By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s deputies arrested a LaPlace man Tuesday in a crackdown on what police describe as &#8220aggressive panhandling and begging.”

Joe Ferrell, 52, was taken into custody and booked with vagrancy after police received complaints that Ferrell was demanding and intimidating people into giving him money at the RaceTrac gas station in the 200 block of Airline Highway, said St. John Sheriff’s Spokesperson Maj. Mike Tregre.

Tregre said Ferrell asked gas station customers for change while talking about voices inside his head. He said Ferrell touched customers and made them uncomfortable as he begged for money.

Tregre said this is the second time in less than a week that Ferrell, who was booked into the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility, was picked up for charges of vagrancy. He said arresting officers recognized Ferrell as the same individual who had been previously warned and arrested Sept. 21 for loafing in the streets and panhandling around business in Cambridge Corner. Upon his arrest, Tregre said it was discovered that Ferrell has a lengthy rap sheet consisting of various robbery and battery charges stretching back to 1973.

Tregre said the St. John Sheriff’s Office has gotten numerous complaints from citizens regarding aggressive panhandlers in the past few days. He said his office is actively investigating other vagrants operating in the same aggressive manner as Ferrell. He is asking citizens who are approached in this manner to call 911, or the Sheriff’s Office at 985-652-0914, to report the incident.