LEONARD GRAY

HAHNVILLE – A stolen car was found in St. Charles Parish through an radio homing signal, marking the first time in Louisiana a stolen car and its alleged thieves were trapped by the Lo-Jack vehicle tracking system. Jarret Wells, 18, of 529 Salvadore, Kenner, and Craig Paul Davis Jr., 23, and Keith A. Davis, 20, both of 2727 General Taylor, New Orleans, were arrested Saturday on Airline Drive. All were charged with possession of stolen things valued at more than $500 and resisting an officer. The Lo-Jack vehicle tracking system had been installed by its owner when the 1999 Mercedes-Benz was bought in New Jersey. The inconspicuous, cigarette pack-sized device cost about $600. When the owner reported the theft of his car in St. John the Baptist Parish on March 30, he notified the sheriff’s office, supplying his Vehicle Identification Number. With that information the correct signal was beamed to the stolen car, which began broadcasting a homing signal. Louisiana State Police detected the signal and alerted neighboring agencies. Soon, St. Charles Parish deputies converged on the car just after midnight Saturday near the Kenner-St. Charles Parish line. The three men tried to run away but were soon caught near a trailer park. Each is being held on an $11,500 bond set by 29th Judicial District Judge Emile St. Pierre. “It’s a good system,” Sheriff Greg C. Champagne said. “Once it gains popularity, it has the potential to really be a deterrent to car theft.” Mark Branton, general manager for Lo-Jack for Louisiana and Texas, said the transmitter, once activated, will broadcast for 100 hours. He confirmed this is the first successful arrest and vehicle recovery in the state using the device. The recovery rate for vehicles so equipped, Branton continued, is 90 percent, and usually within two hours. Even if a stolen vehicle is hidden within a storage unit or a garage, the signal gets out. Branton said the system has been provided to auto dealerships for new and used vehicles for the last six weeks in south Louisiana. The company began working with Massachusetts police in 1986.