By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

HAHNVILLE – A St. Rose man was convicted of narcotics and weapons charges stemming from a February arrest in which drugs were found in a raid on his home, according to a release from the District Attorney’s Office.

In a one-day trial, a St. Charles Parish jury took 13 minutes to hand down a guilty verdict against Derrick Pierre, 28. Pierre was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm while possessing cocaine.

On Feb. 1, 2012, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on Pierre’s home in the 200 block of Second Street in St. Rose. According to a Sheriff’s Office report, moments before narcotics agents made entry into the home, Pierre threw a candy bottle with 40 individually wrapped rocks of cocaine out of the kitchen window. Once inside the home, police confiscated cocaine from Pierre’s pocket along with $842 in mixed denominations of cash. The police report also stated that deputies seized four digital scales and an additional $1,000 in cash from the house.

During the trial, the jury heard testimony from Evidence Custodian and Forensic Scientist Pamela Williams-Cyprian, an expert in the field of identification and analysis of controlled dangerous substances with the Jefferson Parish Crime Lab. Cyprian explained the lab tested all of the narcotics and determined them to be cocaine.

The court also heard testimony from St. Charles Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division Cpl. Rickie Marlowe, as well as narcotics division detectives involved in the raid.

Following conviction, St. Charles Parish Judge Lauren Lemmon remanded Pierre to the sheriff’s custody and ordered a pre-sentence investigation. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 13. The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine comes with a minimum sentence of 2 years in prison without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence and a maximum of 30 years at hard labor.

Pierre has a prior conviction for possession of cocaine and will face from 15 years to 60 years on a multiple bill charge. Pierre also faces 5 years to 10 years without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence on the firearm charge.