Traffic stop leads to drug bust– and missing girl from Gretna

All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

ARABI, La. (WGNO) — The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office has made two arrests after a traffic stop in Arabi on Friday (Jan. 27).

Deputies say they tried to make a traffic stop, after seeing a speeding car near Angela Street.

They say the driver, Robert Taylor of New Orleans, initially ignored their commands to stop until reaching the 7500 block of Patricia Street.

Deputies say when they approached the car, they noticed a strong marijuana smell, and they recovered drugs and a gun.

They also found a 14-year old girl, whom they say was “hiding under blankets” in the front seat. The girl refused to give her name and resisted arrest. Later, deputies learned that she had been listed as missing from her home in Gretna.

Through further investigation, deputies recovered the following:

• two small bags and one larger bag containing a combined weight of 13.65 grams of cocaine and fentanyl
• seven small bags and one large bag containing a combined approximate weight of 9.46 grams of crack cocaine and fentanyl
• 23 tablets of MDMA Ecstasy and fentanyl, 23 packages of Suboxone
• one bottle of liquid Promethezine
• 20 capsules of Acetaminophen and Oxycodone
• four tablets of Alprazolam
• five tablets of Tramadol and Hydrochloride
• three tablets of Tramadol,
• approximately 128.66 grams of marijuana, one digital scale, one grinder and rolling papers. 
• a Taurus G2C .9mm handgun

A criminal history check was conducted on Taylor revealing an active warrant out of Jefferson Parish for battery, is a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal record and is on active parole for various narcotics and weapons charges in New Orleans.

Taylor, 46, was booked on the following chargers:

• Illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
• Illegal possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substances
• Possession with intent to distribute cocaine
• Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine
• Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl
• Possession with intent to distribute MDMA Ecstasy
• Possession with with intent to distribute Suboxone
• Possession with intent to distribute marijuana
• Possession of a Legend Drug without a prescription
• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Illegal possession of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a juvenile,
• Contributing to the delinquency of a minor
• Reckless operation.

The 14-year-old girl was booked on attempted simple escape, simple escape, resisting an officer by force or violence and refusal to identify. 

There are no updates at this time. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident, or any other crime committed in St. Bernard Parish is asked to call the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501, the Criminal Investigations Bureau’s tip hotline at (504) 271-TIPS or 8477, or Crimestoppers GNO at (504) 822-1111.