You call that justice?

Duo "not guilty" 2 years after arrest: Those working in the Orleans Parish "justice" system plod through their cases so slowly it's like they're afraid of working themselves out of a job otherwise. (Hardly likely, considering the number of defendants packed into OPP.)

But this case may set some sort of unofficial record for its snail-pace through Criminal Court:

Last Thursday (10.15.09), a jury found Edmund Gabriel (left) and Armand Watson (right) not guilty of armed robbery with a firearm--over 2 years after they were arrested for the crime.

While appearing in court no less than 2 dozen times over that span, they endured the usual delays requested by the prosecutors and their own public defenders. All the while, they were incarcerated in the hell-hole known as Orleans Parish Prison, held on a $125,000 bond each.

Neither Gabriel, 29 at the time of his arrest and a resident of the Iberville Housing Project, nor Watson, 34 then and a resident on nearby Basin Street, were strangers to crime. Gabriel was a fugitive from paying a fine for marijuana possession. Watson is a felon who had racked up numerous arrests and convictions for drug dealing and illegal possession of firearms.

They were arrested 9.13.07 after James Tomeny, 38, reported he was robbed at gunpoint by 2 black men in front of 929 Orleans Ave. just after midnight. He told 8th District cops they forced him onto the stoop and put a gun to his head while rifling through his pants' pockets.

NOPD Det. Scott Carroll, patrolling in the area, heard the description of the 2 suspects put out over the radio: one 6' tall, weighing 195 pounds, wearing a stripped polo shirt and dark colored jeans; the other wearing a white T-shirt and white and blue shorts.

He spotted Gabriel and Watson, who matched the description, in the 900 block of Conti Street. He detained them while the officers who took the report brought the victim there to see if he could identify them. Tomeny "positively identified" them as the duo who had robbed him, according to the police report.

After all the delays--through 3 district attorneys--their cases were set for trial on 9.8.09 in July this year. They sat in OPP another 2 months waiting. When September came, assistant prosecutors representing DA Leon Cannizzaro asked for another continuance. Judge Lynda Van Davis granted it and reset the trial for 10.14.09.

When that date (last Wednesday) rolled around, the public defenders representing Gabriel and Watson had 15 minutes for their opening arguments before the jurors were sent home for the night at 5:45 p.m. When the trial resumed the next day, the defense's closing argument began at 2:39 p.m. and wrapped up by 3:14 p.m.

All of a sudden it had become a speedy trial, taking a total of about 45 minutes after 2 years of delays. The jury quickly returned with a verdict of "not guilty" against each of the defendants.

Again, this might be a case of being found "not guilty" rather than "innocent". But if you believe in the American judicial system--as most of us profess to--we should agree that anyone left sitting in jail for over 2 years while they're innocent--or ultimately found not guilty--is a miscarriage of justice. Prosecutions and trials can be accelerated without sacrificing the truth.

Most cases in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court wend through a similar convoluted path--though not for as long. Most then end with the defendant pleading guilty to a lesser charge--which could have been accelerated from the initial appearance in court.

And no judge, prosecutor or public defender would have been in the unemployment line. But taxpayers would have benefited from justice quickly applied.

Nearly as long, different results: An 8th District detective thought for sure Eric D. Lewis was the guy who robbed Cosimo's bar just before Christmas in 2007 and then Good Friends Bar a couple of weeks later. But last Tuesday (10.13.09), a jury only partially agreed with him.

The jury voted 10-2 to convict Lewis, now 36, of 1st-degree robbery in the hold-up at Good Friends, 740 Dauphine St. on 1.6.08, but found him not guilty in the incident at Cosimo's, 1201 Burgundy St. on 12.23.07.

In both cases, Det. Jason Giroir had video surveillance tape from each robbery. But apparently eyewitness testimony was more persuasive from Good Friends.

Judge Camille Buras is due to sentence Lewis on 12.2.09. He faces 3 to 40 years in prison as the culmination of his 20-year career as a criminal.

