Police still searching for clues, connections in holdups

By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

HAHNVILLE – A pair of armed robberies in St. Charles Parish had deputies searching for clues early on the morning of January 31, said a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

Capt. Pat Yoes, public information officer for the St. Charles Sheriff’s Office, said around 2:30 a.m. a man putting newspapers in a machine in the 1300 block of La. 52 in Luling was approached by a black male on a bicycle.

According to a report on the incident, the black male put a gun in the victim’s face and demanded money. Yoes said the victim complied with the gunman, and the suspect fled the scene on his bicycle.

A short time later around 2:59 a.m., another man told deputies that he was accosted by a black male subject while walking in the 800 block of Paul Frederick Drive.

The victim said the black male was holding a gun and demanding money. Yoes said upon receiving the money, the suspect struck the victim in the face with the handle of the gun. The impact caused the gun to fire, and the victim was struck in the forearm. The gunman then fled the scene in an unknown direction.

Yoes said the victim drove himself to nearby St. Charles Hospital where he was treated for his injuries and released.

Since both incidents occurred in the same vicinity and around the same time, Yoes said the Sheriff’s Office is looking into the possibility that the crimes are related, but have no evidence of that at this time. Both robberies are under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-877-903-STOP, or the Sheriff’s Office at 985-783-1355.