Two Lafayette Parish men are charged in more than a dozen vehicle burglaries that occurred on on the St. Landry Parish, Lafayette Parish line.
Jade Romero, 20, of the 400 block of Louveteau Road, Carencro, and Chase Mier, 18, of the 200 block of High Meadows, Lafayette, were charged with 14 counts of simple burglary and one count of theft of a firearm, according to St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz in a news release.
The case opened on Aug. 23 when detectives investigated a vehicle burglary on La. 93 near the parish line.
While conducting the investigation, detectives were approached by nine additional residents of the surrounding area including Mendell Road, La. 93, and Superior Road in reference to additional vehicle burglaries, he stated.
All of the victims had a similar story of an early morning vehicle burglary involving their unlocked vehicles. A total of 10 victims reported the incidents with some being burglarized more than once during a two week span. The victims reported a total of approximately $13,500 in stolen items and cash.
Detectives identified Mire and Romero as suspects involved in the burglaries, he stated.
Guidroz stated the suspects admitted to 13 separate vehicle burglaries in a two-week span with some of them burglarized twice.
Of the 13 victims, 10 opted to pursue charges.
Guidroz stated that Lafayette Parish detectives had Romero as a suspect involved in about nine more vehicle burglaries occurring during the same dates in the Lafayette area.
Of the reported $13,500 in stolen items and cash, detectives were able to recover the stolen items but were unable to recover the cash that was stolen. Additional charges from Lafayette Parish detectives are pending.