October 2022
Oct03
Teen Arrested After Telling Classmate He Planned to ‘Blow the School Up’
A Mandeville-area boy has been arrested on a Menacing charge after admitting he told another student Monday (October 3) morning that he planned to blow up his school. St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies were investigating rumors a 14-year-old Monteleone Junior High student had made threats to “shoot up” his school when the student in question admitted he had told another student he was going to “blow the school up.” The…
Oct05
Missing Lacombe Man Found Deceased
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office has recovered the body of a missing Lacombe man following an exhaustive search. Around midday Wednesday (October 5), deputies with the STPSO Operations Division located Christopher “Turk” Batiste, deceased, deep in the woods near Barringer Road. The body was turned over to the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office for a determination of cause and manner of death. However, foul play is not suspected. Batiste,…
Oct06
Lee Road Student Arrested for Menacing
A Lee Road-area girl was arrested Thursday (October 6) on a misdemeanor menacing charge after telling classmates she was going to bring a gun to school and shoot another classmate. Deputies with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office became aware of the incident after a parent of one of the classmates contacted school administrators. The 10-year-old Lee Road Junior High student was issued a summons for L.R.S. 40:1B Menacing (misdemeanor).…
Oct07
Unidentified Man Arrested After Caught Burglarizing Local Business
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies have arrested an unidentified man who was caught in the act while burglarizing a Mandeville-area business. Shortly before 4:30 a.m. Friday (October 7) morning, STPSO deputies were dispatched to a business in the 4900 block of Louisiana Highway 22 near Mandeville in reference to a burglary in progress. When deputies arrived, they observed a man inside the business using power tools in an attempt to…
Oct07
Victim Identified in St. Tammany Cold Case
In working with their partners with the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office DNA Lab and the DNA Doe Project, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s detectives have positively identified the victim in a 2016 homicide investigation. In July 2016, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office was notified by a passerby of a badly decomposed body, which was found on Highway 90, just east of the intersection of Highway 433. Both of the…
Oct15
STPSO Investigating Fatal Crash
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal crash which occurred Saturday (October 15) evening near Folsom. Shortly before 4:45 p.m. Saturday, a man driving a Utility Terrain Vehicles (side-by-side) was struck by a 2500 Dodge pickup truck on Willie Road (formerly Hwy 1077) near the intersection of Richards Road. The preliminary investigation into the crash indicates the driver of the UTV was attempting to make a U-turn when…
Oct17
Arrest Made Following Slidell-area Home Invasion
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Slidell man after he barged into a neighbor’s residence while armed with a knife. At approximately 4 a.m. Monday (October 17) STPSO deputies were dispatched to a residence in the 1000 block of Clarise Court near Slidell in reference to a home invasion. Responding deputies learned John Holland (DOB 10/16/76) had arrived at the residence and when one of the residents…
Oct18
STPSO Investigating Apparent Murder/Suicide
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating an apparent murder/suicide which occurred Tuesday (October 18) morning at a residence in the 700 block of Lane Street near Mandeville. At approximately 8:30 am. Tuesday, a woman called 911 and told an STPSO dispatcher she had just shot her daughter and that she was going to shoot herself. The dispatcher then heard what appeared to be a gunshot. Deputies were dispatched…
Oct20
Court of Appeals Upholds Ruling in Favor of STPSO
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith is pleased after the Court of Appeal upheld a lower court’s ruling in favor of the agency in regard to a lawsuit filed by a former employee. Calvin Lewis, a former captain with the agency, was terminated in May 2017 following an internal affairs investigation which confirmed he had violated agency policy. In May 2018, Lewis filed suit against Sheriff Smith and the St. Tammany…
Oct21
STPSO Awarded Highway Safety Grant
As an ongoing commitment to keeping our roadways safe in St. Tammany Parish, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a $178,750 grant by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission for the 2023 fiscal year. The money will be used throughout the year to fund extra patrols to enforce seat belt, speeding and DWI laws and to conduct operations aimed at preventing underage drinking. “Our goal is to raise…
Oct25
Former St. Tammany Priest Arrested Again
A former priest has been arrested on an additional charge for molestation after a second victim came forward in St. Tammany Parish. Recall in October 2020, Patrick Wattigny was arrested on molestation charges after it was learned he had sexually abused a minor in 2013 while serving as pastor of a Slidell-area church. In August 2022, a second victim contacted the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and disclosed sexual abuse…
Oct26
Court Rules in Favor of Sheriff Smith in ‘Whistleblower’ Lawsuit
Sheriff Randy Smith is pleased to learn the “whistleblower” lawsuit filed by former Chief Deputy Fred Oswald has been dismissed. Sheriff Smith was informed Tuesday (October 25) afternoon of the District Court’s favorable ruling. The court issued its reasons for judgment, in which it went through the myriad of factual allegations made by Oswald, ultimately rejecting all of them. The court further determined that despite Oswald’s allegations, there were no…
Oct27
STPSO Participating in DEA Drug Take Back Day
This Saturday, October 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office will participate in a one-day collaborative effort with the Drug Enforcement Administration to remove unused and expired medications from homes and medicine cabinets. Bring your unused prescription drugs for disposal to the STPSO Administrative Building, 300 Brownswitch Road, in Slidell or the STPSO Law Enforcement Complex at 2070 Collins Blvd., in Covington. Tablets, capsules,…
Oct30
STPSO Investigating Shooting Incident
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a shooting incident that occurred in the Tammany Hills area near Covington. Shortly before noon Sunday (October 30) STPSO deputies were dispatched to the intersection of Quincy Avenue and 9th Street in reference to an altercation, which involved a shooting. One victim was transported to a local hospital with what appears to be non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators are still on the scene…