St. Tammany News

Friday night was a busy night for Slidell police undercover officers as they set up two sting operations for prostitution and illegal drug sales that resulted in seven arrests.

In the first operation, aimed at prostitution, undercover officers called up alleged local prostitutes they found on various Web sites on the Internet and arranged for appointments at a local hotel. Police spokesman, Capt. Kevin Foltz said the hotel cooperated with the police and agreed to let them have a room. The sting netted two alleged prostitutes. The police were surprised when one of the suspects turned out to be a man. According to Foltz, police thought they had made an appointment with a woman named Tracy. When "Tracy" appeared at the hotel room at 1:30 p.m. Friday, it was really a man named Lester Barrilleaux, 26, 24130 Charles Drive, Plaquemine.

"He was wearing a spaghetti strap blouse, miniskirt and a blonde wig," Foltz said.

Barrilleaux allegedly agreed to perform oral sex for money and was arrested on a charge of prostitution.

Two hours later, police arrested Dominique S. Johnson, 22, 41 W. Park Place, Thibodeaux for prostitution after she agreed to have sex with an undercover officer for $160.

Both Barrilleaux and Johnson were booked and released on $669 cash bond each, said Foltz.

Foltz said officers had made four other appointments with alleged prostitutes but had to abandon the operation to help fellow officers after a man robbed the St. Tammany Savings and Loan around 4 p.m. However, Foltz said the detectives would set up the sting operation again in the near future.

Later that evening, narcotics detectives set up a sting to target people that wanted to buy illegal drugs.

Undercover officers started at 8 p.m. hanging around the Deluxe Motel on Gause Boulevard, offering illegal drugs for sale. Foltz said the motel is known by local law enforcement as a site for illegal narcotic sales.

The first arrest happened a bit after 8 p.m., when officers approached Wesley D. Alfonso, 24, of Lacombe, and Alaina L. Estaves, 26, of Slidell. The two asked the undercover cops if they knew where drugs could be obtained. The police officers offered to sell the two fake MDMA, or ecstasy, and Oxycontin, a painkiller.

The two subjects agreed to a price and were arrested on a charge of attempted possession of MDMA and Oxycontin. Alfonso was also charged with resisting arrest.

Around 9:30 p.m., James E. Clarke, 35, of Chandler, Ind., approached the fake drug dealers looking for marijuana. The officers offered to sell him one hand-rolled cigarette of fake marijuana.

Clarke agreed to buy it and was arrested on a charge of attempted possession of marijuana.

Police made two more arrests that evening. Abraham Thomas, 38, of Winston-Salem, N.C. was arrested on a charge of attempted possession of crack cocaine, and Richard N. Poalson, 39, of Barberton, Ohio, was arrested for attempted possession of marijuana, and Oxycontin.

Alfonso was transferred to the St. Tammany Parish Jail and bond was set at $30,250. Estaves is also at the parish jail under a $30,000 bond. Clarke was booked and released on a $819 cash bond. Thomas and Poalson, are still in the parish jail under $5,000 and $5,750 bonds, respectively.

Foltz asks anyone with information on illegal drug sales to contact the Slidell Police Narcotics Hotline at 649-0640.

Callers do not have to give their name.