By Pat Culverhouse
A pair of south Webster Parish men have been arrested for the October burglary of a home in Dubberly, according to Sheriff Jason Parker.
Russell G. Smith, a 39-year-old resident of Canal St. in Heflin, and 36-year-old Ronald Pearson who also resides on Canal St. in Heflin, have both been charged with simple burglary. Smith is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center, while Pearson is in jail in Bossier City on unrelated charges, Parker said.
Parker said a washer and dryer plus boxes containing unknown items were taken from the residence. Sheriff’s detectives reportedly received a break in the case when the crime victims placed a reward offer on the social media platform, Facebook.
“There was video from a camera at the residence showing two males and the vehicle at the site, but no identification could be determined from the footage,” Parker said. “When the victims posted notice of a reward, they began to receive messages which led us to the suspects.”
Parker said patrol deputies picked up Smith, who was the subject of an outstanding warrant, on Saturday. Det. Lt. Chase Walsworth reportedly gained a confession during interviews, and obtained information revealing Pearson as an accomplice to the robbery.
“Both these men have criminal records, and we continued to investigate their activities over the past few weeks,” Parker said.
Involvement by the community, plus surveillance cameras, played a big part in solving the case, Parker said.
“It is a great help when the community is pro-active in helping us by providing information,” he said. “And it certainly is a benefit to have home surveillance cameras that give us valuable information. We have even used footage from a neighbor’s camera to give us different view.”
People are beginning to enjoy the holiday season, and Parker said it should also be a time for parish residents to be a little more cautious.
“It’s that time of the year when, unfortunately, some people take things they can convert into money,” he said. “We’re stepping up our patrols to maintain a high visibility and discourage any lawbreakers. We encourage people to call us if they notice anything suspicious.”
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.