| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 1634 | 2018-07-05 | Troop B | LSP Arrests Suspected “Felony Lane Gang” Members |
| TROOP B NEWS RELEASE July 6, 2018 LSP Arrests Suspected “Felony Lane Gang” Members Update – Through further investigation, the original identity of the arrested female has been determined to be fraudulent. The true identity is Kimberly Watson (age 37) of Atlanta, GA. The identity of the two arrested male subjects remains the same. All three suspects are currently being held in the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office has issued arrest warrants for the three suspects and they will be transported to St. Tammany Parish Jail after release from Jefferson Parish. Additional charges will be forthcoming. Released July 5, 2018 - Jefferson Parish – On July 3rd, 2018, a Louisiana State Police Trooper assigned to Troop B conducted a traffic stop on a 2018 Kia Sorrento for a seat belt violation on the off-ramp from I-10 east at Veterans Blvd. During the course of the traffic stop, the Trooper detected inconsistencies with the vehicle and its occupants. A search of the vehicle was conducted and Troopers found 11 driver’s licenses from Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Colorado and Illinois. Additional items found were 22 credit cards, 5 checkbooks and 3 social security cards. Nearly $12,500 in cash was located in the vehicle along with 40 grams of marijuana. As the Troopers continued their search, they located 3 window rescue punchers, used to punch out vehicle windows and 14 various styles of women’s wigs. All of the items found were concealed in the vehicle. The US Secret Service Financial Crimes Task Force was notified and Detectives from LSP, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene. Detectives were able to link several of the driver’s licenses to recent thefts in the St. Tammany area. The “Felony Lane Gang” is a disorganized group of criminals from South Florida that break into vehicles parked at health clubs, parks and day care centers. They surveil people at those locations and target vehicles they believe contain purses or other items of value. They utilize a “smash and grab” technique with window rescue punchers. The group uses females to go to banks while disguised as the victims, then cash checks stolen from another burglary against the victims’ bank accounts. On June 28, 2018, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office posted a warning to its residents about the “Felony Lane Gang” on their Facebook page. Troopers arrested 37-year-old Kimberly Watson of Atlanta, GA, 24-year-old David Heller Jr. of Ft. Lauderdale, FL and 25-year-old Latoj Banks of West Palm Beach, FL. The three suspects were booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on charges of No Seat Belt, Possession of Marijuana, Conspiracy to Commit Theft, Conspiracy to Commit Burglary and Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud. Detectives are currently working diligently with other agencies within Louisiana and out of state in an effort to link these suspects to other theft and bank fraud cases. Additional criminal charges are forthcoming in several jurisdictions. Louisiana State Police would like to remind the public to secure their vehicles, no matter where they are. Do not leave purses or anything of value inside of vehicles. If you see something or someone that seems suspicious, notify law enforcement in that jurisdiction. Contact Information: | |||
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