by Wesley Harris
Three Ruston men and a 17-year-old have been arrested in connection with numerous vehicle burglaries as well as a residential break-in following a three-month investigation.
Kemondrick Deshawn Hunter, 18, was arrested Tuesday by Ruston Police for two counts of simple burglary, one count of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, and 47 counts of vehicle burglary.
Zackevius Rashaad Hunter, 19, and Fabian Demon Crawford, 24, were both arrested Thursday for one count of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling and 47 counts of vehicle burglary.
Jabari Robinison, 17, arrested for vehicle burglaries, but specific charges were not available at publication time.
All, excepting the 17-year-old, are being held at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center.
The investigation began after the three were arrested Jan. 3 for attempted vehicle burglary. At that time, only one attempted vehicle burglary had been documented. Since then, RPD investigators have been working to determine if the three were involved in other vehicle burglaries.
“All members of our Criminal Investigation Division have been working on this,” Ruston Police Chief Eric Watson said, “putting together surveillance video, witness statements and other technical information to establish cause for the warrants for all the involved defendants.
“Our investigators gathered enough to have warrants issued which will clear a large number of vehicle burglaries.”
Lieutenant Kayla Loyd said the burglary of an inhabited dwelling charge comes from a break-in of a Ruston home in December where a large number of articles were stolen.
The charge does not mean the victim was home at the time of the burglary, only that the structure was in use as a residence at the time.
The Jan. 3 incident began about 10 p.m. when officers responded to the area of Kavanaugh Road regarding a complaint of two individuals who appeared to be attempting to burglarize vehicles. RPD officers found two men dressed in dark clothing with hoods, masks and gloves walking in the area. Upon seeing the police, the two men fled on foot.
Kemondrick Hunter was found hiding in a yard on Abbey Lane. He fled the yard on foot, but was quickly apprehended. Hunter admitted he and the other man were breaking into vehicles in the area. He denied actually going into any vehicles and said he only served as a lookout.
Video from the area showed Hunter and the other man pulling on a car handle attempting to gain entry. Hunter was found to have a large amount of coinage in his pocket that he admitted came from inside a vehicle in that area.
As police were searching for the suspects, a vehicle was seen driving through the neighborhood slowly. The vehicle was stopped and the occupants were identified as Crawford, the driver, and Zackevius Hunter, a passenger. Both told officers they were just “blocking.”
Kemondrick Hunter told police that Crawford had dropped him off in the area where he was arrested.
A search of the vehicle located a stolen firearm from a previous vehicle burglary and approximately 34 grams of suspected marijuana. Crawford and Zackevius Hunter were also arrested.
When booked at the Lincoln Prayer Detention Center in January, Zackevius Hunter was found to have a small plastic bag of marijuana in his sock.
Zackevius Hunter’s charges from that incident are pending in district court– attempted simple burglary, illegal possession of stolen firearms, illegal carrying of weapons, and introducing contraband into a penal facility.
Kemondrick Hunter’s and Fabian Crawford’s January charges are also pending.
Vehicle burglaries have been one on the area’s most stubborn crime trends. Typically, the burglars walk neighborhoods at night, pulling on door handles to find unlocked vehicles. Rarely do the thieves physically break into a locked vehicle.
Watson said patrol officers and investigators have worked tirelessly to stem the uptick in vehicle burglaries in the past two years.
“They have done a great job putting everything together,” the chief said. “Detective Summer Wilson, in particular, did a great job connecting all the dots.”
Area police agencies urge motorists to avoid leaving valuable items inside vehicles and always lock them when unattended, even in carports and garages.
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