A Ruston man was arrested June 14 in connection with two separate burglary investigations, according to affidavits filed by Louisiana Tech University Police and the Ruston Police Department.
Steven Gerard Ferrand Jr., 44, was first arrested after a reported break-in at Adams Hall on the Louisiana Tech campus.
According to a university police affidavit, an officer responded to the residence hall at approximately 7:45 a.m. after a fire alarm was activated. The officer found a window pane near the northwest entry door had been broken and glass was lying on the floor.
The affidavit states surveillance video showed a man wearing a tan shirt and brown shorts approaching the door with a large brick. A short time later, the fire alarm was activated. Several minutes later, the same man was seen getting into an older Pontiac sedan and leaving the area.
Investigators used a license plate reader system to identify the vehicle as being registered to Ferrand. An officer later made contact with him at his Ruston residence and observed he was wearing the same shorts and shoes seen in the surveillance footage. Ferrand declined to give a statement after being advised of his rights.
Ferrand was booked on charges of simple burglary and criminal mischief.
Later the same day, Ruston Police arrested Ferrand in connection with a residential burglary reported on Merion Street in the Country Club Estates.
According to a police affidavit, officers responded to a residence in the 2100 block of Merion at about 2:15 p.m. June 14. The homeowner reported returning home and discovering a rear patio door damaged. The affidavit states the door’s glass had been shattered.
The homeowner told investigators he left the residence around 5:30 p.m. June 13 and returned around 11:45 a.m. June 14 to find the damage. A neighbor reported seeing a man later identified as Ferrand walking near the residence around 1:40 a.m. June 14. Another witness reported seeing a brown Pontiac parked on a nearby street around 1:10 a.m.
Police reviewed doorbell camera footage that reportedly showed a man walking from a Pontiac parked near the residence and approaching the front door at approximately 11:45 p.m. June 13. The affidavit states the individual then left and was later identified as Ferrand.
According to the affidavit, Ferrand was already in custody at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center on the Louisiana Tech charges when Ruston Police arrested him for the Merion Street burglary.. After being advised of his rights, Ferrand stated, “I am not talking without my lawyer.” He was booked for a second count of simple burglary.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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