In this week's crime beat, a thief was caught on camera trying to pawn a stolen smart phone, three Tulane kids were robbed Saturday afternoon, and a routine stop in Central City yielded two loaded guns.  

In November 2012, the latest round of elections put a number of politicians in office for another term or the first time. Now, as the start of the legislative session looms (April 8), NoDef is taking the time to look at the actual work these politicians are planning for this year -- what they hope to be the fruits of their labor. Once again, State Rep. Austin Badon (D-New Orleans) is proving himself to be in the weeds with HB 103, which sets to create more appropriate sentences for marijuana and cannabinoid offenses.

A man who slipped out of OPP in the fall is back behind bars after getting pinched for pot. Rubin Martin, 43, escaped the Orleans Parish Prison tents in October, 2012, but he was apparently still in town. On Thursday, NOPD First District officers - which cover Treme and Mid-City - arrested a man wth the name Lee Wise Martin on pot possession charges.

A stash of psychedelics that was hoarded at a Tulane frat house is now in the hands of authorities. State Police seized $10,000 worth of drugs from the Kappa Sigma fraternity house at 627 Broadway St. Friday after a pair of students from the Uptown university accepted a fresh shipment from the fuzz. Jules Staib and Wyatt Silverman, both 19 and Tulane students, were arrested after they accepted a package containing 107 grams of ecstasy (MDMA) from undercover state police officers.

It was less than a quick get away. The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrested a cab driver making a delivery of high-grade marijuana in Chalmette on Feb. 22 after he slammed into a sheriff’s vehicle, causing about $5,000 in damages to the law enforcement car.

The Honey Badger is off the LSU Football team, but there was still hope the man born Tyrann Mathieu could turn it around and enter the NFL Draft, or maybe even delight Death Valley again. If he could keep his nose clean, that is. The former Heisman Trophy finalist was once again busted for drugs. This time, it wasn't the fake stuff, and three other former LSU Tigers, including Jordan Jefferson, went down with him. The scene unraveled at Mathieu's campus-adjacent apartment Thursday afternoon.

Pot dealers should pay their fair share like everyone else, a state Senator told a committee last week. The Advocate reports that the state legislature got the whiff of marijuana law when Sen. Dan Claitor of Baton Rouge urged the hard-up state to start enforcing a tax on pot dealers. The tax, which was passed in the 1990s, requires dealers to buy stamps that can prevent their property from being seized if they get busted. Claitor, a former New Orleans prosecutor, said the state collected only about $500 on the tax in 2011.

One of this election year's local races has a bit of an independent streak.

by Shay Sokol

Narc agents busted a Michoud man yesterday for running a high-tech marijuana-growing business. 26-year-old Bill Vo was in possession of $175,000 worth of weed. His residence in the 1300 block of Dwyer Road in New Orleans East had been entirely converted for growing marijuana, an NOPD press release states. Agents seized more than 100 plants, 50 of which were full-grown and ready for a second harvest. 14 high-output lights kept the growing to 24 hours a day.

With the summer approaching, air conditioners were the hot item on the crime log this week, proving once again that thieves need to cool off, too. Another victim learned that leaving your trailer at a truck stop is risky business, especially when there's a red tractor around. Crescent City Crime Bits has the full lineup of lawlessness.