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

...and the hits keep coming

"Frequent felon" miles piling up: What at first seemed like just another one of those attempted armed robberies in the French Quarter soon mushroomed into the arrests of 3 punks who were wanted for a string of robberies in the Quarter and Irish Channel, thanks to quick work of 8th District detectives and alert 1st District patrolmen.

Early last Wednesday (6.8.11) around 12:30 a.m., a black dude pulled a gun on a white guy walking on Chartres Street near Ursulines Street and demanded his money. The victim ran and the robber fled to a maroon Pontiac Gran Prix occupied by 2 black cohorts that took off toward N. Rampart Street.

They didn't get far before an officer patrolling near St. Bernard and N. Claiborne avenues recognized the vehicle from a description broadcast by the NOPD and pulled the car over on a traffic stop.

The 3 men inside were identified as the suspects in the French Quarter caper. Arrested were Damion Brown (top), Jerry Carmouche (middle), and Tyrone Moore (bottom). All are 19 years old and were charged with armed robbery or attempted armed robbery.

When 6th District detectives saw the description of the suspects, they matched the descriptions to the 3 perpetrators of a robbery at 7th and Chippewa streets in the Irish Channel late Tuesday (6.7.11) night around 11:20 p.m., about an hour before the French Quarter robbery.

Yesterday morning (6.14.11) Brown and Carmouche were booked with additional armed robbery charges after 8th District detectives linked them to a heist 10 days ago when 2 white men, 26 and 29, were robbed at gunpoint by 3 black hoodlums while they were walking on Dumaine Street between Dauphine and Burgundy streets on Sunday (6.5.11) around 11:30 p.m.

One victim gave up his cash, but the other attempted to flee and was allegedly grabbed by Carmouche and knocked to the ground.

Both 8th District and 6th District detectives believe the trio may be responsible for numerous other felonies Uptown and in the Quarter.

They may be involved in the robbery of a 29-year-old white man on Sunday (6.5.11) around 4 a.m. when a black guy hopped out of a maroon sedan--like the Gran Prix used in the attempted robbery on Chartres a few days later--and started stalking him down Dauphine Street near Dumaine Street. The victim became scared and started running, the black thug chased him and demanded his wallet. The victim threw his wallet on the ground and kept running.

More wild women--and would-be women: They must be tourists, or they would know that what you see is not always what you get. And that not everyone who winks at you is your friend.

• Sunday (6.5.11): In the early morning, a 26-year-old black dude brought 2 what he thought were black ladies he had met earlier in the evening back to his hotel room at Springhill Suites, 301 St. Joseph St.

Once in the room, one of the "ladies" pulled a semi-automatic handgun and demanded the dude give it up. The "ladies" left with his iPad, netbook, a cellular phone, and 2 credit cards.

He described his dates as black "females", one 26 to 28 years old, 5'8" tall, with a thin to medium build, and hazel eyes; the other 35 to 40 years old, 5'8" tall, with a thin to medium build, and a dark complexion.

• Saturday (6.11.11) 8 a.m.: A white guy met 2 black ladies while out carousing the night before and may have been flattered when they invited him back to their room at the LaQuinta Inn, 301 Camp St. (What is it with this LaQuinta? It seems this kind of stuff is happening a lot there lately. You listening, vice squad?)

He no more than got in the room than 2 black dudes came in and demanded his cash. They got it and ordered him to leave.

There was no description of the dudes, but police arrested 2 women, or at least presumed women: Nana Wilson (top), 24, and Ebony Reed (bottom), 22. Both were charged with simple robbery and each is being held on $25,000 bond apiece.

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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

Hard and soft: One judge, two very different sentences

The hard time: Last year, bandits on bikes were the scourge of women walking in the 8th District as they roamed around snatching purses, sometimes at gunpoint. Diligent detective work reeled in a couple of them and the threat seemed to subside.

One of them, Lionel Hudson (right), met his fate 3 weeks ago in Judge Terry Q. Alarcon's court. He probably wishes he never learned to ride a bicycle. Hudson, 25, pled guilty to 2 counts of armed robbery with a firearm on 5.16.11 and Alarcon (left) promptly sentenced him to 15 years in prison at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

Hudson was positively identified as the robber who was on a small BMX-style bike when he made off with the 30-year-old woman's purse around 11:54 p.m. on 7.22.10 while she was walking on Dauphine Street near Gov. Nicholls Street. Detectives arrested him 4 days later.

Hudson's first adult arrest was just 4 days after he turned 17 when he was charged with illegal possession of a stolen auto, illegal possession of a weapon, flight from an officer and resisting an officer.

