STPSO: 1 Arrested, 1 Sought in Thursday Crime Spree

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to what was believed to be a two-vehicle

crash near Transmitter Road and Paquet Road in Lacombe Thursday afternoon (September 12, 2019).  Instead, it was learned that the individuals were driving a stolen vehicle from the New Orleans area, burglarized a residence, and attempted to steal a vehicle from the burglarized residence.

Upon arrival, deputies found an abandoned Mini Cooper partially in a ditch along Transmitter Road; and a Corvette, abandoned in a yard nearby. Deputies learned the Mini Cooper had been reported stolen out of New Orleans Thursday afternoon, and they later traced the Corvette to a burglarized residence on Transmitter Road.

A deputy located James Leonard (46) of Chalmette, the driver of the stolen Mini Cooper, walking nearby on U.S. Highway 190. He was taken into custody and booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on the charges of Simple Burglary, Illegal Possession of Stolen Things $5,000-$25,000, and Theft of A Motor Vehicle $5,000-$25,000. He is facing additional charges in New Orleans.

Detectives are working to identify a second subject in the crime spree which began earlier in the day.