More recently: A couple of white guys, one 23 the other 24, were robbed at gunpoint while walking in the 800 block of Union Street (between Carondelet and Baronne streets) at 11:30 p.m. Saturday (10.17.09). The robbers made off with the victims' cash and cellphones.

Both robbers were described as black guys, 20 to 25 years old, 5'8" tall, weighing 150 pounds; both were wearing black hoodies, both had dark complexions and were clean shaven; the only difference is, one had shoulder-length dreadlocks and the other short dreadlocks.

Trio arrested for thefts: 8th District cops arrested 3 suspects--including a woman and a man dressed like one--for 3 purse/pocket snatchings over the weekend:

• Friday (10.16.09) 9:05 p.m.: Joshua Argeyo, 17, was arrested for grabbing the purse of a white woman walking in the 900 block of Canal Street (between Dauphine and Burgundy streets). He is being held on $27,500 bond on charges of simple robbery and resisting arrest.

• Saturday (10.17.09) 12:10 a.m.: Nelson Segura, 24, who was dressed as a woman, was arrested after he allegedly accosted a white man in the 400 block of Bourbon Street (between Conti and St. Louis streets). He reached into the man's pocket, supposedly groping for the victim's money.

Segura, who has a long criminal history, including multiple charges for prostitution, was charged with simple robbery and simple battery. He is being held on $28,000 bond.

• Sunday (10.18.09) 4 a.m.: Keva Sims, 18, was arrested after she reportedly grabbed the purse of an Asian woman walking in the 500 block of Bourbon Street (between St. Louis and Toulouse streets). Sims was charged with pursesnatching and is being held on $25,000 bond.
  

Rough stuff: A trio of white guys were attacked after an argument with 2 Asian guys inside Red Eye Grill, 852 S. Peters St., on Saturday (10.17.09) around 12:46 a.m.

It wasn't until after the aliens fled that 2 of the white guys noticed they'd been stabbed. One, 30 years old, was stabbed several times in the torso; another, 27 years old, was stabbed in the right forearm.

The attackers were both described as 5'8" tall, weighing 150 pounds; one was wearing a long-sleeve black button-down shirt and the other a white short-sleeve button-down shirt.

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

Thom Kahler

Phones, purses, and pockets

Just when you think: We were saying not much was happening, crime-wise, when it goes kablooey in the last few days with pursesnatchings and muggings:

• Saturday (10.10.09) 1:51 a.m.: A white couple walking in the 900 block of St. Louis Street (between Burgundy and Dauphine streets) were accosted by 2 black dudes who grabbed their cellphones from their hands and fled toward N. Rampart Street.

The suspects were both described as 18 to 21 years old, 5'10" tall, weighing 160 pounds; one had short hair and a dark complexion, the other chin-length dreadlocks, a dark complexion, and wearing a white stripped shirt.

• Saturday (10.10.09) 4:14 a.m.: A white guy walking in the 700 block of Common Street (between St. Charles Avenue and Carondolet Street) had his cellphone grabbed from his hand by a black guy who fled on foot up St. Charles to Canal Street and then turned toward N. Rampart Street.

The perp was described as 5'6" tall, weighing 150 pounds, with chin-length dreadlocks, wearing an orange polo shirt.

• Sunday (10.11.09) 2:55 a.m.: A white female walking from the French Quarter to her hotel in the 1300 block of Canal Street (why doesn't someone tell these tourists to take a cab?) was robbed of her purse by a black guy who came up behind her.

She was too befuddled to give the police a description of her attacker or the exact location of the crime.

• Sunday (10.11.09) 4:10 a.m.: A white woman walking in the 700 block of St. Peter Street (between Bourbon and Royal streets) had her purse snatched by a black guy who then fled toward N. Rampart Street.

He was described as tall, thin, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

• Monday (10.12.09) 1:48 a.m.: A white man walking in the 1000 block of Bourbon Street (between St. Philip and Ursulines streets) was robbed by 2 black guys dressed in all-black clothing who threw him against the wall and emptied his pockets.