He sat in OPP on $500,000 bond after his arrest 7.26.10 until his trial. Now he can look forward to long, hard time for the next 15 years. Despite what they say, he'll probably forget how to ride a bicycle in that time.

[Another accused bike bandit allegedly operating in the French Quarter, Craig Hayes, 19, is due to go on trial in a couple of weeks on 6.22.11 for snatching the purse of a woman walking in the 900 block of Royal Street while on a bicycle on 4.16.10. It didn't take police long to arrest him, but Judge Laurie A. White reduced his bail from the $15,000 a magistrate set when he was arrested to $5,000. He was back on the street a couple of weeks later--in time to sexually assault and rob a woman Uptown on 7.23.10, police say, after riding up to her residence on a bicycle.]

The soft time: This year, with bank bandits virtually vanquished, it is the theft of iPhones which is plaguing the 8th District. Brazen thieves who've come right up and snatched cellphones right out of the hands of citizens on the street.

Jeffrey Ard, 22, pled guilty last month to simple robbery for stealing the iPhone out of the hand of a 23-year-old white guy who was standing on Canal Street near Rampart Street on 3.8.11. The victim struggled with him and police arrived on the scene to nab Ard immediately.

But Judge Alarcon--who had been so severe with the bike bandit--sentenced this thief to only "2 years at hard labor"--then suspended the prison term. The judge also charged him over $700 in court fees, plus $55 monthly for supervision of his 2 years of probation. Sounds like Ard's going to have to get a job--or steal a whole bunch more phones to pay his fines.

Think it doesn't matter?: Who was the judge who turned this 15-year-old miscreant loose after he pulled off a robbery in the French Quarter a couple of weeks ago, allowing him the opportunity to go and rob again? The black boy was supposed to be under house-arrest and wear an electronic tracking device on his ankle to monitor his every move.

He was still wearing it Friday (6.3.11) when he was apprehended in Chalmette by St. Bernard Perish sheriff's deputies after they chased down a 2006 Ford pickup reported stolen in New Orleans a day earlier.

After the truck hit 5 parked cars, 2 men and a woman riding inside ran, but deputies caught 2 of them, including the 15-year-old. He was booked with possession of stolen property, flight from an officer, and possession of marijuana found in the truck.

What will happen to these thieves?: While one thief goes free, others continue to plague the French Quarter:

• Sunday (5.29.11) 1:30 a.m.: Two guys, one black, 24, and the other white, 25, were walking near Touro and Royal streets when they were set upon by 2 black thugs, one of whom pulled a gun and demanded the victims' money and cellphones. The victims complied and the thieves fled on foot down Touro toward St. Claude Avenue.

One of the robbers was described as 5'8" tall, weighing 140 pounds, wearing a black shirt and khaki shorts; the other was 6' tall, weighing 150 pounds, wearing a long red T-shirt and dark-colored pants.

• Sunday (5.29.11) 6:55 a.m.: A guy was riding in a car in the 700 block of Bourbon Street near Orleans Avenue when he was surrounded by a gang of black dudes. One of them reached through the car's open window and snatched the victim's cellphone from his hand.

Police quickly arrested Jeremy Holmes, 20, and a juvenile black boy.

• Friday (6.3.11) 11:20 a.m.: A 55-year-old white gentleman and his wife walking in broad daylight in the 600 block of St. Peter Street near Chartres Street had his iPhone grabbed from his hand by a black thug. The thief fled on foot through Jackson Square to Decatur Street, then turned toward Canal Street.

The hoodlum was described as in his 20's, 5'7" tall, wearing a white T-shirt and black pants.

Crime takes root on Canal: Once again the McDonald's at 711 Canal and the IHOP at 833 Canal were again the scenes of crimes. (Maybe they could use a police detail, you think?):

• IHOP, Saturday (5.28.11) 7:50 a.m.: An older black man held the door to the restaurant open as an elderly white couple were exiting. Nice gesture--but then he began following them down Canal Street. He started patting down the elderly gent to find his wallet. The victim tried to stop him, struggling with him and ending up falling on the sidewalk. While he was down, the black fella lifted his wallet.

Bystanders gave chase, but the black felon got into a minivan on Canal, variously described as yellow or gold or tan. The thief was described as 5'10" tall, with a thin build and salt-and-pepper hair, wearing a white or tan button-down shirt.

• McDonald's, Saturday (5.28.11) 6:45 p.m.: A 17-year-old black boy was in the eatery when a gang of black males fell upon him. One knocked his hat off and grabbed it. Another of the punks tried to take the guy's cellphone, but the victim thwarted that. The rest of the gang ran out of the restaurant.
  

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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