By Pat Culverhouse

A pair of hungry thieves will be getting their meals behind bars for the foreseeable future following their arrest for burglaries at two local eating establishments where quantities of food and a small amount of cash reportedly were taken.

Minden Chief of Police Jared McIver said Derek O’Rear, 38, a resident of the 100 block of  Timothy Dr. And Alexis Nicole Block, 23, of the 1000 block of Goodwill Rd., are both charged with two separate burglaries of Los Campos Mexican Restaurant in Dixie Inn, and one break-in at Neta’s Bar-B-Q on the Shreveport Rd.  

O’Rear and Block are both reportedly being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center for simple burglary under bonds totaling $125,000 each. 

MPD Det. Sgt. Jason Smith said Dixie Inn police had begun investigating a break-in at Los Campos several months ago, but the business had no security cameras that could have provided evidence of the intruders.

“About three or four weeks ago, another break-in occurred at the same restaurant but this time they had cameras,” Smith said. “During their investigation of the second break-in, Dixie Inn police identified the two and obtained arrest warrants. They had not been located.” 

Smith said the case drew to a close when the female apparently entered Neta’s about 10:30 Saturday night and rummaged around inside the building. She then left, returned with her male accomplice around midnight and more food items were taken, Smith said.

Security camera footage of the midnight break-in helped Minden investigators determine who they were seeking.

“Footage showed specific items of clothing that helped identify them,” Smith said. “An informant told us the people we were looking for were staying in an abandoned house in town. We found them there and a plain view search uncovered the clothing seen in the video and stolen food from Neta’s.”

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.