LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / August 21, 1999

EDGARD – On the face of it, it seemed shocking.

Several trustee inmates at the Lt. Sherman Walker Correctional Center inLaPlace had obtained a small quantity of illicit drugs and several weapons from an evidence storage room in an adjoining building where they were on work detail.

Chief Indigent Defender Richard Stricks, who heard of the incident through contact with his indigent clients, got a hearing on Wednesday before 40th Judicial District Judge J. Sterling Snowdy to find out if any of the drugsor guns were evidence for any of his pending cases.

Not so, according to Lt. Harry Trosclair, the evidence property manager.The cases to which this evidence related were all closed, he said under oath. None of the missing narcotics were recovered, presumed to have beenconsumed. All of the weapons were recovered. None of the material gotinto the jail itself.

Chief Harold Klibert explained that routine drug screening, which is performed on all inmates and personnel at the jail, unexpectedly turned up a half-dozen inmates who tested positive for marijuana and cocaine.

Questioning of those inmates as to the source revealed what had happened.

The St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office was carrying out construction workfor a new mini-forensic unit and a new evidence property room at their division headquarters behind the jail back on June 7.

The old evidence, which at one time was stored at the Percy Hebert Building, was being moved to a new, secure area. This evidence wasbelieved to include only articles of clothing and other similarly harmless material. However, a small quantity of guns and narcotics were includedwith the material.

“No evidence had anything to do with anything pending or current,” Klibert emphasized.

When the inmates made their discovery, the narcotics were quickly used and the guns concealed, presumably for easy later retrieval. Noammunition was ever missing.

All the guns were recovered and checked off against inventory records.

Klibert stated as well that all inmates are searched thoroughly as they re-enter the jail facility and he said he could state as a fact that no guns or drugs entered the jail at any time.

Fallout has been swift. A massive search of the entire complex was held,including a strip-search of all inmates. A total of 21 inmates have beentransferred to the state Department of Corrections and security has clamped down.

“It was an isolated instance,” Klibert affirmed, as he said the investigation is continuing and disciplinary action will be taken. “It wascomplacency. But it won’t happen again.”

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