By Pat Culverhouse

One of two suspects sought for the December, 2023 armed robbery of the Caney Lake Store on Pine St. in Minden has been arrested, according to Chief of Police Jared McIver.

Cardarius Lamon Casey, 33-year-old Minden native, was arrested Thursday by police officers serving a warrant. He is charged with armed robbery and is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center under $350,000 bond.

Det. Lt. Jason Smith said Casey was ultimately identified through DNA evidence dropped at the scene by the suspect.

“It took about a year for the full DNA process to be completed which ultimately led to Casey,” Smith said. “We expect an arrest of the second suspect soon.”

Smith said the North Louisiana Crime Lab (NLCL) did a great job at working these pieces of evidence.

“It takes a really long time for the complete DNA investigative process to work,” he said.

Casey was arrested for his alleged part in the robbery where two men, one armed with a handgun, the other with an AR-type rifle, were caught on surveillance footage entering the store and holding the clerk at gunpoint.

At some point during the robbery, the clerk managed to retrieve a handgun and exchanged shots with the robbers. No one reportedly was injured in the exchange of gunfire.

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.