By Stephen Hemelt
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — A rash of business break-ins this summer focused the attention of the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Starting June 26, authorities said T-Mobile, the UPS store and Verizon were burglarized or suffered attempted break-ins.

Sgt. Dane Clement said Verizon was targeted on three occasions, and authorities figured the criminals’ “daring” approach would eventually lead to their arrests.

Sheriff Mike Tregre said detectives studied the burglars’ patterns, which included entering the businesses through the back door with either a crowbar or pry bar.

“We were on high alert,” Tregre said, crediting a break in the case to Deputy Patrol Officer Michelle Piearson.

“She was doing her duty and caught them in progress trying to break in,” he said.

Piearson was patrolling behind the Belle Terre Plaza shopping center at 3:15 a.m. Sunday when she saw two men standing near the back door of T-Mobile.

When she shined a spotlight in the area, two men laid on the ground in an attempt to hide, authorities said.

Two suspects were detained, identified as Albert Joseph, 17, of Reserve and Devante Ferrygood, 22, of Garyville.

A crowbar, bolt cutters and a duffle bag were discovered near the back door of the business, and detectives were notified because of the recent business burglaries.

“Albert Joseph confessed to the attempted burglary of T-Mobile, the burglary of the UPS store on Aug. 1 and the attempted burglary of the Verizon store on July 28,” authorities said in a release. “The investigation revealed Joseph and Ferrygood were responsible for the burglaries of the Verizon store on June 26 and July 6, when cell phones and tablets, valued at $20,000, were stolen from the store.”

Tregre said there could be more people involved.

Tregre credited the arrests to good police work, adding the targeted businesses were all locked and secured.

Joseph is charged with three counts of principal to simple criminal damage to property, two counts of attempted simple burglary and three counts of simple burglary. He remains in custody in lieu of a $112,500 bond.

Ferrygood is charged with three counts of simple criminal damage to property, two counts of attempted simple burglary and three counts of simple burglary. He remains in custody in lieu of a $108,000 bond.