ST. TAMMANY PARISH – On Monday, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of two men for the burglary of a Covington-area gun store.
Over the past several months, investigators from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Orleans Police Department, the Slidell Police Department and Louisiana State Police, have worked on a joint investigation relative to several gun store burglaries on the Northshore.
In the middle of that investigation, a Covington-area gun store was burglarized on April 17, and numerous guns were stolen during that burglary.
Investigators were able to identify two suspects responsible for the burglary, 20-year-old Kahliq Williams and 22-year-old Richard Jones, both of New Orleans.
Arrest warrants were issued, and an investigation resulted in the recovery of several guns from the burglary.
Williams was taken into custody on May 20 by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, while in commission of an unrelated offense. Williams is in the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center, and pending his release, will be transported to the St. Tammany Parish Jail, where he will be booked on arrests warrants for the following charges:
- Simple Burglary
- Illegal Possession of Stolen Things Over $5,000
- Handling of Machine Guns (5 counts)
- Theft of Firearms (45 counts)
- Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor
Jones was arrested by the New Orleans Police Department and booked into Orleans Parish Prison on May 22 for crimes committed in Orleans Parish. On June 1, he was transported to the St. Tammany Parish Jail and booked on warrants for the following charges:
- Simple Burglary
- Illegal Possession of Stolen Things Over $5,000
- Handling of Machine Guns (5 counts)
- Theft of Firearms (45 counts)
- Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor
- Possession of Firearm or Carrying Concealed Weapon by a Person Convicted of Certain Felonies
The investigation relative to this burglary, as well as other gun store burglaries on the Northshore, is ongoing.
“Protecting the communities of St. Tammany Parish is a vital part of our mission,” said ATF New Orleans Field Division Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn. “ATF will continue to provide expertise and resources to investigate burglaries of lawful enterprises that are part of the community. I would like to thank all of our law enforcement partners for working tirelessly to ensure justice will be served.”