3 Plead Guilty In Robbery & Murder of Bogalusa Store Owner

District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that Levi Lee (17) of Tylertown, MS. and Lance Rouse (25) of Picayune, MS. pleaded guilty Wednesday (December 11, 2019) in the shooting death of a convenience store owner during the robbery of his store in Bogalusa last year.

Lee pleaded guilty, as charged, to second degree murder and two counts of armed robbery and was sentenced by District Judge William H. Burris to life in prison. Rouse pleaded guilty to manslaughter and two counts of armed robbery, and Burris sentenced him to 100 years in prison—40 years on the manslaughter charge, which is to be served consecutively to 60 years on the armed robbery charges (60 years on each count to be served concurrently).

A third person, Melissa Smith (30) of Tylertown, MS. and the girlfriend of Rouse, pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery and was sentenced by Burris to 20 years in prison on each count, to be served concurrently.

The crime took place on December 28, 2018, when Lee and Rouse robbed the J and Z Quik store, located at Highway 21 and City Limits Road in Bogalusa, about 4:20 a.m. The business owner, Abdulrahman Taleb, was confronted at gunpoint in the parking lot and shot in his leg during a struggle with the robbers. The incident was captured on video, and the robbers were later identified as Lee and Rouse. The victim died two days later from his injuries. Lee and Rouse got about $250 from the cash register and also robbed a customer inside the business of about $180. A woman, later identified as Smith, waited for Lee and Rouse in the passenger side of the vehicle.

When Lee, Rouse, and Smith were identified, warrants were issued for their arrests, but they fled from the area before their apprehension. They picked up a juvenile from a Mississippi motel, and she accompanied them on their attempted escape. Law enforcement officials in Alabama spotted the group, engaged in a vehicle pursuit of them, and ultimately arrested them.

The Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office, which investigated the case, was able to recover one of the shotguns and pieces of the other one.

Lee and Rouse also are each facing two additional aggravated burglary charges in St. Tammany Parish. They are accused of entering a Covington home late one night just days before the Bogalusa robbery and holding a woman at gunpoint in her bedroom while they stole her valuables, including two shotguns. The shotguns matched the description of those used in the Bogalusa robbery.

Additionally, Lee pleaded guilty to aggravated arson for setting a fire in the Bogalusa jail, and Burris sentenced him to an additional 20 years in prison. That time is to be served concurrent to his life sentence.

Assistant District Attorney Iain Dover prosecuted this case. The victim’s wife and daughter were consulted and agreed to the terms of the plea, and both gave impact statements before Burris during the hearing.

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WPSO: Armed Robbery and Shooting Suspects In Custody

Three suspects in the Friday (December 28, 2018) morning armed robbery of the J and Z Quik Stop in Bogalusa and shooting of a store employee are in custody. Washington Parish Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Mike Haley has announced that the suspects are in custody in Montgomery County, Alabama. The suspects arrested are Lance Rouse of Picayune, MS., Levi Lee (age 17) of Tylertown, MS., and Melisa M. Smith of Tylertown.

When WPSO Officers and Detectives arrived at the crime scene, they collected evidence and quickly identified the suspects. Video evidence reportedly shows that the store employee was outside the business doing his daily routine as the suspect vehicle pulled into the parking lot. Two armed suspects got out of the vehicle carrying shotguns and confronted the employee. An altercation occurred and the employee was shot with a shotgun blast. The suspects then walked past the wounded employee, went in the business and took cash and merchandise from the business and drove away.

Warrants were issued for Rouse, Lee, and Smith for Armed Robbery and Attempted First Degree Murder. The WPSO, along with the Pearl River County (MS) Sheriff's Office, learned the suspects' location in Pearl River County and started an area wide search for them. The suspects then took flight from the state of Mississippi, traveling through the state of Alabama.

Alabama law enforcement authorities were already on the look-out for the individuals and, as the subjects entered Montgomery County, Alabama, their Sheriff's Office attempted a traffic stop and a pursuit began that ended with spike strips being used to stop the vehicle. The subjects were arrested as fugitives from Washington Parish plus the charges they incurred in Alabama. Extradition proceedings will begin to return the suspects to Washington Parish to stand trial. (The victim who was shot in the armed robbery was listed in critical condition and, if he does not survive, new charges of First Degree Murder will be applied.)

Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal commented, "I am so pleased these robbers are in custody. I give my heartfelt thanks to Sheriff David Allison and officers of the Pearl River County, Mississippi, Sheriff's Office as well as Sheriff Derrick Cunningham and officers of the Montgomery County, Alabama, Sheriff's Office. I give special heartfelt thanks to our wonderful Washington Parish Sheriff's Office detectives who were able to solve this crime quickly. Our officers exemplify the best that law enforcement has to offer and I am so honored to have them work for me. My heartfelt sympathy goes to the victim and his family. This was a heinous crime committed by very callous individuals who are now in custody where they belong. It is a mistake for any person to think he or she can commit any crime in Washington Parish and not feel the full force of our investigators who use all available resources to reach out to law enforcement agencies throughout Louisiana and other states."

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MS. Men (Tylertown & Picayune) Indicted for Burglary

A St. Tammany Parish grand jury indicted Levi Lee (17) of Tylertown, Ms. and Lance Rouse (25) of Picayune, Ms., in the aggravated burglary of a Covington home last December.

Lee and Rouse are accused of breaking into a home late one night in December 2018, entering the bedroom of a woman, and holding her at gunpoint while they stole her valuables, which included two shotguns.

Several days later, the men were arrested in connection with the robbery of a Bogalusa gas station and convenience store in which a clerk was shot with a shotgun matching the description of the one stolen in the Covington burglary. The clerk died days later from his injuries, and Lee and Rouse also face second degree murder charges.

(Click here for related story and video of their return to Washington Parish)

Assistant District Attorney Iain A. Dover presented the case to the grand jury.

Obituary

Stanley Laroy Seal
January 16, 1945 - August 02, 2018

Fugitives Captured and Returned to Washington Parish

Today (January 4, 2018), Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives and deputies traveled to Montgomery to transport three suspects, accused of 1st Degree Murder and Armed Robbery, to the Washington Parish Jail in Franklinton. The three fugitives fled Louisiana after the Friday (December 28, 2018) morning armed robbery of the J and Z Quik Stop in Bogalusa and shooting of a store employee. The employee, Abdulraham Alaquir Taleb, age 53 and a resident of Bogalusa, died in University Hospital in New Orleans early in the morning of December 30, 2018.



Video evidence reportedly shows that the store employee was outside the business doing his daily routine as the suspect vehicle pulled into the parking lot. Two armed suspects got out of the vehicle carrying shotguns and confronted the employee. An altercation occurred and the employee was shot with a shotgun blast. The suspects then walked past the wounded employee, went in the business and took cash and merchandise from the business and drove away.

WPSO detectives were able to quickly identify the suspects, who fled Washington Parish to Pearl River County, Mississippi, and then to Montgomery County, Alabama. An alert deputy with the Montgomery County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office spotted the suspects’ vehicle on I-65 south of the City of Montgomery and gave chase. The three suspects were eventually captured and transported to the Montgomery County Jail for safekeeping. Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives traveled to Montgomery and interviewed the three suspects identified as Lance Hunter Rouse (24) of Picayune, Mississippi, Levi Austin Lee (17) of Carriere, Mississippi, and Melissa Michelle Smith (29) of Tylertown, Mississippi. The three suspects voluntarily waived extradition to Louisiana.

“As I said previously, our detectives did an outstanding job solving this case quickly, seeing the suspects captured within hours,” stated Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal. “I am so grateful for all our officers did and thankful for the excellent help we received from other law enforcement agencies in the capture and return of the fugitives to Washington Parish. Sheriffs David Allison of Pearl River County, Mississippi, Kyle Breland of Walthall County, Mississippi, Derrick Cunningham of Montgomery County, Alabama, and Sam Cochran of Mobile County, Alabama, along with their respective staffs, went above and beyond the call of duty to assist us. This is yet another example of the excellent law enforcement partnerships we have with other Sheriff’s Offices. They always stand ready to assist us just as we always stand ready to assist them.”