Police and Fire Briefs for Oct. 3, 2012
Man with van sought in woman’s rape
Detectives are investigating the Monday afternoon kidnapping of a woman who was forced into a van, driven to the woods and raped, according to a Baton Rouge Police Department news release.
The 20-year-old woman told police she was approached by a man in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the area of Brightside Drive and Nicholson Drive around 2 p.m., Police Lt. Don Kelly said in the release. She said the man put an object to her back that she believed to be a gun and took her to a nearby parked van, forcing her inside.
The woman said the man drove her to a nearby wooded area, raped her, then drove her back to the apartment complex and let her out, Kelly said.
The woman described the man as white, age 30 to 35, of average height and weight, with bushy hair and a brown mustache. He was driving a white work van and wearing a blue work jumpsuit and a baseball cap, Kelly said.
Anyone with any information on the reported kidnapping and rape is urged to contact the Sex Crimes Division at (225) 389-3853 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.
4 EBR employees booked in gas theft
Baton Rouge police arrested four East Baton Rouge Parish Department of Public Works employees Tuesday accused of stealing gasoline from city-parish fueling stations while refueling city-parish vehicles, according to a news release from Mayor-President Kip Holden’s office.
Ensley Joseph, Rodney Maxwell, Joyce Gatlin and Lawrence Smith will be terminated, the release says.
Joseph was booked on counts of theft and public payroll fraud, and Gatlin and Smith were booked on counts of theft, parish prison booking records show. Maxwell’s name did not appear on the latest booking records available Tuesday.
A warrant for Joseph’s arrest says he stole about $890 in gas. The arrest warrants for Gatlin and Smith accuse them of stealing a combined $563 worth of fuel. A warrant for Maxwell’s arrest was not immediately available Tuesday.
Joseph first came under scrutiny several months ago when he was observed filling up a five-gallon gas can several times as he fueled his DPW truck, the release from the Mayor’s Office says.
Joseph told DPW officials his vehicle was getting low gas mileage, so DPW switched out his truck for another with acceptable gas mileage, the release says. Joseph continued to fill the extra containers after the swap, the release says.
Police eventually installed a GPS device on Joseph’s truck to track his movement, and also discovered Joseph was not working some of the time he claimed on his time sheets, the release says. Additional examinations turned up similar problems with Smith, Maxwell and Gatlin, the release says.
Man, 18, accused of shooting at two men
East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested a 23-year-old man Tuesday accused of shooting at two men on Jean Street during an argument in September 2011, according to an arrest warrant.
Two men were fighting Sept. 27, 2011, at 5100 Jean St. when Joshua Weeks pulled out a gun and shot at them, hitting one of the men multiple times in the upper torso, the warrant says.
The other man, who was not hit, told police he thought Weeks was aiming for him, the warrant says. The other man said Weeks dates his sister.
Weeks, 5123 Jean St., was booked on one count each of attempted first-degree murder, illegal use of a weapon and fugitive from justice.
Weeks was booked by deputies on a warrant from city police, booking records show.
Suspect, 18, arrested in shooting at people
A man accused of firing a gun multiple times at two people on Tennessee Street in June has been arrested, according to an affidavit warrant.
Deandre Nixon, 18, 446 E. Buchanan St., was booked Monday by East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies on one count each of attempted first-degree murder, illegal use of a weapon and simple criminal damage to property, parish prison records show.
The shootings occurred on June 23 at 1976 Tennessee St., the warrant says.
Nixon is accused of pointing a gun at two victims and firing at them four times in an attempt to kill them, the warrant says.
Nixon then got into a vehicle and fired his gun at the victims five more times, missing them but striking one of the victim’s vehicles, the warrant says.
No one was injured.
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. Monday and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, booking records show.
Those booked and the counts against them:
- Jordan Boudle, 18, 23892 Rosemont Ave., Denham Springs, first-offense DWI, driving left of center, improper turns and reckless operation of a vehicle.
- Feltus Delone, 40, 5566 St. Gerard Ave., Baton Rouge, first-offense DWI, driver’s license suspended or revoked and failure to maintain
control. - Daniel Doolittle, 23, 17033 W. Hunters Trace, Prairieville, first-offense DWI, no passing zone and failure to maintain control.
Compiled from staff reports. To talk to a crime reporter at The Advocate, call (225) 388-0369.