Friday, November 30, 2012

Old Metairie burglary spree prompts warning about 'citizen-assisted ...

Four suspects have been arrested for burglarizing more than 20 vehicles in Old Metairie earlier this week. But authorities say the criminals are getting a dangerous "assist" from Jefferson Parish residents.

Two guns, prescription medication, electronic equipment, cash and other property were stolen from the vehicles, according to Col. John Fortunato, spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. But none of the cars had signs of forced entry.

That's because the doors were left unlocked, authorities said. In fact, detectives tied the burglary cases to the theft of three vehicles from the same neighborhood on Monday night, according to Chief Deputy Tom Gorman, commander of the Sheriff's Office investigations bureau.

None of the stolen cars had damaged ignition locks or steering columns. The thieves found the keys inside of the vehicles or in another nearby unlocked car, he said.

"I call it citizen-assisted crime," said Gorman, who added that 70 percent of the vehicle burglaries so far this year have involved unlocked doors. Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 156 guns were reported stolen from vehicles, most of those unlocked.

"They go directly into the hands of criminals," Gorman said. "People need to be aware that they are actually assisting the criminals in victimizing other people by leaving their cars open and by not locking up their guns and acting responsibly."

Burglary spree

The Old Metairie rash of burglaries occurred Monday and Wednesday, mostly in the 200 blocks of Ridgewood, Rosewood and Hollywood drives, Fortunato said. Other vehicle burglaries were reported on Old Metairie Road, West Oakridge Avenue and West William David Drive.

The Sheriff's Office received multiple 911 calls reporting vehicle burglaries and suspicious persons around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Fortunato said. Deputies who responded spotted the suspects and caught three of them after a brief foot chase.

Arrested were Marvin Carter, 20, Michael Harris, 17 and an unidentified juvenile, 14, all from New Orleans, Fortunato said. During questioning, Harris admitted he and his cohorts had committed several vehicle burglaries by pulling door handles and looking for those left unlocked. A fourth suspect, Mario Marrero, 18, of New Orleans, was later arrested.

The stolen loot included a gun taken out of a marked Louisiana State Police patrol car and a .40-caliber pistol, Gorman said. Most of the property, including the trooper's weapon, was recovered in the yard of a home in the 100 block of Rosewood Drive. But investigators are still searching for the other .40-caliber pistol, Fortunato said.

Burglary and juvenile detectives joined forces with the Sheriff's Office Criminal Intelligence Center and used automated license-plate recognition cameras to determine that a truck stolen Sunday from New Orleans was seen in the Old Metairie neighborhood during the time of the vehicle burglaries. Carter told investigators that Marrero had driven both that truck and another BMW that had been stolen from the West Bank, Fortunato said.

Harris, Carter, Marrero and the juvenile were booked Thursday with 22 counts of simple burglary. They have not yet been booked with the car thefts, but detectives have linked four stolen vehicles to group. The case is still under investigation and additional charges and suspects are likely forthcoming, Fortunato said.

Victims could be liable

While detectives track down leads in the cases, authorities said the spree should serve as a warning for Jefferson Parish residents. Gorman said people don't understand they may be opening themselves up to some type of liability by their negligence.

"A vehicle is a 2,000-pound weapon," he said. "These kids get the car, and they kill somebody in an automobile accident. Nobody's going to get any money out of the kids. They're going to look at the police report and find out the car was left unlocked, and then who do you think is going to suffer?"

Fortunato said the Sheriff's Office has repeatedly reminded residents to take their valuables out of their vehicles and keep car doors locked. Gorman said crime rates would drop drastically if citizens followed those few steps. Some may be angered by the implication that residents are partly at fault.

"Owning a gun and having a car is a privilege," Gorman said. "Anyone who owns weapons, whether it's a .40-caliber handgun or a 2,000-pound car, needs to act responsibly to protect their property from criminals."

Source: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/11/old_metairie_burglary_spree_pr.html

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