Picayune Police officers arrested four suspects last week as the result of working two cases, one involving an attempted vehicle theft and the other due to the offense of conspiring to sell a controlled substance.
Officers were dispatched to the 1100 block of East Canal Street at 6:45 a.m. on Aug. 24 in relation to an attempted vehicle theft. Officers were advised that a male subject was seen attempting to steal two vehicles before fleeing on foot near South Abrams Street, Assistant Chief Jeremy Magri said.
When officers arrived to the area, they were flagged down by the victims, who stated the suspect fled into a wooded area near South Abrams Street.
Further investigation determined the victims were sitting on their back porch when the suspect approached the property and attempted to enter their 2014 Kia. The victims yelled at the suspect to go away, at which time he ran to a 2005 white Jeep and entered it in an attempt to flee, Magri said.
The victims continued to yell at the suspect until he exited the vehicle and fled on foot.
While speaking with the victims, the officer saw the suspect, later identified as Joshua Nichols, 37, of 5054 Woodmere Street, Mobile, Alabama, exit the wooded area and walk toward Warren Street. The victims confirmed the suspect’s identity and officers pursued him on foot, taking Nichols into custody without incident, Magri said.
Officers believed Nichols to be under the influence of an intoxicating beverage and arrested him for felony theft of a motor vehicle and public drunk, Magri said.
In a separate incident later that day, narcotics detectives patrolling Jackson Landing Road observed a silver Chevrolet Silverado heading west on Jackson Landing Road with a broken windshield. As detectives conducted a traffic stop on South Beech Street for improper equipment, they saw the driver hand the passenger a clear plastic bag, a departmental release states.
The driver, Joshua Joe Broom, 44, of 201 Airport Road, the front passenger, Desiree Rachel Kennedy, 27, of 165 Shorty Burgess Road, and the rear passenger, Kent Leroy Smith, 35, of 162 Bluebird Lane, were asked to exit the vehicle before it was searched, the release states.
Inside, detectives found a glass pipe, commonly used to inhale crystal methamphetamine, containing a white burnt residue believed to be methamphetamine underneath the front seat, according to the release.
Dispatch confirmed Broom did not have a valid driver’s license or insurance. Detectives also recovered two plastic bags containing a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine from Kennedy’s person, the release states. Further investigation determined the narcotic was intended for sale, the release states.
Broom was arrested for conspiracy to sell a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a school or church, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute within 1,500 feet of a school or church, transfer of a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a school or church, possession of paraphernalia, no driver’s license, no insurance and improper equipment, according to the release.
Kennedy was arrested for conspiracy to sell a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a school or church and felony possession of a controlled substance. Smith was arrested for conspiracy to sell a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a school or church, according to the release.