A Bush man was apprehended recently in Mississippi, and is charged with committing a burglary of a Washington Parish residence.

Washington Parish Chief Deputy Mike Haley said Tuesday afternoon that John A. Crawford, 44, a resident of Highway 41 in Bush, was in the Pearl River County (Miss.) Jail awaiting extradition to Washington Parish. He is facing charges of burglarizing a residence on Creel Road #2.

Haley said that Crawford fled Louisiana after learning that the burglary was filmed on a home video surveillance system and his picture, along with a picture of the car he was driving, was broadcast by the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office, by the mainstream media and on social media sites.

Haley said that Crawford was arrested by Pearl River County officers on Friday, as a result of continuing tips from area residents identifying his location. He waived extradition and was transported Tuesday evening to the Washington Parish Jail.

The events leading to Crawford’s arrest began on March 30 when he allegedly parked a red vehicle on the roadway in front of the Creel Road #2 residence and entered the yard through a closed gate. Home surveillance cameras tracked his movement as he walked to the rear of the house before entering.

Photo images of Crawford and the vehicle were widely publicized and numerous tips identifying Crawford were called in to the WPSO.

During the burglary investigation, WPSO detectives worked with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office to apprehend Crawford.

Haley said that Crawford has an extensive history of criminal behavior and is a person of interest in other criminal investigations.

Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal was delighted to learn of Crawford’s capture. “It is always good to get a criminal off of our streets and into jail,” Seal said. “I appreciate all the hard work by our detectives and the great cooperation from St. Tammany Parish and Pearl River County. This investigation is continuing and I expect more burglaries to be solved and additional arrests to be made.”

Seal praised the homeowner for having a quality security system, which was helpful in law enforcement officials’ eventual capture of Crawford.

“The victim in this matter was wise to have installed the video surveillance system at the residence,” he said. “As soon as they brought the video to us and we viewed it, I was confident that an arrest would be made.

“I encourage all homeowners to seriously consider the installation of a good quality home video system. Let’s do all we can to tip the scales in favor of law-abiding citizens.”