MANDEVILLE – Three men learned the hard way to leave their guns and drugs at home when they go to city hall to pay a bill.
Twenty-eight-year-old Adrian Singleton, 18-year-old Trevell Hill, and 18-year-old Monterrio Batiste went to Mandeville City Hall to pay a water bill on January 4.
The trio were sitting in a truck in the parking lot when two Mandeville Police Department officers happened to walk past.
The officers smelled a strong odor of marijuana wafting from the parked truck and immediately began an investigation.
That investigation took on a new meaning when the officers discovered a handgun tucked into Hill’s waistband and a second gun on the front seat of the truck, according to Mandeville Police Chief Gerald Sticker.
After placing all three under arrest, the officers recovered 22 grams of marijuana, 50 Xanax pills, $1,900 in cash, and a scale, in addition to the guns.
Singleton and Hill were booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail, and Batiste was released on summons.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to issue a PSA: the City of Mandeville offers the convenient option of paying your utility bills online,” Sticker said.
The online bill payment system will allow you to “save time, money and your stash,” according to Sticker.