By LEONARD GRAY

RESERVE – “That’s mine!” blared through the police radio as St. John the Baptist Parish sheriff’s dispatcher, Mavis Morris, realized a DVD player, which was stolen from her residence, was part of the booty recovered Thursday during a raid in the Reserve Oaks Housing Development.

The exclamation from the on-duty dispatcher came as sheriff’s detectives cross-matched serial numbers of retrieved property against identification numbers of items reported stolen from around the area.

As part of the early morning operation, more than 75 officers from five area agencies rounded up 12 suspects and charged a majority of them with possession of marijuana, cocaine and stolen property.

“This is the first phase, with more to come, relative to the crime situation in public housing,” Chief Deputy Harold Klibert said after the raid, which shut down all access to the area along East 13th Street for three hours. After a three-month investigation, which involved undercover officers buying narcotics at specific apartments in the housing development, the St. John the Baptist Parish Grand Jury issued 57 warrants.

The initial crackdown was aimed at rounding up convicted felons found living in public housing and involved in drug trafficking and dealing in stolen property.

“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen it,” Sheriff Wayne L. Jones said of conditions in the Reserve housing development. “We need the Housing Authority Board to help us get those people out of there.”

Klibert said the St. John Parish Housing Authority board members’ “lack of management in doing what they’re supposed to be doing” contributed to the situation, as tenants allowed non-tenants, including convicted felons, to be sheltered within the development.

Extreme care and planning for the raid was done to minimize possible hazard to children and other innocent residents and the officers involved, Klibert said.

“Catching them while they’re sleeping works to our advantage,” Capt. Michael Tregre said. “Basically, we did a takeover.”

Earlier, at the behest of the Housing Authority, the sheriff’s office planned to locate a substation in a vacant apartment at the development. Days after the announcement, the site was torched. In recent days, a second apartment was likewise the victim of arson, Jones said.

The sheriff said he viewed these actions as a challenge to his authority and his office struck back, hard.

“We’re taking control of this development, not them,” Jones said.

The St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office was joined in the raid by tactical units from the Thibodaux Police Department and sheriff’s offices in Terrebonne, Iberville and Lafourche parishes.

In the eight apartments raided, seven children were found, the youngest being 2 months old. The children were taken from the scene to stay with relatives.

Those arrested include:
• April Williams, 22, the legal tenant of 268 E. 13th St., Reserve, charged with possession of marijuana.
• Joseph Cook Jr., 25, not a legal resident of 268 E. 13th St., Reserve, charged with possession of marijuana. Also a convicted narcotics felon, on parole until 2010.
• Jermaine Carter, 21, of 260 E. 13th St., Reserve, and his wife, Charmaine Carter, 26, of 260 E. 13th St., Reserve. Both charged with possession of marijuana, possession of a stolen weapon and possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Their two children are with relatives.
• Damon Smith, 40, of 160 E. 13th St., Reserve, principal to distribution of marijuana and principal to distribution of cocaine.
• Pamela Marietta Charles, 52, of 168 E. 13th St., Reserve, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
• Vincent Davis, 18, of 260 E. 13th St., Reserve, possession of marijuana.
• Niasha King, 21, the legal resident of 311 E. 13th St., Reserve, charged with possession of marijuana, DWI with crack cocaine, possession of a stolen weapon and possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance.
• Taieka King, 19, not a legal resident of 311 E. 13th St., Reserve, charged with possession of marijuana, DWI with crack cocaine, possession of a stolen weapon and possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance.
• Roosevelt Preston, 25, not a legal resident of 311 E. 13th St., Reserve, charged with possession of marijuana, DWI with crack cocaine, possession of a stolen weapon, possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
• Lorenzo Eugene, 18, not a legal resident of 311 E. 13th St., Reserve, charged with possession of marijuana, possession of crack cocaine (12 rocks) with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of stolen property.
• Thaddeus Anthony King, 20, not a legal resident of 311 E. 13th St., Reserve, charged with possession of marijuana, possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of stolen property.

Three firearms were found in an apartment, including a 9mm handgun, a .380 semiautomatic handgun and a .22-caliber rifle. The 9mm was allegedly stolen in June from Nick’s Shooting Range near Garyville.

Jones singled out 311 E. 13th St. as a prime example of the problems within St. John public housing, with five adults and five children living in a two-bedroom apartment, where only one adult and four children belonged. What was more, inside the apartment deputies discovered three guns, one of them stolen, and 12 rocks of crack cocaine.

“Public housing (the St. John Housing Authority) should have known of this long ago and addressed it,” Jones said.

Faith Farlough, a neighbor of the housing development, said she was gratified the raid took place.

“It certainly was necessary, if they’re serious about cleaning up a drug supermarket,” she said. “For the past two to three years, it’s been out of control. I’m surprised more people haven’t been killed.”