Ascension car theft ring broken up, 6 teens arrested
ST. AMANT — A homeowner’s report of seeing two youths trying to burglarize his vehicle on Savoy Road early Wednesday led to the breakup of a car burglary ring and arrests of six teenagers, Ascension Parish sheriff’s deputies said Thursday.
Sheriff’s investigators also learned the youths were involved with damaging mailboxes on Babin and J. D. Broussard roads near Gonzales, deputies said in a news release.
Five of the six suspects arrested Wednesday and early Thursday in the string of vehicle burglaries this summer in Ascension Parish are juveniles, deputies said.
The sixth suspect was identified as Brandon Jeane, 17, 13086 Cypress Gold, St. Amant,
Jeane was booked on nine counts of damage to property, six counts of simple burglary of a vehicle, two counts of misdemeanor theft and three counts of criminal trespassing, deputies said.
Jeane was held in Ascension Parish Prison in Donaldsonville with no bail set as of Thursday afternoon, deputies said.
Jeane was one of the two youths seen breaking into the vehicle early Wednesday on Savoy Road off La. 429 in St. Amant, deputies said.
Although Jeane and a 15-year-old from St. Amant fled the scene once the homeowner saw them, deputies arrested both a short time later, deputies said.
Sheriff’s investigators learned the pair were involved with a 16-year-old from the Gonzales area and three other youths from St. Amant, ages 14, 15 and 16, in the burglaries and mailbox damage, deputies said,
Each of the five juveniles were booked with nine counts of damage to property and a varying number of counts of simple burglary, misdemeanor theft and criminal trespassing, deputies said.
The five were being held Thursday in the St. James Youth Detention Center pending a hearing before a judge, deputies said.
With the exception of Jeane, the other youths also had a variety of prior arrests on their records, deputies said.