Mandeville cop disciplined, but not arrested

A Mandeville police detective whose adult children were allegedly growing marijuana in his home has been disciplined but will not face criminal charges, Capt. Ron Ruple said.

Mandeville police and St. Tammany Parish deputies raided the home of Leonard Pfleider on Dona Drive on Oct. 8 after learning that his child and stepchildren were allegedly growing pot in the home. Less than a dozen plants were found and the three children were booked with a variety of drug-related offenses.

Pfleider was not booked because authorities could not determine whether he knew the plants were being grown on the house's upper floor, which the children used essentially as an apartment separate from the area where the officer lived, Ruple said.

"He had made the decision at some point that these kids were going to pay rent and they were going to treat the upstairs as their own apartment," Ruple said. "I'm sure at this point he wishes he had never done that."

After investigating the case, Ruple said there was no evidence Pfleider was aware of the marijuana. Pfleider was suspended from the force during the investigation.

"I've been unable to find anything that would tell me he knew about this," Ruple said. "You can argue that someone needs to know and I don't disagree with that at all."

Ruple, who is the department's highest ranking officer, said Pfleider has been disciplined but declined to say how because it is a personnel matter.

Mark Nichols, 23, Kevin Quinn, 18, and Erika Pfleider, 20, were each booked into the St. Tammany Parish jail in Covington after the raid.

Nichols was booked with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of Adderall, possession of a firearm in the presence of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also booked with monetary instrument abuse because investigators found currency that appeared to have been altered so that it appeared to be a higher denomination....