On Tuesday, January 13, 2015, St. John the Baptists Parish Sheriff‘s Office detectives arrested three suspects in connection to a string of three purse thefts that occurred at the LaPlace Wal-Mart on January 3 to January 12. Over the course of the investigation and with the aid of the store‘s video surveillance, detectives identified the three suspects and the vehicle used to leave the Wal-Mart store.
Detectives spoke with the three suspects who all confessed to detectives their roles in the three incidents. The trio sought victims with designer purses who set their purse in the section of a grocery basket for toddlers, and when an inattentive victim moved away from the grocery basket, the perpetrator would grab the purse and exit the store. The suspects also confessed to planning and executing similar crimes in Kenner and Slidell.
Detectives arrested Kellie Landry, 33, of LaPlace and booked her with three counts of theft and prohibited activities (racketeering). She remains in custody in lieu of a $40,000 bond. Landry was arrested three times in St. John the Baptist Parish since April 2007.
Detectives arrested Shannon Casillas, 28, of LaPlace and booked her with three counts of principal to theft, prohibited activities (racketeering), and two outstanding attachments. She remains in custody in lieu of a $40,300 bond. Casillas was arrested seven times in St. John the Baptist Parish since November 2010.
Detectives also arrested Andrew Sanford, 23, of LaPlace and booked him with three counts of principal to theft and prohibited activities (racketeering). Sanford remains in custody in lieu of a $20,000 bond.
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