Hot time in the old town

Enough violence to go around: Doesn't matter your socio-economic status, you had a good chance of being a victim in the French Quarter this weekend. Everyone's probably heard by now of the Saturday (4.10.10) night rampage outside McDonald's on Canal Street, where 8 were gunned down by the usual suspects. But shrouded in greater mystery is the vicious attack Friday (4.9.10) on 2 GOP devotees after they left a fundraiser for the Louisiana Republican Party at Brennan's.

Injured in that melee were Gov. Bobby Jindal's chief fundraiser, Alexandra "Allee" Bautsch and her boyfriend, Joe Brown. Bautsch had her leg broken and Brown suffered a concussion to accompany a fractured nose and jaw. Though the incident happened Friday night, there was no news of it until a flak for Jindal issued a press release late Monday. NOcrimeline finally pried a report out of the 8th District this afternoon that supplied some details.

According to that report, the duo was attacked around 10:45 p.m., about an hour after the fundraiser ended, on St. Louis Street in front of the Omni Royal Orleans hotel by a gang of 3 to 5 white guys who allegedly followed the couple around the corner from Brennan's restaurant in the 400 block of Royal Street.

"A verbal altercation began between the male victim and the suspects, which turned physical. The female victim attempted to break up the altercation and in the process, broke her leg," the report stated.

Only one of the assailants was described in any detail: he was said to be in his late 20’s, 6’01” tall, with a thin build, beard, ponytail, and dark brown or dark red hair, wearing a light-colored T-shirt and dark pants.

Some GOP partisans, who attended the $10,000-a-plate fundraiser in conjunction with the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, speculated the couple were pursued by Democratic protesters who noted they were wearing Sarah Palin pins. A friend who visited Bautsch in the hospital Saturday morning said Bautsch told her that although the demonstration at Brennan's had pretty much broken up an hour after the event, she and her boyfriend were followed by the gang and heard one of them say, “Let’s get them, they have Palin pins on!” (A Jindal spokesman denied they were wearing emblems of a likely candidate who will probably compete with Jindal in 2012.)

The Republicans were targets of 200 to 250 protesters who marched on the Hilton Riverside hotel on Friday in opposition to Jindal's proposed budget cuts in education and health care. Demonstrations of this sort are usually handled by the NOPD's Intelligence Unit, though it falls to the 8th District to try to find the couple's assailants. Sources tell NOcrimeline that there is no indication at this time that the assailants were protesters. Crime cameras in the area are being checked.

And the rest of the mayhem: The next night, a dude with a grudge apparently left over from a dispute on Mardi Gras at the same McDonald's on Canal near Royal Street fired a gun into a crowd around 9:15 p.m. and hit his target, a 17-year-old black boy.

The 17-year-old was wounded in the torso and was taken to the hospital where he was treated overnight. Also wounded by the spray of bullets:

• 15-year-old girl, shot in the leg,
• 15-year-old boy, shot in the leg,
  
• 20-year-old man, shot in the leg,
• two 21-year-old men, shot in the leg,
• 25-year-old man, shot in the foot,
• 50-year-old woman, shot in the shoulder.

8th District detectives found a handgun at the scene are trying to determine if it's the weapon used in the shooting. Shell casings littered the area in such profuse numbers that crime lab techs resorted to using empty Hand Grenades (right) from Tropical Isle on Bourbon Street. They are looking for 2 suspects, one of whom handed the pistol to the shooter outside the restaurant before he ripped off a fusillade into the crowd.

One suspect was described as a black boy, 5'6" tall, wearing dark-colored clothing and a baseball cap. The second was also black, with long dreadlocks.

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

Thom Kahler

Not a Good Friday

Stick-ups: Crime took no break over the Good Friday holiday, as these armed robberies indicate:

• Friday (4.2.10) 1:00 a.m.: 2 white women walking in the 500 block of Conti Street (between Decatur and Chartres streets) were held up by a little punk who claimed to be armed. He took only one of the victims' purses and took off running toward Chartres.

He was described as Hispanic or a light-complexioned black guy, 5'7" tall, medium build, wearing a dark jacket and blue jeans.

• Friday (4.2.10) 10:30 p.m.: A Hispanic man walking in the 1000 block of Canal Street (between N. Rampart and Burgundy streets) was set upon by a gang of 4 black thugs, one of whom pulled a knife and demanded his cellphone. The victim was apparently unfazed by the incident since he didn't report it to police until the next day.

