OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Belle Chasse, LA - Sheriff Gerald A. Turlich, Jr. announces that Plaquemines Parish resident, Eric Metz, 38, has been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on June 24, 2021, with the charges of Possession with the Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine, Possession of a Firearm in furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense and with being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

Along with arrests across multiple jurisdictions within the New Orleans area, Metz has been arrested on numerous occasions in Plaquemines Parish since 2000 on various charges such as Contributing to the Delinquency of Juveniles, Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substances (CDS), Felon in Possession of Firearms while in Possession of CDS, Obstruction of Justice, Resisting a Lawful Arrest and Probation Violations. After completing a probation period in November of 2020, Metz was arrested in the Buras area on January 22, 2021, and charged with Driving on a Suspended Driver's License, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Possession of CDS (Marijuana) and Resisting a Lawful Arrest. Metz was released on bond soon thereafter and arrested again on June 6, 2021 in Belle Chasse on similar charges which included Possession with the Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. This danger to the community prompted the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office (PPSO), through its participation on the Federal DEA Task Force, to seek charges leading to the indictment of Metz by a Federal Grand Jury on June 24, 2021.

"These constant, blatant illegal acts by Eric Metz have become a Public Safety issue in Plaquemines Parish and it has to be resolved," said Sheriff Turlich. "Assigning PPSO deputies to Federal Task Forces provides us with an additional avenue to take action on habitual offenders that not only prey on our community, but the entire New Orleans area."

If convicted, Metz faces a maximum of life imprisonment on the charges of Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense and Felon in Possession of a Firearm and up to twenty years imprisonment for Possession with the Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine. Eric Metz is currently being held on the federal charges at the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center without bond due to being a risk to the community.

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Contact Information:
Lieutenant Chaun J. Domingue
Public Information Officer
Office: 504-934-6785
Email: cdomingue@ppso.net