WALKER POLICE MAKE ARREST IN CHRISTMAS EVE AUTO BURGLARIES (WALKER, LA) A suspect has been arrested in connection with several automobile burglaries and attempted automobile burglaries in Walker that occurred before daylight on December 24, 2014, according to Walker Police Captain John Sharp. Arrested Wednesday, January 9th in connection with the offenses was Robert A. Ellis, Jr. (33) of Denham Springs, LA. While investigating the Christmas Eve burglaries, Walker Police obtained a home security surveillance video from a home owner where one of the attempted burglaries occurred. A clip from the video, along with two still photos extracted from the video clip was then posted to the Walker Police Department Facebook page and Walker PD’s Nixle text messaging service. “The video and photos were very clear, and we felt the chances were good that someone would recognize the suspect,” Captain Sharp explained. “To illustrate the value of our social media program, the video and photos were seen by over 95,000 people. Within 24 hours we had received a number of anonymous tips, several of which identified Mr. Ellis as the suspect shown in the video. We then compared the video and photos to other known photos of Mr. Ellis and found that they were a match.” Having the name of the suspect was one thing; finding the suspect was another. “Although we had Mr. Ellis’ name, we were unable to locate his domicile,” said Captain Sharp. “Through our investigation, we learned that Mr. Ellis is somewhat of a transient and doesn’t maintain a permanent residence. We also learned that he had outstanding warrants through Denham Springs, so we notified Denham Springs Police that Mr. Ellis was a suspect in the auto burglaries and asked that they look out for him. We also learned that some other auto burglaries outside the Walker City Limits occurred around the same time, and as a result, we alerted the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office as well.” Wednesday morning, Walker Police received word from the Denham Springs Police Department that they had arrested Ellis. “An alert Denham Springs Officer noticed a man sleeping in a car that was parked in a parking lot. Upon checking the man and identifying him as Mr. Ellis, they found that he was in possession of various illegal narcotics,” Captain Sharp stated. “His name was then recognized as the suspect for whom we were looking and our Department was contacted. Walker Detective Christopher Gunter questioned Mr. Ellis who admitted that he was the subject in the video.” Ellis was subsequently charged by Walker Police with three counts of burglary of a motor vehicle, one count of attempted burglary of a motor vehicle and criminal trespass. Ellis remains in the Livingston Parish Detention Center, with bond set at $121,000.00. “We want to extend our appreciation to all of the people who monitor our social media system and who provided us with the tips that we received,” said Captain Sharp. “That system has become a very effective crime fighting tool, but it is only helpful because the people of our Community are willing to get involved.” According to Captain Sharp, additional charges against Ellis are possible and he remains under investigation.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 23:01:21 +0000
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