Maybe that allowed him to figure out what the perps looked like: one 5'10" tall, weighing 170 pounds, with dreadlocks, wearing a dark-colored hoodie and dark blue jeans; the second 6'2" tall, weighing 200 to 220 pounds, with corn rows and gold teen, wearing a dark-colored hoodie with a white T-shirt underneath and blue jeans; the third 5'10" tall, with corn rows, wearing a brown hoodie and blue jeans; and the fourth 6' tall, weighing 200 to 210 pounds, wearing a dark-colored hoodie with a white T-shirt underneath and blue jeans.

Grab and go: Then there was the unarmed--but just as vicious--thieves who struck on Good Friday, as well as Palm Sunday:

• Friday (4.2.10) 3:30 a.m.: A white woman walking in the 900 block of Canal Street (between Burgundy and Dauphine streets) fell victim to a robber who sounds an awfully lot like the one who robbed the 2 women a couple of hours earlier (see above), only this time he didn't imply he had a gun. He grabbed the woman's purse and fled in a red pickup truck parked on Dauphine near Canal, turning down Burgundy toward Esplanade Avenue.

He was described as Hispanic, 5'7" tall, weighing 140 pounds, wearing a long-sleeved gray shirt and blue jeans.

• Friday (4.2.10) 11:30 p.m.: A white guy walking in the 600 block of Bourbon Street (between Toulouse and St. Peter streets) was accosted by 4 black boys--the same gang that struck on Canal Street an hour earlier?--who grabbed the victim's money from his hand and fled on foot.

But this time, the cops caught up with 3 of the 4 thugs; the 4th perp remains at large. Arrested were:

• Dantrel Brown (top), 18, charged with simple robbery and illegal possession of stolen things under $300. He is being held in OPP in lieu of $30,000 bond.

• Jamal J. Johnson (middle), 17, charged with simple robbery. The magistrate found there was no probable cause to charge him with illegal possession of stolen things under $300, and dismissed that charge. He is being held on $25,000 bond.

• Alton Warren (bottom), 18, who has a criminal record going back to when he turned adult at 17, was charged only with simple robbery. He is being held on a $25,000 bond.

• Sunday (3.28.10) 4:25 a.m.: A white woman walking in the 900 block of Canal Street (between Burgundy and Dauphine streets) had her purse snatched by a black thug who fled on foot down Dauphine toward Esplanade Avenue.

She described him as 6" to 6'4" tall, with a medium build and dreadlocks, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

• Friday (3.26.10) 3:30 a.m.: A white guy who didn't know where he was on Bourbon Street (that happens a lot--particularly at this hour after a night of imbibing) was struck by a black dude who grabbed his wallet and fled.

The assailant was described as 6"2" tall, weighing 200 pounds, wearing dark-colored clothing.

What was this about?: A white guy sitting in his house in the 600 block of N. Rampart Street (between Toulouse and St. Peter streets) saw a woman wandering in his abode. She exited and he followed her outside. He asked her what she had been doing in his house and she struck him several times. He grabbed her and held her until the police showed up.

The cops charged Sheryl Lonergan, 33, with aggravated burglary. She is being held in OPP in lieu of $50,000 bond.

No fatal, no foul?: This is a little mysterious. Just after midnight on Monday (4.5.10), 2 black boys--yes, boys, who were violating curfew--realized they had been wounded after hearing gunshots at Magazine and St. Joseph streets in the CBD. The police report doesn't say where the boys, one 16 and the other 17, were shot or how many times. Friends drove them to the LSU Trauma Center, where they were treated.

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

Thom Kahler

It just never ends

2 more caught: 8th District cops rounded up 2 more black boys just beginning their career in crime.

The duo were believed to be the culprits in the robbery of a white man walking in the 800 block of St. Charles Avenue (between Julia and St. Joseph streets in the CBD) around 12:32 a.m. last Saturday (3.20.10). One of them allegedly grabbed the victim and demanded his money.

Arrested a short time later were Claude Washington (top), 17, and Willie Batiste (bottom), 18. Both were charged with simple robbery and are sitting in OPP on $15,000 bond each.

Bike bandit strikes again: The notorious bandit who's been swooping down on unsuspecting victims has struck again.

This time the victim was a white woman walking in the 100 block of Baronne Street (just across Canal Street in the CBD) around 11:55 p.m. last Tuesday (3.23.10). The black bandit was on a red bicycle when he grabbed the woman's purse before fleeing on his bike up Baronne toward Common Street where he turned toward O'Keefe Avenue.

He was described as 35 to 40 years old, wearing all dark-colored clothing.

