By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – An Edgard man was booked with possession of stolen things in connection with one of two recent burglaries at Whitney Plantation, according to authorities with the St. John Sheriff’s Office.

Ashton Shepard, 23, was arrested Tuesday afternoon at his home in Edgard, said Capt. Dane Clement, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office. Shepard is being held at the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility in LaPlace awaiting a bond hearing.

Clement said Shepard was found to be in possession of unspecified property stolen from Whitney Plantation in Wallace during two burglaries late last month.

According to a release from the Sheriff’s Office, the first break-in occurred Dec. 23 when a garage on the property was broken into and copper wire and a .22-caliber rifle were stolen. In the second incident, which occurred a week later, entry was made into a stone shop, where a computer was stolen. A wood shop was also broken into, where the thieves stole assorted tools including two chainsaws, a workbench and a golf cart. Clement said the suspects also cut wires to various machines and removed batteries from other equipment.

Clement said the incidents are still under investigation.