Ducre

Gillum

Ducre

Plummer

Smith

Thompson

Five eastern St. Tammany men and one Mississippi man have been arrested for dog fighting, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain announced today.

The Sheriff’s Office received a call about a suspected dog fight just before 11:00 PM on March 20^th.  Deputies responding to the address—60311 Short Ln, Slidell—found six males standing in front of the residence.  One of the men had blood on his hands.

An investigation led deputies to both physical and visual evidence of a recent dog fight.  A pen used for the fight was discovered in a wooded area near the residence and drops of blood were observed on a trail leading to the pen.  A wounded pit-bull terrier was also found outside the residence.

The six men were interviewed and all were subsequently arrested and booked with dog fighting.  Arrested were:

Willie Ducre (60311 Short Ln, Slidell – B/M – DOB: 10/30/1972)

Jamie Harris (60045 Javery Rd, Slidell – B/M – DOB: 12/5/1974)

Orlando Gillum (38175 Derogers Ln, Alton – B/M – DOB: 4/6/1972)

Anthony Thompson (37264 Powell Rd, Slidell – B/M – DOB: 1/14/1979)

Curtis Smith (39253 Red Rooster Rd, Pearl River – B/M – DOB: 9/19/1971)

George Plummer (2816 Dixie Dr, Picayune, MS – B/M – DOB: 2/5/1973)

Plummer was found to have a concealed weapon without proper permitting and was additionally booked with illegal carrying of a concealed weapon.

Ducre, Harris and Gillum were released on 3/21 on $10,000 bond.  Plummer was released on 3/22 on $10,750 bond.  Thompson was released on 3/22 on $10,000 bond.

While speaking with deputies, Ducre admitted to hosting the dog fight at his residence and claimed ownership of the wounded dog.

Animal Control was called to take custody of the wounded animal.

Dogfighting carries a fine of not less than one thousand dollars nor more than twenty-five thousand dollars and/ or imprisonment with or without hard labor for not less than one year nor more than ten years.

Deputies from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with several other law enforcement agencies, will conduct DWI checkpoints this weekend.  The checkpoints will be in St. Tammany Parish.

Funding for the checkpoint is provided through a cooperative partnership between the Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.

Sheriff Jack Strain has announced the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office Deputy of the Year for 2010.

Deputy Debra Vines is the recipient of the honor.  Dy. Vines began her career with Sheriff’s Office in February of 2005 and was initially assigned to the Corrections division.  In 2006, she attended the P.O.S.T. academy and entered the Field Training Program in August of that year.  During a two year period in criminal patrol, Dy. Vines was selected to become a Field Training Officer in addition to her responsibilities as a patrol deputy.

In 2008, Dy. Vines was transferred to the Investigations division, where she was assigned to persons-crimes.  After only three months, Dy. Vines was hand-picked to become a member of the Major Crimes Unit, where she was the lead investigator on numerous violent crimes cases, including a first degree murder investigation.

Because of her love for criminal patrol, Dy. Vines transferred back to that division in 2010 and remains there today.  She remains a highly respected Field Training Officer, helping to guide new patrol deputies through this challenging part of their training.

Dy. Vines also serves as an adjunct instructor at the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office P.O.S.T. Academy where she teaches report writing to new cadets.