Lake Charles, LA –
On January 29, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a business on Highway 90 E. in Lake Charles in reference to several vehicle burglaries that occurred several days prior, over the weekend.
During the initial investigation it was discovered the suspects cut the barbed wire on top of the fence to gain entry onto the lot. Once on the property the suspects stole the Common Powertrain Controllers from 6 vehicles. After reviewing surveillance from the business detectives were able to identify a suspect vehicle as a white Jeep, as well as observe three suspects who were responsible for the burglaries.
After further investigation, detectives contacted multiple law enforcement agencies along the Gulf Coast to see if any were investigating similar burglaries. It was discovered the Richland Police Department in Mississippi, was investigating several similar cases involving a white Jeep.
Detectives learned on January 27, law enforcement in Mississippi had initiated a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle and after subsequent search warrants were executed related to the suspects, law enforcement recovered 60 suspected stolen electrical components for vehicles; including the Common Powertrain Controllers that were stolen from the business in Lake Charles. The suspects, Anthony G. Douglas III, 19, Kenneth D. Lewis, 19, and Javon C. Noble, 19, all of Houston, TX, were arrested and booked into the Rankin County Jail in Mississippi in connection with the burglaries in MS.
After further investigation, on February 5, CPSO Vehicle Crimes Investigative Unit detectives issued warrants for Douglas, Lewis, and Noble, who are still incarcerated in Mississippi. They are charged with 6 counts of simple burglary; 6 counts of simple criminal damage to property between $1,000-$5,000; 6 counts of theft between $1,000-$5,000; unauthorized entry of a place of business; and simple criminal damage to property less than $1,000. Judge Kendrick Guidry set their bonds at $66,000.
CPSO VCIU Detective DiQuan Bennett is the lead investigator on these cases.
An arrest is an indication that probable cause exists to believe the subject was involved in the offense alleged. A person is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.