[StBernard] Seven men arrested in St. Bernard burglaries

[Westley Annis]

Seven men arrested in St. Bernard burglaries

Published: Monday, January 31, 2011, 2:32 PM     Updated: Monday, January
31, 2011, 3:25 PM

 By The Times-Picayune 

Seven men have been arrested in connection with a series of burglaries in
the Violet area in eastern St. Bernard Parish, including one in which about
$9,000 in cash and property was recovered from a break-in, the St. Bernard
Parish Sheriff's Office said.

In one group of six men, five were booked with burglary and possession of
stolen property and the other with possession of stolen property. A seventh
man, believed to have been acting separately from the others, was booked
with burglary and criminal trespassing.

"These men have preyed on the possessions of others in the Violet area in
recent weeks," Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said in a press release.
Some are believed to have been responsible for as many as 10 break-ins, he
said.

In January, sheriff's detectives, commanded by Col. John Doran, have
arrested a total of about a dozen men on burglary and possession of stolen
property charges.

Arrested in recent days in the Violet cases, all from the Violet area, are:

Lyndon McElveen, 19; booked with two counts of burglary and two counts
possession of stolen property.

Leroy McElveen, 21, booked with one count each of burglary and possession of
stolen property.

Keithrone Griffin, no age available, booked with one count each of burglary
and possession of stolen property.

Jaron Brown, 18, booked with one count of burglary and possession of stolen
property and was already in St. Bernard Parish Prison on an armed robbery
charge from Jan. 16.

Brandon Duplessis, 21, booked one count each of burglary and possession of
stolen property.

Travaun Major, 24, possession of stolen property.

Lyndon McElveen is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of
$50,000 bond; Brown is jailed in lieu of a $100,000 bond; Griffin is jailed
in lieu of $25,000 bond; Duplessis was released on $25,000 bond; Leroy
McElveen was released on $15,000 bond; and Major was released on $7,500
bond.

All but Griffin are booked in connection with a Jan. 6 burglary at a Violet
residence in which a large amount of property including three televisions
and a computer were stolen, most of which has been recovered.

Most of the arrested men are also suspects in up to 10 burglaries in the
Violet area in recent weeks. And those investigations are continuing.

Lyndon McElveen and Griffin also were booked in connection with a house
burglary Jan. 26 in which $10,000 cash and other items were stolen from a
residence where a relative of McElveen lives. Some $9,000 cash and property
was recovered when the two were arrested, Pohlmann said. The rest had been
spent.

In the separate case, Sherman Lewis, 25, 2225 Delta Queen Drive, Violet, was
booked Jan. 25 with criminal trespassing when he was seen looking into
vehicles on a Violet Street. He was later booked with burglary of a vehicle.
Lewis is being held in jail in lieu of bond set at $15,000.

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