Authorities claimed a former Louisiana police officer was detained after three youngsters discovered a package of guns and loaded magazines that were later connected to him.
Benjamin Zeringue, a former Baton Rouge Police Department officer, surrendered to police on Monday and is accused of discarding the firearms into a garbage pile. He was arrested on three charges of misconduct in office, tampering with public documents, and theft of guns.
Louisiana Children Found Loaded Guns in Trash
On April 16, the youngsters discovered three semi-automatic guns with full 30-round magazines. They handed the pistols over to a parent, who called the cops. The guns were traced back to traffic stops, and Zeringue fraudulently reported that they had been put in evidence.
According to Fox News, the firearms were collected during three different stops in April 2018, May 2018, and February 2019. Authorities claimed Zeringue gave in a tiny amount of marijuana from one of the stops but never turned in the pistol recovered.
Zeringue had previously been engaged in cases where evidence was not properly booked, according to Baton Rouge Police Deputy Chief Myron Daniels. According to officials, Zeringue worked as a uniformed patrol officer with the police department from November 2016 until June 2020.
Zeringue worked for the West Feliciana Sheriff's Office before joining the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, where he served from December 2021 to April 2022, according to the news site.
Zeringue has faced internal affairs inquiries into many earlier incidents of alleged evidence tampering as a member of the department's uniform patrol section, according to Daniels. He declined to provide any specifics, but claimed Zeringue resigned after learning he might face additional sanctions, according to WWLTV.
Meanwhile, La Crosse police confiscated almost 100 pounds of cocaine, five firearms, and thousands of dollars in a drug sweep Monday. Officers arrested 26-year-old Jade Deeny at 627 Powell Street Monday as part of an ongoing drug investigation, according to police. Several search warrants led investigators to a storage facility registered in Deeny's name.
According to the announcement, authorities uncovered what seemed to be a "pill-press laboratory" with materials to create Xanax, as well as hundreds of USPS boxes. The street value of the narcotics recovered by police is estimated to be $1,027,000.
Deeny previously served time in a North Carolina jail for drug and firearms offenses. He's a convicted criminal. Deeny is charged with 18 charges total, including two counts of maintaining a narcotics trafficking location.
Deeny is now being held in jail on a $1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court on June 10. Tom Tooke, who lives on Powell Street, not far from where the narcotics raid occurred, is concerned. Lieutenant Linnea Mill of the La Crosse Police Department, as per News8000.
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Louisiana Aims To Prevent Abusers From Owning Firearms
When it comes to domestic violence deaths, Louisiana ranks sixth in the US, but a new initiative might alter that. The statistics are startling since a firearm is used to kill 66 percent of domestic violence victims in Louisiana. According to the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, this is greater than the national average.
Louisiana has enacted legislation to safeguard victims who are subjected to violence by a loved one. Abusers who have a restraining order or are currently facing domestic charges have three days to surrender their guns to law authorities.
Melanie Fields, the top prosecutor for East Baton Rouge domestic violence cases, said the DA's office works with other agencies to undertake "Knocks and Talks," which involves checking on abusers and ensuring sure they don't have a gun, Baton Rouge WAFB via MSN reported. If you know an abuser who has a firearm, the best thing you can do is call the police. You can also contact an advocacy organization:
Capital Area Family Justice Center: (225) 239-7880
The Butterfly Society: (225) 347-7725
Iris Domestic Violence Center: (225) 389-3001
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