By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Narcotics investigators in St. John the Baptist Parish arrested a Reserve man Thursday who they say has been dealing illegal drugs from his East 26th Street home.

Acting on a court-executed search warrant, St. John Sheriff’s Office SWAT team members raided the home of Leejardain Hart, 26, in the 100 block of East 26th Street around 4:40 p.m. Thursday, said Capt. Dane Clement, a public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office. Clement said the raid was the culmination of a two-week long investigation into possible drug activity at that residence.

After a brief search of the home, detectives recovered about two pounds of marijuana along with drug paraphernalia and three firearms. Clement said the estimated street value of the marijuana is roughly $3,200. He said Hart was taken into custody without incident.

St. John Sheriff Wayne Jones said Friday that residents of the neighborhood provided a great deal of assistance to detectives throughout the course of the investigation through tips and eye-witness accounts of possible drug activity.

“This is a small neighborhood with some residents who have been there more than 30 years,” Jones said. “They seemed to be frustrated and fed up and were very appreciative of our actions.”

Jones said he has put additional deputies in the narcotics division and said the group is currently working about six other similar cases. He is confident more arrests will be forthcoming.

“The goal is to get these dealers to understand that it is not going to be as easy as it was to get back out on the street right away,” Jones said. “We are working to put people like Mr. Hart away for a long time.”

Hart was booked into the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility in LaPlace in charges of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, illegal possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled substance. Clement said Hart was also booked with one count of cruelty to animals after investigators found a dog at the home that appeared to be extremely neglected.

Hart is being held in lieu of a $62,250 bond.