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Chester Pritchett

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Smilin' Acres: The Angry Victim
Chester Pritchett  More Info

Exit 28: The Case of the Hooded Shooter
Chester Pritchett  More Info

About Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office

According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, “The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office Criminal Patrol Deputies are the most highly visible team within the Tangipahoa Sheriff's Office. These law enforcement deputies are responsible for responding to over 45,000 calls a year to handle nuisance complaints, domestic violence cases, armed robberies and homicides. These Deputies are also proactive in patrolling the residential areas throughout our parish. TPSO Criminal Patrol Deputies additionally respond to automobile accidents and traffic incidents.

Because of their presence on our interstates and roadways, many of the parish's drug arrests are the result of our Criminal Deputies who have been trained on how to detect signs of drug presence and abuse. In addition, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office Criminal Patrol division provides assistance to neighboring municipalities, assisting with major investigations or serious incidents.

The Criminal Patrol division is one of the Sheriff's Office largest organizations. Our Criminal Deputies patrol roughly 823 square miles of within Tangipahoa Parish. Our Parish is divided into four districts for purposes of law enforcement. This allows for a better response time when responding to calls of service. This design allows our Sheriff to have effective leadership represented for each shift. Our shifts are based on a 12 hour rotations which are staffed with one lieutenant, two sergeants, and nine Criminal Patrol Deputies. The TPSO’s Criminal Patrol Deputies provide the initial response to calls for service and are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Since being electing, Sheriff Daniel Edwards has increased the number of our uniformed criminal deputies by 25%.

This division also includes the first full time K9 division in the history of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Daniel Edwards has 4 highly trained; multi purpose K9 dogs who work along side of specially trained deputies. This division also includes one single purpose K9 and two bloodhound dogs. These highly trained K9 teams are used in searches and apprehensions of high risk suspects and narcotic detections. The Tangipahoa Parish has the first two nationally certified and accredited K9 companions in our parish.

The majority of reports generated by the Tangipahoa Parish Road Deputies are sent on to the Detective Division for investigation, with the detectives handling cases ranging from misdemeanor thefts to homicides.

Responsibilities of the detectives include securing crime scenes, collecting evidence and interviewing suspects and witnesses. They work closely with road patrol officers, crime lab personnel, the Parish Coroner and the District Attorney. One of their major responsibilities is preparing the case for court and testifying in trials.  The detectives have completed a variety of law enforcement training programs focused on homicides, forgeries, narcotics, sex crimes and other topics.”

Chester Pritchett has served for more than twenty years with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, which is in south Louisiana near New Orleans and Baton Rouge. He's a life long bachelor who is a devoted public servant and resides in Independence, Louisiana.

 

One of Chester's detective partners during the late eighties was Charles 'Chuck' Zatarain, Jr. In 1990, Chuck passed away, but Chester has never forgotten his words that serve as an inspiration for him to write. After a difficult case, Chuck would look at Chester and say, 'This is one for the book.' Zatarain was referring to the 'book' that every police office should write about his most interesting cases.

 

Since 1994, Chester has finished four manuscripts and continues to write. Exit 28: The Case of The Hooded Shooter is one of those manuscripts and is based on some events that unfolded in Oklahoma, Mississippi and Louisiana in 1995. This case is proving controversial from L.A. to New York, involving political names like Edmondson and movie mogul producer Oliver Stone. The circumstances around this case have resulted in litigation that promises to land on the steps of the United States Supreme Court.

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