The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a LaPlace teenager and booked him with burglary and theft in connection with two early morning break-ins that targeted two LaPlace businesses.
At 1:34 a.m. Thursday, April 16, 2026, Sheriff’s deputies responded to a burglary alarm at Dollar General, located at 240 W. Airline Highway, LaPlace. Security video captured a person inside the store wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans and burgundy shoes. The security video also shows the person’s unsuccessful attempts to remove a cash register before fleeing the store.
Shortly after responding to the burglar alarm, a deputy spotted a person matching the description of the burglary suspect in a nearby parking lot. The suspect, later identified as Hayden Cook, 17, was detained and later arrested.
At 3:12 a.m. while making security checks of other nearby businesses, a patrol officer observed an unsecured door at El Paso Restaurant, located at 1900 U.S. 51 in LaPlace. No one was inside. However, security video provided by the restaurant’s owner showed a man entering the restaurant through the front door and taking a cash register drawer as he left the restaurant using a side door.
The man, later identified as Hayden Cook, is captured on an exterior camera using a tool to try and pry open the register.
During an interview with St. John Sheriff’s detectives, Cook admitted that he had burglarized the two businesses.
“As Sheriff, I am extremely proud of the patrol officers for not stopping with just the arrest made in one burglary case,” St. John Sheriff Mike Tregre said. “This is not only trainable, but instinctive police work.”
Cook has been booked with simple burglary (2 counts); theft, possession of a Schedule I CDS and simple criminal damage to property. He is being held in the parish jail under a $61,500 bond.