[StBernard] Ex-SDT employee turns himself in to police

[Westley Annis]

Ex-SDT employee turns himself in to police

10:28 PM CDT on Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Chad Bower / Eyewitness News 

ST. BERNARD - A judge issued a warrant for the arrest of an ex-employee of
SDT Waste & Debris Services for allegedly taking a company vehicle without
approval and using it to dump waste into a Lower 9th Ward storm drain. 


32-year-old Phillip Barbarin, of 1645 Carol Sue Ave. in Gretna, turned
himself into police shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday night. 

The warrant doesn't address the dumping of the waste, but it does concern
the stealing of the truck. 

Deputies are also looking into whether or not others were involved in the
incident. 

When asked if he was set up or framed, Barbarin said,"you'll see." Barbarin
said that he was at University Hospital at the time of the incident. 

St. Bernard Sheriff Jack Stephens said that Barbarin became a suspect after
he was tied to a cell phone number given to a local television station,
which someone approached trying to sell a copy of the video. 

Investigators said they do not know if Barbarin is the individual seen
pumping waste in the video, but they do believe he is connected to the
crime. 

The pump truck was taken Saturday night and returned less than an hour
later. 

Eyewitness News received a copy of a tape early Sunday that showed the SDT
truck with a hose pipe going into a storm drain from a source. There was no
mention of any exchange of money at any point.