By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

RESERVE – Authorities in St. John have arrested two men in connection with a string of early morning burglaries in a Reserve neighborhood earlier this month, Sheriff Wayne Jones said Thursday.

Chad Exell, 18, 110 Ellen Drive, Reserve, turned himself in Wednesday and confessed his involvement in the Feb. 5 burglaries of two homes and nine vehicles along Annex Drive near Northwest Fourth Street in Reserve. Capt. Dane Clement, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, said Exell was charged with four counts of simple burglary and one count of criminal damage to property. Clement said Exell was booked into the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility in LaPlace and is being held on $55,000 bond.

Jones said a tremendous amount of communication with the community and solid police work attributed to Exell’s arrest. He said deputies had lots of good leads and worked diligently to make an arrest.

Clement said authorities also arrested Christopher Klibert, 20, of Reserve earlier this week on charges of possession of stolen property. He said Klibert had been in possession of a cell phone that had been reported stolen during Exell’s burglary spree.

According to a report from the Sheriff’s Office, the burglaries took place between 1 and 4:30 a.m. on the morning of Feb. 5. Exell gained easy entry into two homes and sifted through belongings while homeowners were inside asleep. Exell left the homes with a laptop computer, a cell phone, a .22-caliber revolver and a pellet rifle. The report said Exell left both homes after being startled by the residents.

“When someone enters a residence that is inhabited so many things can happen,” Jones said. “It’s just good that nothing more serious occurred.”

The report said Exell also broke into nine vehicles in the area and managed to take a pocketknife, a cell phone and a hypodermic needle. Authorities did not reveal how Exell gained entry into the homes and vehicles, but, Jones said, the incidents should serve as a reminder of the importance of making sure possessions are secure.

“There is nothing more sacred than one’s home,” Jones said. “When I was growing up we never locked our doors, but society has changed. We have to be more careful now in securing our property.”

Jones said he has assigned additional patrols to the area and asked that neighbors and residents look out for each other.”