Phone call from witness leads to three men being booked in a car burglary and two had weapons also; Sheriff praises action by the caller

David Jones of Chalmette, booked with simple burglary and illegal carrying of a weapon.

Austin Jones of Violet, booked with principal to simple burglary.

Sheriff James Pohlmann praised the action of a witness who called the Sheriff’s Office when he saw a car burglary taking place in his neighborhood, which led to three men being arrested, two of whom had weapons on them.

“This witness, like so many residents in St. Bernard, was willing to call the Sheriff’s Office in a timely manner when he saw something suspicious happening and it led to three arrests,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “He helped stop crime in his neighborhood. We always encourage people to help keep their neighborhoods safe and he did.’’

The witness was outside his home about 10:30 p.m. when he saw two men breaking into a vehicle in the 500 block of East Josephine Street in Chalmette and a third man acting as a lookout. The caller, while taking cover so he wouldn’t be seen, called in the description of the clothing they were wearing and which way they headed when they exited the car, the sheriff said.

Acting on the information, Sheriff’s Dep. Joseph Warren, assisted by Dep. Kevin Rickmon, spotted three men fitting the description and stopped them, seizing an 18-inch machete from the hands of one f them, Juan Hernandez, 17, 109 Phillip Court, Chalmette.

Also stopped was David Jones, 22, 3713 Despaux St., Chalmette, who had a stun gun in a pocket; and Austin Jones, 18, 3316 Daniel Drive, Violet.

Hernandez and David Jones, who both entered the car, were both booked with simple burglary and illegal carrying of a weapon. Both are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bonds set at $15,000 each.

Austin Jones, the lookout, was booked with being a principal to simple burglary and was jailed in lieu of $7,500 bond set in the case.

The witness who called about the burglary identified all three men as the ones he saw, the sheriff said.