Suspicious victim?: A robbery reported by a white guy last Saturday (3.20.10) has been questioned by 8th District detectives who said they "are suspicious of our victim's account of what actually occurred." They said the incident will be classified as an armed robbery "until additional facts become available."

According to the victim, 2 black guys accosted him around 12:30 a.m. in the 900 block of Burgundy Street (between St. Philip and Dumaine streets). One pulled a pistol and demanded his money, which he gave up. The 2 fled on foot down Burgundy toward Esplanade Avenue.

The victim described his assailants as 20 to 25 years old, one 6'2" tall, weighing 170 to 180 pounds, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans; the other was 6'1" tall, weighing 150 to 170 pounds, wearing a plaid shirt and blue jeans.

The rest of the robberies: They just never to away. Add these robberies to the list:

• Sunday (3.21.10) 11:15 p.m.: No one's safe. Classify this as "brother-on-brother" crime. A pair of black guys were walking in the 600 block of N. Rampart Street (between Toulouse and St. Peter streets) when they were held up by a black brother who pulled a gun on them. The robber fled to a car parked near Toulouse and Burgundy streets, which then sped the wrong way on Toulouse toward Rampart.

The robber was described as 20 to 30 years old, 5'8" tall, with a thin build (sounds like they could have kicked the crap out of the little punk) and long dreadlocks, wearing a black jacket, white T-shirt and blue jeans.

• Tuesday (3.23.10) 3:05 a.m.: And now "brother-on-sister" crime. A black woman walking near Bienville and N. Rampart streets was robbed by 2 black, one of whom slugged her with an unknown object and knocked her to the ground, while the other grabbed her purse. They fled to a car parked on N. Rampart which took off toward Canal Street.

One of the robbers was described as 5'10" tall, with a dark complexion, gold teeth and braids, wearing a black T-shirt; the other was described only as wearing a dark-colored baseball cap and blue jeans.

• Tuesday (3.23.10) 4:00 a.m.: Back to racially-charged crimes. A white guy was walking in the 800 block of St. Ann Street (between Bourbon and Dauphine streets) when he was attacked by a black dude who pushed him to the ground and took his wallet. The crook fled on foot.

He was described as 25 years old, 6' tall, with a pony tail, wearing a black T-shirt and black pants.

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

Thom Kahler

Wait, there's more...

Black marks of another kind: With all the interest in graffiti earlier in the week, a dozen robberies from last weekend got shoved to the back burner--including 8th District detectives busting 3 black boys for a raft of robberies.

Arrested on Sunday (3.14.10) were:

• Darrius Castleberry, 19, charged with 7 counts of armed robbery with a firearm and 1 count of aggravated battery. He is being held in OPP on $1.175 million bond.

• Demarcus Magee, 20, charged with 6 counts of armed robbery with a firearm and 1 count of aggravated battery. He is being held on $1.375 million bond.

• Rashad Young, 17, charged with 3 counts of armed robbery with a firearm. He is being held on $775,000 bond.

The trio was arrested after 3 robberies on the weekend in the CBD and French Quarter:

• Saturday (3.13.10) 3:15 a.m.: A white man walking in the 100 block of Carondelet Street (just across Canal Street from Bourbon Street) when he was stuck up by 3 black dudes, one of whom pulled a pistol. The victim complied and the robbers fled on foot up Carondelet.

• Saturday (3.13.10) 3:30 a.m.: 2 white men were held up while walking near Bienville and Burgundy streets by 3 black men using the same M.O. as above.

• Sunday (3.14.10) 11:05 p.m.: A white man and 2 white females were robbed at gunpoint by 3 black guys near Loyola and Tulane avenues.

It was after this robbery that police responding to the scene were able to apprehend the trio as they fled on foot. After they were booked into Central Lockup, detectives managed to link them as suspects in the other robberies.

The rest of the robberies:

• Friday (3.12.10) 12:42 a.m.: A white man walking in the 800 block of Perdido Street near Carondelet Street was held up by a black guy brandishing a pistol.

The suspect, who fled on Carondelet toward Canal Street, was described as 6' tall, weighing 190 pounds, wearing a dark-colored zip-up sweatshirt, dark jeans, and a black baseball cap.

• Friday (3.12.10) 3:30 a.m.: An Asian male walking in the 300 block of Poydras Street (between Tchoupitoulas and S. Peters streets) was robbed at gunpoint by a black thug.

The perp was described as 35 to 40 years old, 6'2" tall, with a thin to medium build, wearing a black hoodie.

