Police and fire briefs for May 3, 2012

Lightning blamed as
cause of 2 house fires

Lightning struck two houses Wednesday afternoon as thunderstorms passed through East Baton Rouge Parish, setting both houses on fire.

A St. George firefighter suffered a knee injury while responding to a house fire at 17714 Twin Ridge Ave., at about 5:30 p.m., said Eldon Ledoux, spokesman for St. George Fire Protection District.

The firefighter was transported to a local hospital for treatment, Ledoux said.

Lightning struck the chimney of another house at 7110 Frontier Drive, causing about $70,000 worth of damages, said Derek Glover, spokesman for the Central Fire Department.

BR man, 20, arrested
in robbery, rape case

A 20-year-old man accused of forcing his way into a home with two others and robbing the residents at gunpoint was arrested Tuesday, according to an arrest warrant.

Bobbel Isaac, 1942 Terrace St., was booked with armed robbery and principal to attempted aggravated rape by East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies, parish jail records show.

Issac is accused of breaking into a home in the 200 block of Polk Street in January. While he was searching the home, one of the other robbers attacked one of the female victims and tried to rape her, the warrant says.

The victim pulled a cloth off the rapist’s face, causing him to stop the attack, the warrant says. The three men then ran away from the home, taking stolen items, the warrant says.

Man, 55, booked
with rape of girls, 5, 7

Police arrested a 55-year-old man Wednesday accused of raping two young girls on Feb. 22, according to an affidavit warrant.

Paul Louis is accused of raping the girls, 5 and 7 years old, at their home on Cadillac Street, the warrant says.

Louis, 1588 Swan Ave., was booked into Parish Prison on two counts of aggravated rape.

Suspect sought
in holdup of store

Police are looking for a man who robbed a Cracker Barrel convenience store on Nicholson Drive on Saturday.

The man walked into the store on 4245 Nicholson Drive with a handgun and demanded money, Cpl. Tommy Stubbs said in a news release.

The man took an undisclosed amount of money and fled the scene, Stubbs said.

The suspect is described as a black male, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall, weighing 300 to 350 pounds, wearing a white-hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, a black Pittsburgh Pirates fitted baseball cap and black framed eyeglasses.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the department’s Armed Robbery Division at (225) 389-3845 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.

Crash victim first
was shot, police say

A man crashed his car into an Oriole Street house Wednesday morning after he was shot several times, police said.

Officers responded to a 4:21 a.m. report of shots fired and a vehicle hitting a home at 1351 Oriole St., in Scotlandville, Capt. Joan Cage said in a news release. When police arrived, they found a white vehicle partially inside the house and the 25-year-old male driver shot multiple times, the release says.

Police believe the man was shot while in his car, which caused him to crash into the house, said Cpl. Tommy Stubbs, a police spokesman.

The man was taken to a hospital where he remained in critical condition as of Tuesday evening, Stubbs said.

Police did not know the motive for the shooting and are still investigating the incident, the release says.

Man arrested after fight victim dies

Tips from the community led to the arrest Wednesday of a 54-year-old man accused of fatally injuring another man during a fight Friday night, a police spokesman said.

Willie Byrd Jr., 3255 Linden St., was booked into Parish Prison on counts of second-degree murder, said Cpl. Tommy Stubbs.

Autopsy results showed Armando Rodriguez Jr., 47, 9901 Gwenadele Ave., died Sunday from internal injuries he received during the fight, Stubbs said. On Friday night, officers found Rodriguez standing in the 2900 block of Winnebago Street. He told them he had been injured in a fight.

Police did not believe Rodriguez’s injuries were life-threatening when they questioned him, but he was taken to a hospital for treatment, Stubbs said.

1 booked with DWI
in EBR Parish Prison

Authorities arrested at least one man suspected of driving while intoxicated in East Baton Rouge Parish and booked him into Parish Prison between 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, records show.

Tyler Baronet, 26, 37521 Southwood Village Ave., Prairieville, was booked on one count each of first-offense DWI, failure to signal and improper turns.

Compiled from staff reports