• Monday (10.12.09) 6:55 p.m.: A white woman walking in the 800 block of Toulouse Street (between Dauphine and Bourbon streets) was robbed of her purse by a black guy who fled down Bourbon.

A witness who gave chase flagged down an officer on patrol. The police arrested Michael Baptiste, 23, and charged him with pursesnatching and possession of 42 capsules of methamphetamine.

He managed to slink out of OPP on a measly $20,000 bond, so make sure you study his mug shot so you can avoid this thug if he decides to help himself to your purse.

What's the lesson here? If you "go out walking after midnight" (no matter what Patsy Cline croons) take a cab or take your firearm. Crooks are looking for victims--those walking alone, those on badly-lit streets, those who are a little (or a lot) tipsy.

The only robbery thwarted was the one that happened at dusk Sunday evening when a witness was around to purse the perp. You can't always count on that--so be vigilant, no matter the hour.

They're everywhere, they're everywhere: Just because the crime doesn't happen in the French Quarter doesn't mean the perps aren't walking our streets.

A suspect wanted for a murder in September, 2008, a few blocks across N. Rampart Street on Ursulines Avenue turned himself into 8th District cops last night (10.13.09) in the French Market at Barracks Street.

It's not known what prompted Steven G. Powell, 27, to suddenly give up yesterday, nor how long there's been a warrant out for his arrest, but his alleged accomplice surrendered on 8.28.09 after he learned of the warrant.

In the meantime, Powell has been in and out of the justice "system", which apparently was unaware there was a warrant out for his arrest on 2nd-degree murder charges.

• On 8.25.09 court records show Powell was in custody after peeing positive for the drug court, but no one--including Judge Ben Willard--knew of an outstanding warrant and set him free.

• On 9.2.09, Powell pled guilty to possession of a concealed weapon before Magistrate Anthony Russo, who gave him a 6-month suspended sentence and let him go. Again no one knew of a warrant.

Now Powell is sitting in OPP on a $500,000 bond for allegedly being one of two shooters who gunned down a 19-year-old black dude outside St. Peter Claver Catholic Church while a group--including Mayor Ray Nagin's wife--were meeting inside.

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

Thom Kahler

Up and running again

My computer's hard drive has been replaced, I've reconstructed all my files (I think), and my fear that NOcrimeline was passe has been assuaged by kind readers who responded en masse. A couple of them even offered to pay for the repair of my computer. Some renewed their subscriptions or subscribed for the first time; some sent donations. Others lamented that their lack of financial support for NOcrimeline had to do more with the hard economic times they're in, not the value of NOcrimeline to them; that works both ways, folks--it wasn't cheap to repair the computer I burned up generating 250 reports. Thank all of you for your support--now let's get on with the news...

You haven't missed much: In the past 3 weeks since the last NOcrimeline update, in the 8th District there have been a couple of armed robberies, less than 2 handfuls of simple robberies/pursesnatchings, and an attempted murder. Really, that's it.

Noting a similar lack of crime reports from other NOPD districts, I thought perhaps word had come down from HQ to curtail negative news. Not so, says Maj. Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th District, at least in his bailiwick. He's reporting all that's happening, he says; and if Maj. Hosli says it, that's good enough for me.

Where each district used to put out 2 or 3 reports daily, it's dwindled to 2 or 3 a week. What's working?

• I rarely see blue-light patrols (though one did come by my place at 7:55 p.m. last night during the LSU game--the first I've seen in a long time).
• Officers working 12-hour shifts should mean more patrols on the streets, but I don't notice them in my neighborhood.
• Have the police locked up virtually all of the bad guys (see the long list at the right under "Arrested...waiting their next day in court"); they say you can't arrest your way out of crime, but at some point there must be diminishing returns where there are fewer bad guys to commit fewer crimes.

This is by no means a plea for a return to the bad old days, but you've got to wonder how long it's going to last. Long enough for us to step out onto the street without fear of becoming a victim of crime?

