Rosemary Marx will turn 102 years of age on April 25. But the longtime Bogalusa resident is currently staying with her granddaughter, Monica Craig-Champagne, in Baton Rouge for her safety.
The problem is not with Marx. She gets around all right, and there is apparently nothing wrong with her mind. It was the burglars.
“She was burglarized six times,” said Craig-Champagne. “The first time was in October 2015. Four of the six times she was at home, asleep in her bed, when the suspect entered her bedroom to steal cash from her purse. The other two times she was out of town.”
“She is actually staying several different places at this point. She only visits us from time to time. If she is at home, we have upgraded the security system, and she is never alone now.  The house is being watched 24/7 as well. She feels safe when she is in Baton Rouge. We have a security system, a very loud dog, and my husband and I both have concealed carry permits so our home is armed.”
Bogalusa Police Chief Kendall Bullen said the latest burglary at the Marx house was reported at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, just two hours before another burglary in the city where video footage of the crime was clearer.
After midday Thursday, Bullen said that Randy Slocum had been arrested for the later burglary, and had also confessed to the most recent Marx home burglary.
Marx has lived in Bogalusa since she was 2 years old, so it’s been almost 100 years now. She had been living at her current home on North Columbia Street for the last 75 years. But recently the fiercely independent one was fearful.
“After the first time, I thought it was just a bunch of kids since they only took cash,” Marx said. “As it continued to happen, I started to think it must be someone I know, because they just took money and left. It’s very frightening to think a complete stranger with a criminal record came into my home this last time.
“I feel like I have to check every room when I come home. I don’t like that I have to be frightened in my own home. I hate that someone has to be with me 24 hours a day now. I’m very independent, and I don’t like having to rely on others.”
Craig-Champagne calls Marx  “an absolute treasure.”
“My grandmother is loved by all.  She has lived such a wonderful life in Bogalusa. She has tons of friends, goes to church all the time, plays cards weekly and truly lives life to the fullest.
“This ordeal is literally sucking the life out of her, and it has to end now. She deserves to live her life just the way she wants, and not be held hostage by these criminals.
“She loves her home so much. My grandfather built that home, and she wants to live there until it’s her time to go, and we can’t let anyone take that away from her.  She has lived in this home for 75-plus years and has never had one problem. I know our close-knit community will step up and make sure she never has to deal with anything like this again.
“We all love her so much, and can’t imagine life without her. Knowing she is scared and doubtful of her safety after nearly 102 years on this earth is the real crime, and I hope someone will step up and turn in whoever is responsible. She deserves to live the rest of her years in peace.”
To further ensure that, Craig-Champagne said, the family would like to catch the perpetrator or perpetrators of all of the burglaries at her grandmother’s house.