Sad World We Live In

A true American hero. "Honored" after his death. People that do things such as below should have a one way ticket straight to hell--or an eternity of purgatory none the less.

Home of iconic New Orleans police officer burglarized after his death by Brendan McCarthy, The Times-Picayune Monday June 08, 2009, 4:58 PM

New Orleans Police Sgt. Manuel Curry's death last week of heart failure brought a wave of despair and an outpouring of support from the ranks of the city police department and the neighborhoods where Curry worked and lived.

Sgt. Manuel Curry, popular figure in Central City and Irish Channel neighborhoods and one of America's longest-serving police officers, in 2004 photograph as he was about to leave for D-Day ceremony in France. Curry participated in the famous World War II invasion. It also apparently prompted three people to pounce on a criminal opportunity.

Within hours his death Thursday morning, police say two local men and a young woman broke into Curry's home in the Irish Channel.

They rifled through his belongings, stole several guns, took money and jewelry and pills, according to a police report and his wife. Then they split.

Curry's wife of 51 years, Genevieve "Jackie" Curry, said she received news of the burglary while at a funeral home discussing arrangements for her husband's burial.

Her response: "Oh my goodness. Who would do this?"

Curry, believed to be the country's longest-serving, active-duty police officer still working full time, had never been a victim of crime before, his wife said.

In his 62-year New Orleans Police Department career, Curry had wrestled bank robbers, responded to shootings, nabbed pick-pockets and all types of sordid characters in the 6th District, a tough triangular swath that encompasses Central City, the Irish Channel and the Lower Garden District.

He was the epitome of a community policeman, spending his whole career, save for a few months, in the same district.

Yet in death he became another crime victim.

"He would have been shocked to see this," his wife said Monday. "The place looked like a hurricane came through."

Curry's colleagues from the 6th District hit the streets alongside officers from other specialized units. They worked well into the night.

Eventually, they found a witness who provided names and details of the break-in.

Robin West, 24, allegedly had served as the lookout, pacing the 2800 block of St. Thomas Street while two men pilfered the home, according to an arrest report filed in court.

Meanwhile, Eddie "E-Fat" Scott, and Kevin "K" Carr, 19, ransacked the home, the report states. Eventually the pair allegedly came out carrying Curry's belongings.

West was picked up by police at 11 p.m. Friday in the 2700 block of Fourth Street, according to court records. Carr was arrested around that time near the intersection of Aline and Annunciation streets. Both were booked with burglary.

An NOPD spokesman said Monday afternoon that Scott was still at large and that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

Still reeling from her husband's death, Jackie Curry said the men and women of the NOPD have given her tremendous comfort.

"Let me tell you, the police worked overtime and were great," she said. "I am so thankful for them."

The burglary took place at the same shotgun house in which Curry had lived nearly his whole life. His family moved there when he was 15 years-old, his wife said. He never left.

He stayed at the house during the workweek and retired to a country home in Lacombe with his wife on the weekends.