Two men arrested in separate break-ins; one caught while pawning items just stolen in a vehicle burglary; Also, woman booked with stealing money in a ruse

Elroy West, 48, arrested in business burglary

Vincent Paola, 25, arrested in three vehicle burglaries

A Gonzales man was booked with several vehicle burglaries in Chalmette and was caught while pawning items just stolen in one of the break-ins, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

In an unrelated case, an Arabi man was booked with a business burglary in Arabi after he was caught when sheriff’s deputies responding to an alarm going off from the company saturated the area and found the suspect walking and carrying an end table stolen from the business, the sheriff said.

In a third unrelated matter, a Kenner woman was booked with theft and criminal mischief when she tried to steal money from a Chalmette man she knew by falsely reporting she had been robbed of his money, the sheriff said.

The woman was arrested when deputies found the missing money on her and she confessed to making up a story to steal the man’s cash.

Vincent Paola, 27, of Gonzales, who reportedly has a relative who lives in St. Bernard Parish, was arrested May 22 and booked with three vehicle burglaries, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Paola was arrested at a pawn shop in St. Bernard Parish as he tried to pawn items recently stolen in the burglaries, authorities said. Items including tools were stolen and recovered.

Paola is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bond of $32,500

In the other burglary case, Elroy West, 48, of Arabi, no address available, was arrested recently, shortly after the Sheriff’s Office was called to an Arabi business where a burglar alarm had sounded about 3:30 a.m.

The business had been burglarized and ransacked, with various items thrown on the floor including a drawer from an end table that was missing, the sheriff said.

Dep. Sheriff Jason Spadoni, looking for a possible suspect, found West walking eastbound on the shoulder of West St. Bernard Highway, carrying an end table on his head.

When asked to put down the table, it was missing a drawer.

West was detained until an employee of the burglarized business came to the scene and identified the table West had as the one taken from the lobby of the business, the sheriff said.

West was booked with business burglary, possession of stolen property and criminal damage to property at the business. He was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $35,000 bond.

In the third arrest, Destinie Hammond, 22, of Kenner, was booked with theft and criminal mischief on May 26, accused of stealing from a man she knew and falsely reporting she had been forced into a van, groped by four men and robbed of money the man she knew had loaned her to go to a store.

The woman was taken to St. Bernard Hospital to be examined after reporting the crime she claimed had happened. When she undressed and got into a hospital gown, her clothes were collected as evidence for the investigation of her claims, authorities said.

A crumpled $20 bill fell from one of her pockets and more money was found in the pockets, with the total found matching the total amount and in the same denominations as the missing money, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Questioned by Dep. Jeffery Westerfield, Hammond admitted she lied about being forced into a van and said she kept the money given her, the sheriff said.

The victim was given his money back and said he wanted to press charges. She was booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison for misdemeanor theft of the money and criminal mischief for the false report. There was no bond information available.