Drive-by arrests bring total arrest count to six subjects

By BEN LUNDIN

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE- The St. John Sheriff’s Office made two arrests last week in connection with a drive-by shooting incident involving several men on the 200 block of East 13th St. in Reserve, bringing the total number of arrests to six.

St. John police arrested Kevin Ferrygood, 18, of 368 S. Fig St. in Garyville, with a $75,300 bond for two charges of contempt of court, aggravated battery, assault by drive-by shooting, aggravated assault with a firearm and aggravated criminal damage to property. John Miller, 30, of 1113 N. Sugar Ridge Dr. in LaPlace, was booked with a $150,000 bond for assault by drive-by shooting, aggravated criminal damage to property and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The four previous arrests from the stand-off, which left one man injured, include Ken Bardell, 25, of 183 S. Church St. in Garyville, Owen Barney, 25, of 117 Sherman Walker St. in Garyville, Roderick Joseph, 25, of 284 E. 24th St. in Reserve and Lionel Turner Jr., 24, of 128 E. 14th St. in Reserve.

Witnesses report that on the night of Feb. 19th, two groups of males gathered in two different vehicles in the street and exchanged words before an altercation broke out. Gunshots allegedly rang throughout the night sky, one catching a man involved in the event on the left shoulder, before the groups fled the area.

Minutes after the incident police discovered Joseph and Turner Jr. hiding in a residence at 272 E. 14th St. without the consent of the owner, and arrested the men for unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling. Police tracked down Barney and Bardell a short time later and booked both men for assault by drive-by shooting and aggravated criminal damage to property. The St. Charles Sheriff’s Office also charged Bardell with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

A vehicle and a home were each struck with a bullet during the incident.

The man who suffered a gunshot wound reportedly drove himself to River Parishes Hospital for treatment, according to the St. John Sheriff’s Office.

One of the weapons used in the altercation was stolen from New Orleans, but police could not pinpoint the gun’s owner and have not charged anyone with possession of a stolen firearm.

Joseph and Turner Jr. posted bond and were released from jail, while Barney, Bardell, Ferrygood and Miller remain imprisoned.

The case is still under investigation and more arrests may come.