French Quarter fireworks: A black guy got into a beef with 2 other black dudes around 4 a.m. on a Saturday morning (10.3.09) in the 100 block of Bourbon Street (between Canal and Iberville streets). As he got into his car and tried to leave the scene, his adversaries pulled pistols and pumped his car door full of bullet holes. The police report doesn't indicate if the driver or anyone else was hit.

The shooters fled in their own car but where apprehended a short time later. Police arrested Joseph Dargin (top) and Kenneth G. Alexander (bottom), both 27.

Dargin was charged with 3 counts of attempted 1st-degree murder and is being held on $750,000 bond. Alexander, charged initially with one count of being a principal to attempted 1st-degree murder, had his charge reduced by Magistrate Rudy Gorrell to illegal discharge of a firearm and illegal possession of a firearm. He is being held on $35,000 bond.

No future: A pair of young black punks just about confirmed that their future will be spent in Angola after a joyride turned into one crime after another.

• First mistake: They pulled a gun on a valet parking cars at the Marriott Hotel on Convention Center Boulevard around 9:50 p.m. 10.1.09 and demanded the keys to a car and his cellphone. Charge: carjacking.
• Second mistake: ordered the valet to get into the car with them and then drove away. Charge: aggravated kidnapping.
• Third mistake: Going to an ATM and ordering the valet to retrieve money from his account before releasing him. Charge: armed robbery with a firearm.
• Fourth and fifth mistakes: Fleeing pursuing officers. Charge: aggravated flight from an officer, plus illegal possession of a stolen auto.

Arrested were: Robert J. Washington (right), 20, and Wayne Palmore (left), 18. Each was charged with the above counts and each is being held in OPP on over $1 million bond. We shall not see the likes of them again for a long time--I hope.

Pursesnatcher bagged: A suspected pursesnatcher was arrested yesterday (10.10.09) morning by 8th District detectives for an incident earlier in the week.

Corey L. Rogers, 29, was charged with attempted pursesnatching after allegedly trying to grab a woman's purse from her shoulder as she was walking to her hotel in the 200 block of Poydras Street (behind Harrah's Casino) last Monday (10.5.09) at 10:10 p.m.

The victim, who was approached from behind, fought off her attacker. She described him as a black man, 5'11" tall, weighing 180 pounds, wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans. Detectives showed her a photo line-up and she positively identified Rogers as her assailant. Rogers is being held without bond in this case; he was out on $2,500 bond on a theft charge from July.

It's not known if police have been able to link Rogers with a series of other robberies in the CBD:

• Tuesday (10.6.09) 6:45 a.m.: A black man pointed what may have been a gun at 2 white women walking in the 900 block of Gravier Street (between O'Keefe Avenue and Baronne Street) and ordered them to drop their purses. They refused and fled on foot.

Just 10 minutes later and 4 blocks away, a white woman walking in the 200 block of Magazine Street (between Common and Gravier streets) at 6:55 a.m. was accosted by a black guy who got out of a white car and demanded she drop her purse. She, too, refused and fled on foot.

In both cases, the would-be robber was described as 5'9" to 5'11" tall, with a thin build, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

• Tuesday (10.6.09) 5:40 p.m.: A black man standing near the corner of Elk Place and Canal Street was roughed up by 2 black dudes who pushed him against the wall while one rifled through his pockets for valuables.

The robbers fled on foot up Elk toward Common Street. Both were described as 25 to 30 years old; one 5'9" tall with a bald head, wearing a black T-shirt and black shorts; the other 5'9" to 5'11" tall with short twists in his hair, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jean shorts.

• Sunday (9.27.09) 2:35 a.m.: A trio of young black punks who shouldn't have even been out at that hour walked into Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar & Restaurant, 701 Tchoupitoulas St., and snatched a white woman's purse right out of her lap. They fled on foot toward Girod Street.

The victim described them as 17 to 20 years old; one 5'10" tall, weighing 175 pounds, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans; another 5'10" tall, weighing 175 pounds, wearing a white tank top and yellow shorts; the other 5'6" tall.

