The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a San Antonio man for the burglary of a suite of LaPlace business offices where he stole several items, including a gun.
Joseph Smith, a convicted felon who identified himself as homeless, was arrested Monday, May 11, 2026 and is being held in the parish jail under an $85,000 bond.
On Monday at 7:48 a.m. SJSO deputies responded to the 1700 block of Chantilly Drive regarding a burglary of a business. While inspecting the building for a possible intruder, deputies observed that multiple office desk drawers were open and had been rummaged through. An employee informed deputies that when she arrived at work around 7:30 a.m. on Monday she found an open window.
SJSO detectives were able to retrieve video footage of the burglary suspect, later identified as Joseph Smith, near the building. Shortly after 5: 30 p.m. on Monday, a person matching Smith’s description was spotted by a deputy walking in LaPlace near the intersection of Tiffany Drive and Airline Highway.
Smith was detained and handcuffed. During a search of Smith, the deputy located a loaded gun in one of Smith’s pants pockets along with bullets. The gun found in Smith’s pocket is the same gun that had been reported stolen from the LaPlace business earlier on Monday.
Smith was arrested and booked with:
• Simple burglary – immovable structure (2 counts)
• Possession of a firearm/carry concealed weapon by convicted felon (felony)
• Illegal possession of a stolen firearm