Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced four teenage boys caught on a doorbell camera were charged with multiple vehicle burglaries on Wednesday, July 31. The burglaries occurred in the Thibodaux area.

At 2:05 a.m. on July 31, 2019, a concerned citizen on West Camelia Drive in Thibodaux reported receiving an alert on his doorbell camera, and he saw four males pulling on vehicle door handles. Deputies found several vehicle doors left open along the street and began searching the neighborhood along with officers from the Thibodaux Police Department. Deputies located a group of boys fitting the description of the suspects on Karen Drive, but as deputies approached, the boys began to run. Deputies and officers pursued and took the four boys – two 16-year-olds and two 14-year-olds – into custody. Deputies found stolen property in their possession, and a handgun was found in the possession of the 16-year-olds.

All four teens were placed into the Lafourche Parish Juvenile Justice Facility in Thibodaux. They were each charged with three counts of Simple Burglary, and the two 16-year-olds were each charged with Illegal Possession of a Handgun by a Juvenile. As the investigation continues, detectives say additional burglary charges could be forthcoming.

Sheriff Webre thanked the alert citizens for recognizing suspicious activity and reporting it immediately to law enforcement.

“In recent months, we’ve made it clear how vehicle burglars are operating in our area by lifting door handles looking for easy targets,” said Sheriff Webre. “Thanks to the use of a doorbell camera, a citizen was able to recognize this activity and report it in time for us to catch the suspects.”

Sheriff Webre reminds residents to keep vehicles locked at all times and keep valuables out of sight, especially overnight. Sheriff Webre also reminds citizens that any level of home security, including doorbell cameras and other surveillance cameras can assist in identifying and arresting suspects.