[StBernard] Two people wanted for murders in other states arrested in Chalmette

[Westley Annis]

Two people wanted for murders in other states arrested in Chalmette
By Katie Urbaszewski, The Times-Picayune 
February 25, 2010, 8:00AM

Two people wanted in unrelated murder cases in Texas and California were
arrested Wednesday in Chalmette, St. Bernard Parish officials said.

Each was staying with family members, the officials said.

The U.S. Marshal's Service suspected that Artis Pollard, 26, of New Orleans
might be in Chalmette and set up surveillance at his relatives' house on
Octavia Street, where he was arrested, Sheriff Jack A. Stephens said in a
news release.

Pollard is wanted in the December 2006 murder of a bookmaker in the Plano,
Texas, area. He had several hundred dollars in counterfeit money when police
arrested him, Stephens said.

Investigators from Texas arrived the night of his arrest and will attend a
court hearing today to determine if there are grounds to return Pollard to
Texas for prosecution, the release said.

Orleans Parish Criminal District Court records show Pollard was convicted of
possession of crack cocaine in 2003.

After Pollard failed to pay the required fines the court was unable to track
him down in 2005.

Also Wednesday, St. Bernard detectives arrested Maria Duran after receiving
information from authorities in San Jose, Calif., that she was wanted in the
murder and large-scale robbery of a businessman there, Stephens said.

Duran, whose age was unknown, was living with a relative on Blanchard Drive
in Chalmette.

Police booked her with conspiracy in the murder and brought her to St.
Bernard Parish Prison.

She will appear before a St. Bernard judge to decide if she will be taken
back to California, where her boyfriend and the father of her child are
under arrest in connection with the murder, the sheriff said. Four others
have been arrested in the case.

While Duran was in San Jose, police interviewed her about the murder, then
released her. They couldn't find her after additional evidence was produced
implicating her in the crime, the release said.