St. Tammany Parish residents advised to secure property following burglaries

Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. ( WGNO ) — St. Tammy Parish Sheriff Randy Smith is urging residents to lock their car doors following a string of car burglaries in the Slidell area.

According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, detectives stated that they arrested two Mississippi men who allegedly burglarized “more than 10 unlocked vehicles” last week in The Bluffs neighborhood .

On Thursday, July 11, deputies found the first suspect, Grant Johnson, in the area after a two-hour search. Johnson is in custody at the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center.

The second suspect, Matthew Loveless, was found in Picayune on Friday, July 12 and booked into the Pearl River County Jail, according to the STPSO.

In the burglaries, five firearms were reportedly stolen and detectives found two firearms “but believe the rest have already been traded” for drugs.

According to detectives, “all cars that were burglarized had been left unlocked” and some residents may not have reported it.

Residents in The Bluff’s area who have not reported a car burglary can call the STPSO Burglary Unit at 985-726-7832.

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