Bad Bourbon: 8th District cops arrested 2 suspects in 3 purse/pocket snatchings in the past couple of weeks on Bourbon Street:

• Thursday (10.8.09) 11:30 p.m.: A white woman walking in the 800 block of Bourbon Street (between Dumaine and St. Ann streets) had her purse grabbed by a black guy riding by on a bicycle. As he fled up Dumaine toward N. Rampart Street, he was apprehended by the cops.

They charged Rodney Ross, 43, with simple battery and pursesnatching. He is in OPP on $25,000 bond.

• Sunday (10.4.09) 2:30 a.m.: A black chick standing in the 100 block of Bourbon Street got into a fight with another woman. After the fight, a black dude grabbed the woman's purse and fled. Her only description was that he was a black guy wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. Very descriptive.

• Saturday (9.26.09) 12:17 a.m.: A white guy walking in the 600 block of Bourbon Street (between St. Peter and Toulouse streets) was accosted by a black guy who grabbed money from his pocket. When he resisted, the robber struck him in the face.

Investigating officers identified the perp as Ronald Haynes, 54, and issued a warrant for his arrest. They hauled him in on 10.2.09 and booked him with simple robbery. He's being held on $25,000 bond. He has a long criminal history, including a conviction for prostitution back in 1992.

Doing Dumaine: It took a little longer, but 8th District detectives think they finally solved the mystery of who robbed a man in the 700 block of Dumaine Street (between Bourbon and Royal streets) on 8.25.09.

After Jesus Gallo, 41, was jailed on drug charges 10.2.09, detectives showed his picture to the victim of the Dumaine robbery, who positively identified him as his assailant.

The victim was walking on Dumaine around 3:40 a.m. when a Hispanic man whom he had met earlier that evening came up to him and put his hand inside his shirt, implying he had a weapon. The victim told him he didn't have any money and the perp fled.

Also on Dumaine: A little weird, but it was 5 a.m. 9.26.09 when a guy walking in the 1000 block of Dumaine (between N. Rampart and Burgundy streets) passed 2 black chicks. Suddenly they grabbed him from behind, sprayed him with Mace, and fled with his purse. He could only describe them as 2 black women.

Whites do it too: A white guy walking in the 500 block of Dauphine Street (between Toulouse and St. Louis streets--pretty darn close to "Cocaine Corner") around 8:54 p.m. on 9.22.09 was robbed by 2 other white guys. They came up behind him, knocked him to the ground, and made off with his wallet and keys down St. Louis toward N. Rampart Street.

Cops later arrested one of them that night: Cody Bergeron (top), 21, and charged him with simple battery and simple robbery. He is being held on $27,500 bond.

His alleged accomplice was arrested 2 days later. He is Desmond Parker (bottom), 20, and is being held on $40,000 bond on the same charges.

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

Thom Kahler

The computer ate my report

Just one column shy of 250 in the two and a half years NOcrimeline has existed and my computer's hard drive disintegrates. Until I can get it repaired at considerable cost--and hope I have success in reconstructing my records that were stored on it--I will not be able to send crime reports.

The experience has led me once again to question the value of NOcrimeline. Crime in the 8th District (French Quarter, CBD, Marigny Triangle) has virtually disappeared. The optimist in me hopes this is the new norm and that we no longer have to go about in fear--which was the impetus for NOcrimeline in the first place.

The readers of NOcrimeline may have similar feelings. I've been disappointed that renewal of initial subscriptions has been dismal. Similarly, new subscriptions and donations (designed to make it cheaper to support this effort) have been virtually non-existent. Perhaps everyone no longer feels that they have to be on guard, so the information is not as vital as it once was.

If I'm wrong in my assumptions, please consider subscribing to get NOcrimeline by email (use the box at the right). Or consider a donation (the box at the right allows you to scroll down and make a contribution as little as $5). Or just let me know that NOcrimeline does matter to you.

Thom Kahler