By Jeremy Pittari, Item Staff Writer
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE —
Picayune Police officers investigated a domestic dispute that turned into a simple assault on an officer along with several drug related cases.
The assault on a police officer occurred on Jan. 13, when officers were responding to a domestic dispute at the home of 28-year-old Elizabeth Wallace at 119 Rowland St., said Assistant to the Chief of Police Jeremy Magri.
When the officer arrived at the home, he came into contact with the complainant and Wallace, who was visibly intoxicated, Magri said. As the officer attempted to get the complainant’s side of the story Wallace interrupted several times, prompting the officer to ask her to be quiet and sit down, Magri said. Still, Wallace continued to interrupt the complainant and the officer demanding the officer hear her side of the story first, at which point the officer again asked her to sit down and be quiet, Magri said.
Wallace became agitated and cursed at the officer using vulgar language, leading the officer to place her under arrest for disorderly conduct, Magri said. As the officer placed her under arrest, Magri said, she turned to the officer spat in his face and continued her verbal assault on the officer. Magri said as the officer continued to place Wallace under arrest, she attempted to strike him in the head with her elbow.
Cuffs were placed on Wallace and as the officer attempted to put her in the back of the patrol vehicle, she head-butted him in the chest, Magri said. Then, as the officer put her in the back seat, she kicked him in the chest, Magri said.
Wallace was additionally charged with public drunk and simple assault on an officer, Magri said.
In another case on Sunday, an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for speeding, Magri said. He said the driver of the vehicle, 49-year-old Stephen Moody of 1110 Palestine Rd., was found to be without a valid driver’s license due to failure to pay child support, leading Moody to be asked to get out of the vehicle, Magri said. A pat down of Moody was conducted for the officer’s safety.
During the pat down, Magri said the officer noticed a small, metal pill container attached to Moody’s key ring. Magri said when the officer asked what was in the pill container Moody said, “Don’t open that, there’s something bad in there.”
The officer asked what was in the container, and Moody replied “Crack, please just throw it away,” Magri read from the report. When the officer looked inside the container, two rock like substances were found inside that are believed to be crack cocaine, Magri said.
Moody was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and cited for driving while license suspended and speeding, Magri said.
On Wednesday, an officer on patrol near Sherd and Quarter streets noticed a vehicle run a stop sign, prompting the officer to turn around to conduct a traffic stop, Magri said. The officer noticed a man get out of the back seat of the vehicle during the stop and attempt to walk away, Magri said. The man was later identified as 25-year-old Christian Cooper of 620 Richard St., Magri said. The officer instructed Cooper to stop and while speaking with the driver of the vehicle another officer on scene noticed Cooper take several items out of his pockets and kick them under the vehicle, Magri said.
The items were recovered from under the vehicle, Magri said, and they turned out to be a bag with a number of small wrapped portions of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana, apparently packed up for resale. A search of Cooper’s person found $695 in cash, which was confiscated along with the drugs since it appeared the cash was acquired through the illegal sale of drugs, Magri said.
Cooper was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute within 1,500 feet of a school or church, Magri said.
