Police arrest 5 suspects in ‘jugging’ epidemic
Published 11:01 am Saturday, January 17, 2015
Local law enforcement officials said they have broken up a crime ring that would scout banks for people leaving with money, follow them, then burglarize their unattended vehicles.
Three men and two women have been arrested and are suspected of carrying out similar robberies in Lafayette and Beaumont, Texas, Lake Charles Chief of Police Don Dixon said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
The crime, known as “jugging,” has become an “epidemic” in Southwest Louisiana and a “true epidemic” in the Houston area, Dixon said.
Several Houston news outlets have reported several arrests for “jugging” over the past few days.
The five arrested in Lake Charles are suspected of stealing around $170,000, Dixon said, although that number could be higher because some thefts were reported as car burglaries with no mention of the fact that the victims had left the bank prior to the incident. The group is believed to have committed five similar burglaries in Lake Charles, four in Sulphur, five in Jennings, and a “dozen or more” in Lafayette, Dixon said. As much as $20,000 and $17,000 have been taken in individual robberies, he said.
Arrested were Preston Walker, 25, 16205 Cheyenne Drive; Christian Syas, 24, 416 S. Shattuck St.; Arthur Brown, 24, 1810 Fifth St.; Brittney Jackson, 33, 16205 Cheyenne Drive; and Annastaysha Anderson, 21, 1911 Tousand Street.
Dixon called the crime “ingenious” but also repeatedly referred to the suspects as “bottom-feeders” during the news conference.
Local law enforcement began investigating in December, Dixon said. On Dec. 30, a person left a bank carrying $35,000, then traveled to a local business, leaving the money in the vehicle. A co-worker saw someone attempt to steal the money and chased after him. The thief dropped the money bag but got away.
“Based upon the incident, some videotape and a description of the subjects, we pretty well knew who our subjects were through past dealing with them a couple of years ago,” Dixon said.
On Jan. 2, Lake Charles and Sulphur police set up surveillance on four banks believed to be watched by the thieves, Dixon said. A man and female were seen scouting out a Lake Charles bank, then a bank in Sulphur.
“At that point in time, we went fishing,” Dixon said. “When you go fishing, you’ve got to throw the bait out, so we threw the bait out.”
Acting as the mark, Sulphur Police Chief Lewis Coats went to a bank and left with an envelope of money, then drove to a business, where he left the envelope on the seat of the vehicles.
“One of the bottom-feeders took the bait and went, opened the car, took the money, then met the Lake Charles SWAT team,” Dixon said. “It wasn’t a good day for him.”
Syas was arrested. A search of his home on Shattuck Street turned up an assault weapon that was stolen from a car on Nov. 28.
No similar incidents have happened since Jan. 2, Dixon said.
Walker, who Dixon called the “main bottom-feeder” and “master jugger,” was known to police prior to the incident, he said.
At one time, Lake Charles police believed Walker to be responsible for several high-end burglaries in south Lake Charles, although those have since been attributed to a Houston gang. Walker was surveilled and was seen watching banks — Lake Charles police believed he was casing the financial institutions to rob them, Dixon said. A probation violation then landed Walker in jail, where he spent more than a year.
The men took advantage of the two women involved in the case, Jackson and Anderson, by having them rent vehicles, but the women “did it willingly,” Dixon said.
Dixon urged the public to take caution when going to the bank.
“These are predators,” Dixon said. “Don’t allow yourself to be prey. They are bottom-feeders.
“If you go into a bank for business, please do not come out and display money. When you leave that bank, get off your cell phone, pay attention to your surroundings. When you get into your car, as you leave, check your rear-view mirror; make sure you’re not being followed. And, when you get to your destination, don’t leave the money in your car.”
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Lake Charles Police reported the following arrests:
Christian Syas, 24, 416 S. Shattuck St.: 2 counts simple burglary; theft under $500; theft over $500; possession of a stolen firearm; 2 counts criminal conspiracy. Bond: $985,000.
Brittany Juanita Jackson, 25, 16205 Cheyenne Drive, Iowa: 2 counts criminal conspiracy. Bond: $150,000.
Annastaysha Harris Anderson, 21, 1911 Tousand St.: 2 counts criminal conspiracy. Bond: $125,000.
Arthur Dwayne Brown, 25, 1810 Fifth St.: 2 counts criminal conspiracy; 2 counts simple burglary; theft between $750 and $5,000; simple burglary of a law enforcement or emergency vehicle. Bond: $202,000.
Preston Keith Walker, 25, 16205 Cheyenne Drive, Iowa: 2 counts criminal conspiracy; simple burglary; theft over $500; theft between $5,000 and $25,000. Bond: $725,000.
(MGNonline)