District Attorney Collin Sims 22nd JDC

District Attorney Collin Sims had the opportunity to speak last week at the Slidell Lions Club and East St. Tammany Republican Women luncheons.

He highlighted the work and successes of the District Attorney’s Office, particularly the efforts of the Special Victims Unit and Opioid Task Force to protect victims, hold offenders accountable and improve public safety.

He also discussed the significant budget challenges facing the District Attorney’s Office and the importance of maintaining the resources necessary to carry out the office’s public safety mission.

Thank you to both organizations for the invitations and the opportunity to share the work of the District Attorney’s Office with members of the East St. Tammany community.

District Attorney Collin Sims attended the St. Tammany Parish Republican Executive Committee’s Lincoln-Reagan Dinner & Awards last Thursday at the Covington Country Club.

DA Sims joined local and state leaders for the annual event, which featured Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill as the evening’s guest speaker for the event.

Thank you to the St. Tammany Parish Republican Executive Committee for hosting the event and bringing together leaders from across our community.

On Friday, District Attorney Collin Sims joined Washington Parish Sheriff Jason Smith, Parish President Ryan Seal, local leaders, families and community members at the Washington Parish Courthouse for the Empty Chair Project, hosted by Hope Alive Recovery.

Twenty-four empty chairs represented the lives lost to drug overdose and poisoning in Washington Parish last year - a reminder that behind every number is a person, a family and a community impacted by loss.

DA Sims spoke about the progress that has been made through the work of the Opioid Task Force, in conjunction with local, state and federal law enforcement partners. Just a few years ago, Washington Parish recorded 46 overdose deaths. Through these coordinated efforts, that number was reduced to 16.

This year, 24 chairs stood outside the courthouse. While progress has been made, 24 lives lost is 24 too many.

We remember those lives, stand with the families who continue to carry their loss, and remain committed to working alongside our law enforcement and community partners to combat the opioid crisis and protect our communities.

Thank you to Hope Alive Recovery for bringing the community together for this meaningful remembrance.

GUILTY AS CHARGED: A St. Tammany Parish jury has found 43-year-old Robert Chase Revere of Slidell guilty of attempted armed robbery following a February 2025 incident at Times Bar and Grill.

Revere confronted a victim riding his bicycle to work, demanding cash and threatening him with a baseball bat before fleeing the scene. Swift action by the Slidell Police Department led to a felony traffic stop where Revere was taken into custody, and the weapon was recovered.

"Our citizens deserve to go to work and walk through our communities without facing violent threats or intimidation," said District Attorney Collin Sims. "Thanks to the swift, decisive action of the Slidell Police Department and the hard work of our prosecution team, a dangerous repeat offender has been brought to justice."

Assistant District Attorneys Alex Alexander and Iain Dover prosecuted the case before the Honorable Judge Alan M. Black. Sentencing is scheduled for November 4, 2026.

Read the full press release at the link in the comments.

The Office of the District Attorney for the 22nd Judicial District is proud to share today’s announcement from Washington Parish Sheriff Jason Smith regarding a major investigation stemming from three overdose deaths in Washington Parish.

We commend Sheriff Smith for his leadership and the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office for its commitment to investigating these deaths and pursuing those responsible.

We also recognize Investigator Nick Burtanog with the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, who also serves on the DEA Task Force, for his efforts in coordinating the response and bringing together the numerous local, state and federal agencies that helped make today’s operation possible.

We’re proud to support our partners at Hope House and Covington Police Department Detective Brian Brown, who is a member of the 22nd JDC Special Victims Unit, as they help provide this important training for mandated reporters.

See the post below for details and registration information.

‼️EVENT UPDATE: This training sold out in record time, but rest assured, more mandated reporter training opportunities will be scheduled soon! In the meantime, please check out our regularly scheduled Stewards of Children abuse prevention trainings (available to any adult).

There is overlap in that both teach responding responsibly as a primary skill. It’s estimated that for every adult who takes this training, 10 kids in our community are safer and less likely to be victimized. That training also offers CE hours.

Register at www.cachopehouse.org/prevention.

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📣If you are a mandated reporter in education, healthcare, mental health, religion, law enforcement, or a youth serving organization, this training is for you!

Visit www.cachopehouse.org/events to register. Seating is limited to 25, and dinner is provided.

This is a new, free, 2.5-hour multidisciplinary training exploring what happens “beyond the report.” Participants will learn to recognize child abuse concerns, respond to disclosures without causing unnecessary trauma or influencing a child’s account, understand reporting responsibilities, maintain professional boundaries, and support child safety. The training will also cover the investigator’s perspective, what happens after a report is made, and how initial information can affect an investigation.

It will be facilitated by:
🔹Leading child abuse expert Stacie LeBlanc, J.D., M.Ed., FAPSAC
🔹Hope House Executive Director Thomas Mitchell, LPC-S, NCC
🔹Detective Brian Brown of the Covington Police Department and 22nd JDC Special Victims Unit

🔆Continuing Education: This program has been approved for 2 ethics contact hours of continuing education credit by the National Association of Social Workers – Louisiana Chapter, as authorized by the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners.

This workshop is pending approval for 2.0 CE clock hours in Social and Cultural Foundations by the Louisiana Counseling Association, as authorized by the Louisiana Mental Health Law (R.S. 37:1101–1123).