• Friday (3.12.10) 4:45 a.m.: A white man walking near Elysian Fields Avenue and N. Rampart Street was accosted by 2 black dudes, one of whom pushed him to the ground and stole the contents of his pockets. The crooks fled on foot up N. Rampart Street toward Esplanade Avenue.

One suspect was described as in his mid-20's, 5'5" tall, with a thin build and shoulder-length dreadlocks, wearing dark clothing; the other was said to be in his late 20's, with a heavy build, wearing dark clothing.

• Saturday (3.13.10) 2:08 a.m.: A white woman walking in the 300 block of Perdido Street when she was accosted by 3 black dudes. One pushed her to the ground and demanded her money. She refused and pulled a knife of her own to defend herself, and the thugs took off running.

She described them all as 5'7" tall, 2 with thin builds and 1 with a heavy build; the thin ones with light complexions, one wearing a tan jacket and red baseball cap and the other wearing a brown shirt; the heavy one wearing a gray hoodie.

• Saturday (3.13.10) 4:00 a.m.: A white woman had her purse snatched by a black guy while walking on Canal Street near Dorsiere Street (a one-block street next to Decatur Street) who fled on foot up Iberville Street.

He is described as in his 30's, 6'2" tall, with a thin build and short hair.

• Saturday (3.13.10) 3:35 p.m.: A white couple near Burgundy and Pauger streets in the Marigny Triangle were approached by a black dude driving a 4-door, gold-colored Chrysler sedan who pulled along side them and pulled a pistol, demanding their money. They complied and the robber drove off up Burgundy toward Esplanade Avenue.

The perp was described as 25 to 35 years old, 5'10" tall, with a medium build and wearing all black clothing.

• Sunday (3.14.10) 3:35 p.m.: A white man walking on Dauphine Street near Ursulines Street was knocked to the ground by a black guy who then grabbed his wallet and fled.

The robber was described as 5'9" tall, weighing 150 pounds, with short hair.

• Sunday (3.14.10) 4:30 p.m.: A white woman getting into her car in the 200 block of LaSalle Street near Cleveland Avenue was approached by an older black guy who pulled a gun and demanded she drive him to an ATM. The woman drove several blocks before hopping out of the car and fleeing on foot. The thief took the car and fled; police later recovered the vehicle.

The culprit was described as in his 50's, 5'9" tall, with a thin build and wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

Bicycle bandit profiled: 8th District detectives have finally linked the slew of pursesnatchings, largely in the French Quarter, by a bandit on a bicycle to one suspect.

According to Major Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th District, police believe all those robberies are the work of one man, based on his modus operandi and the descriptions given by the victims:

• The robberies occurred between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. in an area from a few blocks inside the CBD to Esplanade Avenue in the Quarter, and from Rampart Street to Chartres Street.
• The robber is a black man, 25 to 35 years old, 5'9" to 5'11" tall, weighing 150 to 165 pounds, with short hair.
• The bicycle bandit has used 2 different bikes. One is a dark-colored beachcruiser-type; the other is a small-framed dark-colored bike.

The bike bandit struck most recently on St. Patrick's evening (Wednesday, 3.17.10) around 9:05 p.m. when he swooped down on a white woman walking near Decatur and Dumaine streets. He grabbed her wallet from her purse and fled on Dumaine to Chartres Street, then toward Esplanade Avenue.

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

Thom Kahler

Leaving a black mark

Graffiti artists targeted: Never mind 9 robberies in the 8th District over the weekend, what residents are up in arms about is graffiti. No one can argue that it is getting worse than ever in the French Quarter, but police have made some arrests:

• 3.5.10: 8th District cops grabbed a guy and a girl spraying graffiti on a wall at Conti and Dauphine streets around 11:30 p.m. Another guy was seen painting too but fled the scene; his cohorts later ratted him out to the cops. Arrested were: Derrick Steele, 21, Douglas Walker, 21, and Claire Caputo, 19. All are white. (Pictured right, a wall at 900 Conti Street at Dauphine Street.)
  

They were all charged with criminal damage under the Municipal Code and were issued summonses to appear in Municipal Court, so we're not likely to see their mugshots nor know the outcome of their trials.

Some residents were up in arms after Maj. Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th, announced at last week's NONPAC meeting that the apprehensions had been made. They wanted the names of the accused, which some felt were being withheld because the girl was rumored to come from a "prominent" family, whose father was the owner or manager of a well-known hotel. Turns out her father works at a hotel in the Quarter, but could hardly be called "prominent."

Their misdeeds happened in the same neighborhood that has fallen victim to a lot of graffiti lately, including the home of CoCo Paddison, former president of French Quarter Citizens, at Burgundy and Toulouse streets (above), just 2 blocks from where this trio was arrested.

