A teenager from Bush was arrested earlier this week, after allegedly stealing a truck and leading law enforcement officers on a chase that ended in a crash.

Chief Deputy Mike Haley of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office said that WPSO Patrol Lt. Chris Hickman observed a small white truck without a license plate traveling south on Ward Line Road on Wednesday. Haley said the truck met the description of a vehicle that had been used to commit several burglaries in St. Tammany Parish.

Lt. Hickman reportedly attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle but the driver refused to stop. At the intersection of Highway 1074 and Highway 16, the vehicle went into a ditch and the driver was apprehended and placed under arrest.

Arrested was Jordan Cox, 17, a resident of Highway 40 in Bush. He was placed in the Washington Parish Jail with bond set at $15,000.

Cox is charged in Washington Parish with possession of stolen property, resisting arrest by flight and being a fugitive from another jurisdiction.

Haley said that during questioning by Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives, Cox confessed to three burglaries in St. Tammany Parish in Abita Springs, Sun and Bush. It was also discovered that the truck being driven by Cox had been stolen in Tangipahoa Parish.

Haley said that the investigation revealed also that Cox is wanted in Alabama for escape from a juvenile detention facility. Although Cox is considered a juvenile in Alabama due to his age, he currently is considered an adult under Louisiana law.

Washington Parish detectives are working with St. Tammany Parish detectives to further investigate the burglaries with the belief that other individuals might also have been involved. Meanwhile, Cox faces charges in St. Tammany Parish in addition to his escape charge in Alabama.

“This young man has made very poor decisions which will affect him for many years to come,” Sheriff Randy Seal said. “I can only hope he will eventually turn his life around and become more than just a criminal justice statistic. My prayer is that one day he will emerge as a mature Jordan Cox and a productive member of society.”