Deputy arrests man in cemetery vandalism
A St. Mary deputy arrested an Amelia man suspected of vandalizing graves, Sheriff Blaise Smith said.
—Jorge Roberto Discua, 33, Amelia, was arrested at 1:30 p.m. Thursday on charges of theft, desecration of graves, simple criminal damage to property and human remains protection acts.
On Thursday morning, a deputy patrolling Amelia was conducting a check of the cemetery when he observed a suspect who appeared to be tampering with a grave. The deputy detained the suspect, later identified as Discua.
Through the investigation, Discua was linked to a previous incident that occurred in the early morning hours of Sept. 14 in which a suspect entered the Amelia Cemetery (St. Andrews Catholic Church cemetery) and vandal-ized or desecrated graves.
Discua was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bail has been set at $54,500.
Smith also reported these arrests:
—Janell Davis, 41, Franklin, was arrested 10:51 p.m. Thursday on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of theft. Davis was released on a summons to appear Feb. 23.
—Tyron Lamar Charles, 20, Baldwin, 11:24 a.m. Thursday on the charges of obstruction of driver’s view, condition of windshield, resisting an officer by flight, possession of marijuana and criminal trespass.
Charles was released on a $6,500 bond.
Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair reported these arrests:
—Tommie Joseph Chaisson, 39, Ceder Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 2:54 p.m. Thursday on charg-es of tail lamp, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of a uniform controlled dangerous substance law-drug free zone.
An officer observed a traffic violation in the area of Pine Street and Maple Street. The officer conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as Chaisson. During the traffic stop, a K-9 unit arrived to assist in the traffic stop.
K-9 Dally was deployed on the exterior of the vehicle. K-9 Dally gave an odor response for the presence of illegal narcotics in the vehicle.
During the investigation, Chaisson was found in possession of suspected methamphetamine and drug parapher-nalia in a posted drug-free zone. He was placed under arrest and transported to the Morgan City Police Depart-ment for booking and incarceration.
—Nathaniel Albert Rollins, 24, Brashear Avenue, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:36 a.m. Thursday on charges of entering on or remaining in places after forbidden and possession of drug paraphernalia, and on a warrant for two counts of failure to appear to pay fines.
Officers were called to an address on La. 182 about Rollins trespassing on the property. Rollins was located on the property and placed under arrest. During the arrest, he was found in possession of suspected drug paraphernalia.
A warrant check revealed the City Court of Morgan City held active warrants for his arrest. He was transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.
—Fereriel Urbana-Duarn, 46, Freret Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 4 p.m. Thursday on a charge of aggravated assault.
—Areana Lee Urbana, 29, Freret, St., Morgan City, was arrested at 4 p.m. Thursday on charges of simple battery and criminal mischief-filing false complaint.
Officers were called to the Freret Street address for an aggravated assault complaint. They learned Fereriel Urba-na-Duarn had assaulted the victim with a weapon. It was also learned Areana Lee Urbano committed a battery on the same victim.
During the investigation, she filed a complaint with officers alleging the victim had choked her. Officers located several witnesses verifying her allegations were false. They were placed under arrest and transported to the Mor-gan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.
—Brandon Gaudet, 30, La. 37, Centerville, was arrested at 7 p.m. Thursday on a charge of driving under suepension.
An officer on patrol observed a traffic violation in the area of La. 182 and Martin Luther King Boulevard. A traffic stop was conducted and the driver was identified as Gaudet.
A computer check revealed his driver's license was under suspension. He was placed under arrest and transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.
—Johnathan Paul Myers, 27, Belanger Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 8:11 p.m. Thursday on a war-rant for simple burglary.
The warrant stems from an ongoing investigation filed with the Morgan City Police Department on Wednesday, when patrol officers discovered Myers had been in possession of a stolen generator.
On Thursday, detectives were able to develop evidence Myers had committed the burglary in which the generator was stolen, and was able to recover the stolen property. A warrant was subsequently obtained for his arrest and was booked for the new charge
Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon reported these arrests:
--Shauntell Nicole Hartdegen, 37, St. Mary Street, Amelia, was arrested Thursday on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, resisting an officer, failure to appear on charges of driving under suspen-sion and careless operation, and failure to appear for flight from an officer.
An I.C.E. Unit deputy observed Hartdegen riding a bicycle on Elaine Street in Bayou L’Ourse
and was aware of outstanding warrants.
The deputy approached Hartdegen and as he did so, she began to run. Hartdegen was quickly apprehended.
Once detained, Hartdegen began to move around and deputies noticed a pouch she was attempting to conceal. Upon further investigation, deputies located a quantity of methamphetamine inside the pouch.
Hartdegen was booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center pending a bond hearing.
—Dijonae Holloway, 24, Belle Point Lane, Napoleonville, was arrested on charges of public intimidation and telephone harassment.
In a related investigation, Bruce Fair Jr., 23, Thomas Street, Paincourtville, was charged with multiple recent drive-by shootings, resulting in his arrest.
Following Fair’s arrest, an individual, now identified as Holloway, made threatening calls toward the Sheriff’s Office if the investigation continued.
Detectives were able to identify Holloway as the suspected caller and took her into custody Thursday. Hol-loway acknowledged her responsibility in creating those phone calls.
Dijonae Holloway was booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center with bond set at $1,000.
—Bruce Fair Jr., 23, Thomas Street, Paincourtville, was arrested Friday on charges of assault by drive-by shooting (three counts), aggravated criminal damage to property (three counts), illegal use of weapons or dan-gerous instrumentalities.
The arrest was in connection with a series of shootings targeting a specific home in the La. 1 area south of
of Paincourtville.
During October, multiple shootings of the residence occurred.
Detectives initiated an extensive investigation into the cases and subsequently identified Fair as a suspect.
Fair was arrested Oct. 30 following a traffic stop in Napoleonville, at which time he was charged on drug- and gun-related offenses.
Fair posted a $75,000 bond on those charges. However, the investigation into the drive-by shootings continued. After an extensive investigation, detectives secured arrest warrants Fair.
Fair was arrested at an apartment in Gonzales with the assistance of the Gonzales Police Department.
Fair was transferred to Assumption Parish on Friday at which time he was booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center pending a bond hearing.
—Brandon Nelson, 33, Georgette Street, Napoleonville, was arrested Thursday on a charge of felony theft of a motor vehicle.
The theft occurred in January 2019. Deputies responded to a complaint from the victim and shortly thereafter, Brandon Nelson was identified as a suspect. It was further determined that Nelson allegedly sold the car without the owner’s consent.
In August 2020, detectives obtained arrest warrants for Nelson. On Thursday, Nelson was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention with bond set at $50,000.
—Warren Thomas, Jr., 55, La. 1008, Napoleonville, was arrested Thursday on a charge of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling.
On Thursday, deputies responded to a complaint in Napoleonville of a burglary in the St. Mary Street area.
During the investigation, deputies were able to identify Thomas as a suspect.
Follow-up investigation resulted in the execution of a search warrant at Thomas’ home and the recovery of elec-tronics stolen in the burglary.
Thomas was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center pending a bond hearing.