• 11.30.09: Police arrested 6 members of a graffiti gang who called themselves "Reclaim The Streets" after they caught them spray painting "Free Lil Wayne" on the front of 915 Conti St. around 9 p.m.

Although the 6 were also charged with disturbing the peace and resisting arrest by fleeing, in addition to criminal damage to property for the graffiti, no names were released by the NOPD. The disposition of their cases are unknown.

• 10.8.09: Police officers investigation suspicious activity in the 700 block of Camp Street arrested Andrew Botto, 30, on narcotics charges, as well as criminal damage for spraying graffiti at 732 Camp. He was arrested on a state charge on Sunday (3.14.10), hence his mugshot.

• 5.3.08: A resident and his wife were returning to their home on Dauphine Street just after 11 p.m. when they saw 2 boys spray painting graffiti on a gate at 1137 Dauphine. They followed them while calling 911, and then flagging down a cop car which apprehended the duo at Bourbon Street and Esplanade Avenue.

Both were from out of town, and one was a juvenile. The older of the 2, Dustin Sanders, 22, was also charged with possession of marijuana and issued a summons to municipal court for the graffiti. It's not likely he appeared on the graffiti charge since he skipped out on a $500 bond on the pot charge. If he ever shows up in these parts again, the bond is $25,000 if he's arrested.

The graffiti problem, and possible solution: The problem is: the law is lax, the police seemingly disinterested, and the courts dismissive:

• The law: Most graffitists are charged under the Municipal Code (Sec. 54-151)--which means they get what amounts to a ticket to show up in Municipal Court. (That means we never know what happens to them, since the Municipal Court has no web presence--and who knows who the judges are?)

If found guilty, the penalty under the Municipal Code is:

• A mandatory fine of $100 up to $500.
• Community service of a minimum of 7 hours up to 21 hours "cleansing and restoration of property defaced by graffiti."
• "Complete financial restitution necessary to cover the costs of restoring any property defaced by the person's actions."
• In addition, the judge has the discretion to order the graffitist to jail for up to 3 months.

The state law (RS 14-56.4), which the NOPD seldom uses, gives the judge more discretion:

• A fine of up to $500 and up to 6 months in jail if the damage amounts to $500 or less; if the damage is over $500, the fine is up to $1,000 and the jail time up to 2 years. (For damage over $50,000, the fine is up to $10,000 and there is a mandatory jail sentence of at least one year up to 10 years.)
• Community service of up to 32 hours for the first offense may be ordered, but is not mandatory, as in the Municipal Code.
• Restitution or clean up of graffiti damaged property is also optional with the judge.
  

• The police: The 8th District, as do most cops, consider crimes against people (such as hold-ups, for instance) paramount to their job of keeping the citizenry safe. Property crimes (such as graffiti) are not considered life-threatening, even though the French Quarter might look like it's reverting to a slum.

They do make arrests if they see a graffitist in action, they just don't bother to send out reports about these arrests, as rare as they are.

Their use of the municipal statute rather than the state may actually put more bite on the criminal, but state charges would make these defacers of the French Quarter more visible.

• The courts: The Municipal Court is the dispenser of virtually invisible justice. I'm not really sure of where it's located, nor could I name you one judge who sits on the bench there. I do know it has no website and therefore, unlike Criminal District Court where state charges are tried, it is almost impossible to find out what has happened with any particular defendant: guilty or not? penalty?

Without the transparency in Municipal Court--and thus accountability of the judges--found in Criminal Court, who knows whether the graffitist are getting a tougher deal under a tougher law, or whether they're merely being turned loose as "boys just being boys."

A solution, maybe: As the Legislature cranks up, this might be the perfect time to lobby your state representatives to take up the issue of graffiti.

Too often, graffiti is treated as a mere nuisance; in the French Quarter it is much more: it is the defacing of a National Historic Landmark. There is no artistry in the crude and unimaginative scribblings of these dregs of society roaming the neighborhood.

Instead, urge your lawmaker to make the state penalty as severe (with mandatory fines and imprisonment) as the Municipal Code--maybe even tougher with much greater fines and jail terms.

Perhaps ask them even to put a tax on spray paints or require the registration of their sale. This might either deter purchase of the paints by graffitists or aid in their capture and arrest. (The Municipal Code already prohibits the selling of spray paints to minors.)

Now is the time to do something other than moan and groan about the problem. Let's stop treating this as child's play.

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

Thom Kahler