AMY SZPARA

LAPLACE – Domestic violence is a term that could be deemed an oxymoron, as domestic is defined as tame or relating to family and violence is the very opposite of anything civil. But the phrase remains, and the idea of combining brutality to what is designated a place of solace is every bit as harsh as the term sounds. According to Chief Deputy Harold A. Klibert, St. John Parish has a high rate of what has only recently been identified as a separate crime classification. “I think you have a lot of instances in St. John Parish, and a lot of instances that are not reported,” he said. Because it is sometimes difficult to keep accurate records of the number of cases, due to the way that reports are often written up, definitive statistics are not available. An officer may write the citation up as an aggravated battery, simple assault or any number of crimes according to what is found at the scene. “A lot that are reported by radio dispatchers are called in as a 103, disturbing the peace,” said Klibert. “It might be a 103-F, a fight. It depends on how the officer sees it.” One recent attack involved a 28-year-old Reserve woman and an ex-boyfriend. According to police reports, Pamela Murry was stabbed by Kerry Stewart of Garyville after she tried to break off a relationship with him. The sheriff’s office received a 911 call around midnight and arrived to find a woman lying on the kitchen floor bleeding badly from the hip area, while Stewart sat on the floor threatening to end his own life. The injured woman was taken out of her home and an officer talked with the boyfriend to try to get him to release the knife, the report stated. According to Murry’s statement, she had ended a relationship with Stewart a week before and returned to her residence to find him inside. She was taken to the hospital and Stewart was booked with attempted second-degree murder. “We’re always going to charge the defendant with the greatest crime that meets the criteria,” said Klibert. “Our legislature has recognized that domestic violence is a pressing issue, and so have we. We work closely with domestic violence programs in New Orleans.” Murry was admitted to River Parishes Hospital in stable condition and released a few days later, but her case is only one example of how a domestic situation can turn deadly. “Sometimes we have to take a female and her child to a safe house,” said Klibert. “When we go out on a call like that, we will assist the victim to make sure that they are protected.” According to Klibert, now that the Louisiana State Supreme Court has a registry for domestic violence offenders, it allows the deputy at the scene to check on any outstanding or current restraining orders the victim may have out on the offender. “Before that it was just his word against hers. Today we can go in through computer systems and determine if the court has issued an order and if the person is in violation, ” said Klibert. “If the victim feels like the offender can get out of jail, we can find her a safe house.” Klibert added that men can also be victims of domestic abuse, as his deputies have received calls from males in the past. During the recent Father Day’s weekend 15 domestic disturbance calls were phoned in to the St. John Sheriff’s Office ranging from threats to destruction of property to physical violence. However, other calls that were filed as disturbing the peace, complaints and simple assaults also involved family members. For more information on battered women’s programs, call the Metropolitan Battered Women’s Program at 651-7397.