Two teen-agers arrested for arson and burglary in fire which destroyed a Chalmette miniature car and racing business operating out of a parish-owned gym; Both also booked with separate burglary and attempted fire

Michael Riedel, 18, arrested in burglary and arson fire and burglary in Chalmette.

Brandon Ricouard, 17, also arrested in fire and burglary.

Two St. Bernard Parish teen-agers have been arrested for arson and burglary in a Monday fire which destroyed a Chalmette miniature car and racing business operating out of a parish-owned gym and both also were booked with a separate burglary of a car on Tuesday, attempted arson of the car and possession of stolen property, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Michael Riedel, 18, 2237 Venus Place, Violet, and Brandon Ricouard, 17, of Evangeline Drive in Chalmette, broke into the Victory Lane hobby shop in the old Vista Park playground gym in Chalmette early Sept. 9 while looking for money, Sheriff Pohlmann said. They stole $30 and also took a memory card for a digital camera, then set the place on fire to cover their break-in, the sheriff said.

But the sheriff said it turned out the memory card was a key piece of evidence leading to their arrests when sheriff’s detectives found the card – containing photos of the miniature vehicle race track that was operated out of the gym – after the teen-agers were stopped following a call about suspicious people behind a Chalmette business on Tuesday evening.

The card, along with a handgun that was in poor condition and a flashlight, was found in a Chalmette motel the two had been staying in after the mother of one teen, who had rented the room, gave officers permission to search it, the sheriff said.

After the teens were initially stopped on the suspicious persons complaint they said they had been out selling several cell phones to a business that buys used phones.

The phones they sold were soon identified as coming from a car burglarized early Tuesday morning on a cross street from Paris Road and in that incident the burglars, who also had attempted to set fire to the car but the fire went out, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Seeing a possible connection to the hobby shop burglary and fire, sheriff’s detectives learned the teen-agers had been staying at a motel and obtained the mother’s permission to search their room, leading to the discovery of the memory card. One of the owners of the hobby shop identified the photos of the race track as ones he had taken with his camera, the sheriff said.

“It was good police work and everything fell into place,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said of the investigation leading to the arrests.

Under questioning, Riedel admitted to both burglaries, the arson fire and the attempted arson, the sheriff said, and Riedel said Ricouard was also present.

Riedel, who was out on bond from a recent arrest for possession of illegal psychedelic mushrooms, and Ricouard are both being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bonds set at $76,000 each. They are both booked with two counts of burglary, arson, attempted arson and possession of stolen property.