charge applies to, but one is for the robbery of a Hispanic man on 12.21.08 who was sitting in his car on St. Louis Street near Bourbon Street at 6:20 a.m. when a black dude pulled a pistol and demanded his keys and car.

On Wednesday (1.7.09), the detectives arrested Tre King, 17, and charged him with one count of armed robbery with a firearm. He's being held in OPP on $250,000 bond.

He is accused of stealing a black 2000 Mercury Cougar from a 36-year-old white man in front of 723 Touro St. on 12.22.08 around 2 p.m.

Still unsolved is the carjacking of a Hispanic man in the 1700 block of Burgundy Street on 12.23.08 at 2:20 p.m. 2 black guys pulled a pistol and demanded his money and the keys to his car, a 1995 Ford Contour with Louisiana tag SPJ 298.

The thieves were described as 18 to 21 years old, 6' tall, with short haircuts and dark complexions, wearing all black clothing.

Justice at last: After over a decade, the second assailant in the murder of Kevin Wooldridge in his Gov. Nicholls Street home in 1998 agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter on Wednesday (1.7.09).

Erran Fleming, now 30, entered an Alford plea before Criminal District Court head judge Arthur Hunter, in which he didn't admit the killing and asserts his innocence, but admits that sufficient evidence exists that could likely result in him being found guilty.

Wooldridge, 34, was fatally shot 7.7.98 during a botched robbery after he and his partner returned home from walking their dog in the French Quarter.

By pleading to the manslaughter charge, Fleming escaped the life-without-parole sentence his accomplice, Kevin Trainor, received in 2004 when he was convicted of 2nd-degree murder in the case. Judge Hunter sentenced Fleming to 30 years in prison, but ordered it reduced to 25 years if Fleming earns his GED and completes a job-training program while behind bars.

Justice denied: But another couple of scumbags escaped the law this week, thanks to new DA Leon Cannizzaro who was supposed to be a panacea to this sort of thing:

• All charges against Melvin Bland, 39, were dropped by the DA on Wednesday (1.7.09) stemming from a simple robbery that allegedly occurred just 2 weeks after armed robbery charges were dismissed against him last November.

Bland allegedly robbed a white guy in the 800 block of St. Louis Street on 11.6.08 around 2 a.m. when he supposedly grabbed the victim and tried to get the contents of his front pocket. But he was nabbed by plainclothes police officers in the vicinity and was charged with attempted simple robbery, resisting an officer, and battery of a police officer.

In an alleged armed robbery on 7.16.08, Bland reportedly came up to a woman at 1431 Royal St. about 2 a.m. and asked for a cigarette. Then he allegedly pulled a pistol and demanded her money.

• Charges against Rene Mason, 20, were dropped by the DA on Thursday (1.8.09) for simple robbery and simple battery. Mason allegedly came up to a white man standing at Bourbon and Conti streets on 11.9.08 around 6 a.m. and demanded his cellphone.

When the victim refused and attempted to walk away the robber overpowered him and took the cellphone, fleeing on foot down Conti toward N. Rampart Street.

Suspicious minds, some arrests: In the course of investigating "suspicious activity" (whatever that is--the 8th District's reports don't say) on routine patrol, officers made some arrests earlier in the week:

• Sunday (1.4.09): Ofc. Kori Keaton and Ofc. Brandon Ludwig arrested Warner Bickham, 20, at Dauphine and St. Ann streets for possession of marijuana, but found he had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court last month on a charge of soliciting a crime against nature.

He took care of that business in court yesterday (1.9.09) by pleading guilty to the lesser charge of prostitution, for which he was given a suspended sentence by Criminal District Court Judge Terry Alarcon.

• Monday (1.5.09): Ofc. Billy Tregle and Ofc. Anthony Bakewell arrested Brooke Maybaum, 21, in the 800 block of St. Louis Street (between Bourbon and Dauphine streets) and charged her with possession with intent to distribute alparazopram (Xanax) and public drunkenness.

She managed to make her $15,000 bond later in the day and went on her merry way, until her "show cause" hearing on 3.6.09.

A 26-year-old Asian male supposedly arrested with her, according to the police report, does not show up in the court or inmate records.

• Tuesday (1.6.09): Ofc. Kelly Morel and Ofc. Athena Monteleone arrested Terrill Andrews, 21, in the 100 block of S. Rampart Street (near Canal Street) and charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was also charged with a parole violation for a 2006 conviction for peddling crack cocaine.

He is sitting in OPP in lieu of $25,000 bond.

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

Thom Kahler