Sheriff Greg Champagne urged residents to be on guard after two armed robberies occurred in Destrehan and New Sarpy on the evening of July 11. “There have been three armed robberies of individuals in this general area in the past two months,” Champagne told the Herald-Guide.
“We can’t determine if the robberies are connected, but we are certainly not ruling out that possibility,” he continued.
“In the most recent two cases, both incidents occurred in locations a fairly short distance apart, it is unusual to have two armed robberies of this type in the same general area only a few hours apart.”
The first robbery occurred at 5:18 p.m. Two teenagers, ages 17 and 16 were doing plumbing work on a house that was under construction on Vans Lane in New Sarpy when a black male pointed a gun at the 17-year-old and demanded money.
“I gave him all I had which was $300,” the teen told the Herald-Guide.
“My boss gave me the money in case we needed supplies while we were working,” he continued.
“I was working on the house and I was crawling from underneath it when the guy pointed a gun in my face and demanded I give him money.”
According to the police report, the teen described the robber as a black male about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 175 pounds. He was wearing a white shirt, black pants and had a white t-shirt wrapped around his face that just revealed his eyes.
His 16-year-old co-worker was on the other side of the house and didn’t see the robbery but he did hear a voice saying ‘empty your pockets.’
The second robbery occurred four hours later at 9 p.m. Barbara Lintinger, was opening her door on Ormond Meadows drive in Destrehan when a black male approached her.
“He pointed a gun at me and asked me for my purse and I started screaming,” she told the Herald-Guide.
Lintinger, who works as a Jazz Festival consultant, said she has a roommate who was home at the time of the incident but he never heard her screaming.
Skip Wright, a retired Jefferson Parish homicide detective, who lives about 10 houses down heard Lintinger’s scream, and came to rescue her.
“When I heard the lady screaming I saw the suspect and I took off running after him, but he ran around the corner and I couldn’t see him anymore, so I went back to help Ms. Lintinger,” Wright said.
“I don’t really know him, but he came to rescue me and I’m so grateful to him for saving my life,” she continued.
Lintinger screamed so hard that she lost her voice and still can only speak in a whisper, “I was so scared.”
Wright, said he sees an alarming trend in St. Charles Parish.
“I was a homicide detective in Jefferson parish for 26 years and I used to live there,” he said.
“I moved to St. Charles Parish after I retired about three months ago because this parish has a reputation for being a quiet community.
“With all of the sudden robberies and other crimes, I’m seeing a quiet parish turn violent, just like what happened in Jefferson.”
Lintinger said she’s lived in Destrehan since 1982 and never expected to be robbed just a few feet away from on her own front door.
“I gave him my purse and I took off running into my house,” she said.
“I lost my voice I screamed so loud.”
An eyewitness told the detectives investigating the case that she observed two black males at the end of Ormond Meadows.
“I noticed the subjects particularly because my dogs growled at them.”
Champagne said that despite an increase of 20 percent in the number of residents living in the parish, crime has been reduced by 18 percent.
“We are patrolling these areas, but we don’t see an alarming trend in what’s taking place,” Champagne said.
“Our deputies are committed and do an outstanding job of safely securing the parish for all a residents.”
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