Police and fire briefs for July 28, 2012

Police say woman abducted, raped

Police said they are looking for a man who kidnapped a woman at gunpoint from the Bone and Joint Clinic near Essen Lane on Friday afternoon, drove her to Iberville Parish and raped her.

The man approached the 22-year-old woman at 12:33 p.m. as she was getting out of her car and was about to walk into the Bone and Joint Clinic at 7301 Hennessy Blvd. for a checkup, Cpl. L’Jean McKneely said.

McKneely said the man, who was armed with a gun, forced the woman into a red, four-door Chevrolet Silverado pickup with tan leather interior, McKneely said.

The man then drove the woman to a wooded area in Iberville Parish and raped her, he said.

After the attack, the man dropped the woman off at a McDonald’s restaurant at 4215 Nicholson Drive, McKneely said. Police were notified and LSU sent out an alert to students, staff and faculty alerting them to the rape, he said.

The man was last seen traveling north on Nicholson, McKneely said.

He is described as white and in his 40s with gray hair, a scar on his neck, and bumps and freckles on his arms.

Anyone with information about this incident can contact the Sex Crimes Division at [phone] or Crime Stoppers at [phone].

Vacant grocery store destroyed by fire

Firefighters investigated a Friday morning blaze that destroyed a vacant grocery store on Scenic Highway, a Fire Department spokesman said.

Firefighters were called to 9086 Scenic at 9:11 a.m., Barry Mounce said. When they arrived, the back of the building was engulfed in flames, he said.

The fire destroyed the entire building, which appeared to have been vacant for years, Mounce said.

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire.

Anyone with information about the fire can contact the Fire Department at [phone].

Lightning sparks fire that destroys house

Lightning struck a home Friday, sparking a fire that caused $750,000 in damages, said a Fire Department spokesman.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at 222 West Woodgate Court about 2:30 p.m., after neighbors said they heard a “boom” then saw flames emerge from the house, Barry Mounce said.

The house was destroyed. None of the occupants were home at the time.

One firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion.

Authorities arrest 3 on suspicion of DWI

Authorities arrested at least three people suspected of driving while intoxicated in East Baton Rouge Parish and booked them into Parish Prison between 2:30 p.m. Thursday and 2:30 p.m. Friday, booking records show.

Those booked and the counts against them:

• Dionne Bolling, 41, 4419 Union Drive, first-offense DWI, improper lane usage and speeding.
• Danna Fussell, 24, 11276 Ida Ave., first-offense DWI, improper lane usage, speeding and reckless operation of a vehicle.
• Joan Sanders, 45, 1435 Jasper Ave., first-offense DWI, equipment violation and reckless operation of a vehicle.

Compiled from staff reports. To talk to a crime reporter at The Advocate, call [phone].