Arrest made in Lee’s Creek theft
Published 2:27 pm Friday, November 3, 2017
- Anthony Mitchell
Chief Deputy Mike Haley of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office said that neighbors recently helped the WPSO quickly solve a burglary in the Lee’s Creek community.
On Thursday, the WPSO arrested Anthony Joseph Mitchell, 38, a resident of Mitchell Road in Bogalusa, Haley said. While burglarizing a residence in the Lee’s Creek community, Mitchell was reportedly interrupted when the home security alarm sounded. Haley said that Mitchell quickly fled with a stolen pistol, but not before alert neighbors were able to get a description of his getaway vehicle.
Through a series of interviews, Washington Parish detectives were able to determine that Mitchell was the burglar, Haley said. Mitchell was located, arrested and placed in the Washington Parish Jail charged with one count of theft, burglary and failure to appear in court.
Additionally, he was charged with a previous theft of a utility trailer in another burglary. Mitchell remains in the Washington Parish Jail with his bond set at $2,550.
Haley said that this is Mitchell’s second known stay in the Washington Parish Jail. On Sept. 9, 2017, he was arrested and placed in jail charged with possession of Schedule II and Schedule IV drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, violation of a drug free zone, resisting arrest by flight and several traffic offenses. He was released the same day after posting a $10,050 bond.
“Wow! Arrested twice within a two month period,” Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal said. “It seems obvious Mitchell has both a drug and a theft problem. In most burglary cases, the burglar is simply stealing to support a drug habit, and it is possible that is what happened in this situation. Once again, we see that bad choices lead to bad outcomes.
“Although the theft was not a good thing, there were two good things that occurred. The first was the reporting of alert neighbors who provided a good description of Mitchell’s vehicle. The second was the good work of our officers to apprehend Mitchell and escort him to jail. Good work, neighbors! Good work, officers!”