Suspect charged with theft, battery, damage to property

A Houma man was arrested in Berwick after stealing a piece of equipment from a business, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum said in a news release.

—Carlos Santos, 42, of Hobson Street in Houma, was arrested at 9:47 a.m. Wednesday on charges of theft, simple battery and criminal damage to property.

A deputy patrolling the area of Berwick was dispatched to a business in reference to a theft complaint. Upon arrival, the deputy spoke to business personnel who reported that a piece of equipment was taken from the business by two people who were applying for a job.

While at the business conducting the investigation, Santos came back to the business and was identified as one of the people involved in the theft, Anslum said. As Santos was being arrested, he spit on another person, Anslum said. During his transportation to St. Mary Parish jail, Santos kicked the rear passenger door, damaging the frame and breaking the glass, Anslum said. Bail was set at $4,500.

Anslum reported that deputies responded to 71 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:

—Alyssa Acosta, 26, of Ditch Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 7 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of theft.

A deputy patrolling Amelia was dispatched to a business in reference to a theft. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with the owner of the business who reported that Acosta had taken a cab ride to the business, but left the driver after only paying half the fare, Anslum said.

A short time later, the deputy made contact with Acosta walking on the shoulder of La. 182. Acosta admitted to paying only half the fare and was arrested, Anslum said. Acosta was released on a summons to appear in court Jan. 15, 2019.

—James Jones, 33, of First Street in Patterson, was arrested at 7:24 a.m. Thursday on two warrants for failure to appear on charges of two counts of criminal neglect of family.

A corrections deputy made contact with Jones as he was transported to the St. Mary Parish jail by another agency to be booked on various charges. The corrections deputy learned of two active St. Mary Parish warrants for his arrest. Jones was booked on said warrants. No bail was set.

Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon reported the following arrest in the Tri-City area:

—Matthew Strubb, 20, of Canal Drive in Franklin, was arrested Wednesday on charges of felony theft and simple criminal damage to property.

The arrest stems from a four-wheeler theft that occurred Oct. 3 in the Bayou L’Ourse area. Detectives initiated an investigation and were able to recover the four-wheeler with the assistance of the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office. Upon recovery, detectives noted that the ATV was damaged, Falcon said.

Detectives were able to identify Strubb as a suspect.

Agents obtained arrest warrants for Strubb and developed information that Strubb was working in Port Fourchon. Strubb was arrested and jailed pending a bail hearing.

Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported that officers responded to 41 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Nyjul T. Hillebrandt, 22, of Lawrence Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 2:14 p.m. Thursday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear in court.

Hillebrandt was transported from the St. Mary Parish jail to the Morgan City Police Department for an active warrant he held for the 6th Ward City Court. Hillebrandt was jailed.

—Bonnie E. Blankenship, 62, of La. 70 in Pierre Part, was arrested at 8:14 p.m. Thursday on charges of stop sign violation and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

A patrol officer observed a vehicle disregard a stop sign at the intersection of Myrtle Street and Victor II Boulevard. A traffic stop was conducted, and the driver was identified as Blankenship. The officer could smell an odor of suspected marijuana emitting from the vehicle, Blair said.

Police searched the vehicle and located suspected marijuana. Blankenship was jailed.

—Jordan Steele, 39, of Terrebonne Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:47 a.m. Friday on a warrant charging him with criminal damage to property less than $1,000.

Steele was located on La. 182 and arrested on a warrant. The warrant stems from a September incident during which Steele allegedly damaged an individual’s vehicle, Blair said. Steel was jailed.

Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported no arrests.

Patterson Police Chief Janis Merritt reported no arrests.