One-man crime wave

Temper, temper: It may have been Nathan Smesny's idea of a hot time in the old town, but his victims would probably disagree.

Smesny, 24, began the night around 12:25 a.m. Sunday (6.12.11) when he allegedly beat a guy senseless on Burgundy Street near St. Louis Street to get his wallet by repeatedly bashing him in the face. The victim finally gave it up, and the robber and his black buddy with him took off on St. Louis toward N. Rampart Street.

Later in the morning, around 6:30 a.m., police responded to a reported fight at what's believed to be the Roundup Bar, 819 St. Louis. According to the police, after speaking with the 2 victims, officers learned that Smesny went into the bar, got into an argument with the 2 men, and then smacked one along the head with a beer bottle and stabbed the other in the left arm with the broken off bottle.

(The NOPD gives so little information, like no age, sex or race of the victim, no identification of the scene of a crime, and even misspelling the alleged perp's name, it's a wonder they make any arrests at all. C'mon Chief, kick some butt in your Public Information Office!)

Using a citizen's surveillance video (shown above), Smesny and his cohort were shown walking in the 500 block of Burgundy just before 12:30 a.m., about the time the man was robbed of his wallet in almost the exact same location.

8th District detectives, led by Sgt. Nick Gernon, retrieved the video tape and used it to identify Smesny as the perp in both crimes.

Smesny was charged with simple battery and pursesnatching for the robbery on Burgundy, and charged with 2 counts of aggravated battery for the bar fight. He is being held in OPP on $80,000 bond. According to the NOPD, Smesny has prior arrests for aggravated battery, disturbing the peace, criminal damage to property, resisting arrest, criminal trespass.

Detectives are trying to identify Smesny's accomplice who is pictured in the video with him. They believe Smesny is responsible for several other robberies in the French Quarter area.

Who said drugs wouldn't hurt you?: A couple of guys who should have been old enough to know better but whose pasts were littered with mostly drug arrests and convictions, finally snapped and turned violent:

• Friday (6.10.11) 12:30 a.m.: A guy got into an argument with another guy on Bourbon Street near St. Louis Street. As the tiff escalated, the suspect picked up a beer bottle and went after the other guy.

A cop witnessing the whole thing arrested Lemar (or Lamar, in some records) Goodman, 42, and charged him with simple battery and aggravate assault. Goodman has a long history of arrests dating back 23 years to 1988 when he was 19, mostly for drugs.

• Saturday (6.11.11) 4:40 a.m.: A black guy came up to Babe's Cabaret, a strip club at 433 Bourbon St., and got into an argument with a girl hustling her wares in the doorway and wound up striking her.

The bouncer, who was standing right there, asked him why he hit her (did it matter why?). The guy pulled a knife and went after the bouncer.

A cop saw the incident and arrested George Ladd, 42, for simple battery and aggravated battery. He is being held in OPP on $27,500 bond. Ladd has served prison terms for possession of crack cocaine and for attempted robbery.

"Simple" robberies, sort of: They call them "simple" robberies, as opposed to armed robberies, because no weapon is used. But these are the crimes where--even though the robbers are usually only after your purse, wallet or cellphone--they're likely to slug you or throw you to the ground:

• Wednesday (6.15.11) 11:30 p.m.: A 28-year-old white man walking near Barracks and N. Rampart streets was robbed by 2 black thugs. One knocked him to the ground and took his wallet and cellphone. The robbers fled on foot up N. Rampart toward Canal Street.

The victim was too traumatized (or inebriated, or whatever) at the time to give detectives descriptions of his assailants. They'll interview him again later.

• Tuesday (6.14.11) 11:40 p.m.: A white woman (no age given) was walking on Burgundy Street near St. Ann Street when a black guy grabbed her purse and knocked her to the ground. The robber and 2 other black thugs with him then fled on foot on St. Ann.

She described the robber as in his 20's, 6'1" tall, weighing 150 pounds.

• Sunday (6.12.11) 4:00 a.m.: A white guy (no age given) was walking on St. Louis Street just off Bourbon Street when 3 black chicks struck him and took his wallet before fleeing on foot.

Perhaps stunned in disbelief at the audacity of his attackers (or the late hour and abundance of alcohol), he was unable to give detectives a detailed description of the bodacious bandits. Detectives will interview him again later.

• Saturday (6.11.11) 2:00 a.m.: A white guy (no age given) walking on N. Rampart Street near Ursulines St. was tackled from behind by a black dude who stole his wallet from his back pocket before fleeing on N. Rampart toward Canal Street.

The victim could only describe the robber as dressed in all black clothing.

• Sunday (6.11.11) 12:25 a.m.: A white guy walking on Dauphine Street near St. Louis Street was assailed by a white punk who demanded his money and then struck him. The victim resisted and ran away. The would-be robber fled on foot on St. Louis toward N. Rampart Street.

He was described as 5'8" tall, with a thin build and short hair, wearing a black shirt and dark-colored jeans.

• Friday (6.10.11) 4:55 a.m.: A woman standing with her girlfriend at Chartres and Frenchmen streets in the Marigny Triangle had her purse snatched by 2 black hoodlums who then fled on foot up Decatur Street toward Esplanade Avenue.

One robber was described as in his 20's, 5'8" tall, with a medium build and shoulder-length braids, wearing a black T-shirt and dark-colored jeans; the other was 6' tall, with a slim build, wearing a black T-shirt and dark-colored jeans.

• Wednesday (6.8.11) 2:45 p.m.: A couple standing near Harrah's Casino on Canal Street was approached by a black guy who asked if they were lost and offered to show them the way to the ferry. As they neared the ferry terminal, the "guide" grabbed the victim's iPad--a big jump form iPhones--from his hand and fled on foot.

The robber was described as in his 20's, 5'8" to 5'10" tall, with a thin build and shoulder-length braids, wearing a white baseball cap, a long white T-shirt, and dark-colored jeans.

• Sunday (6.5.11) 4:30 a.m.: A 25-year-old white woman walking on Common Street near Carondelet Street had her purse snatched by a black boy who fled on foot.

She described him as 5'9" tall, weighing 170 pounds, with a medium build, wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts.

The common denominator in all these robberies--other than all the victims were white and most of the crooks were black--is that most happen in the wee hours of the morning, beginning just before midnight. And most were too close to that barrier of civility: N. Rampart Street.

It's almost amusing that Super Chief Ronal Serpas is going to spend $154,000 over the next 14 weeks sending a sergeant and 2 officers into each of the 8 police districts for "community policing" to educate citizens on how they can make their neighborhoods safer. Looking at the long list of robberies above, it seems it would be more effective to marshal his manpower to fortify the ramparts of the French Quarter.

And one by gun: Strangely enough, lately fewer robbers are relying on firepower to pull their heists.

There was one armed robbery Tuesday (6.14.11) when a black boy jumped out of a silver sedan on Chartres Street near St. Philip Street and, putting his hand in his pocket as if he had a gun, demanded a 28-year-old white guy give up his money. The victim ran and the would-be robber fled on foot on St. Philip toward the river.

The perp was described as 5'8" tall, skinny, wearing a baggy T-shirt and black shorts.

Captured on camera: Thanks in large part to video surveillance cameras inside of Walgreen's at Loyola and Tulane avenues, 8th District detectives were able to identify and arrest Leroy Perry, 51, for robbing the store on 5.8.11.

He was charged with simple robbery for grabbing money from the manager who was counting cash with an employee at the front register.

He is being held in OPP on $20,000 bond.

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Crimes last week in the 8th District
(Click on the crime map to enlarge it)

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

Thom Kahler