Sheriff responds to recent allegations that Ormond is not patrolled

"Officers are present in the area," says Sheriff Greg Champagne.

The Ormond area has been the victim of at least three strings of over night vandalism that resulted in criminal damage to several vehicles and mailboxes throughout the subdivision. As residents remain concerned about the incidents, Sheriff Greg Champagne is speaking out against allegations that the area is not being patrolled by deputies. And residents are echoing his sentiments saying the area has police presence.

"We have had three separate spurts of vandalism that happened very early in the morning when tires have been punctured, windows shattered by bricks and mailboxes knocked down by what we believe are a very small number of teens in the Ormond area," said the Sheriff.

"Since that time, we have added extra patrols in Ormond, both marked and unmarked. Detectives from our juvenile division have gone in the wee hours of the morning in unmarked cars, attempting observe who is riding around at night doing various things." The Sheriff's Office is hoping that a witness or someone with information will come forward and provide the information they need to proceed further with the investigation.

"It is very difficult to catch this type of occurrence in the act. It only takes a matter of minutes to throw a brick into someone's windshield. We will end up solving this matter from an anonymous tip or witness. We have resource officers in the schools asking questions and prodding around for information," said the Sheriff.

When asked about police patrols in the parish, Sheriff Champagne says his officers are working in beats, spread out across the parish. "Each area gets equal attention, and when there is an incident, officers can be in the area in a matter of minutes," said the Sheriff. "My message to the citizens is this: stay vigilant, keep a close eye out and if you see anything suspicious, call 911 immediately. We are going to solve this case with a tip."