Burglary Arrest
UPDATE – Another arrest has been made in the ongoing investigation into the numerous burglaries committed on US 71 South and US 165 South as well as other areas of Rapides Parish.
43-year-old Jeffrey Alan Miles of Pineville, has been arrested in connection to the business and vehicle burglary arrests released earlier this week. Sheriff’s detectives were able to link Miles to the crimes and on May 31st, warrants were obtained for his arrest. Members of the US Marshals Violent Offender Task Force located Mikes and he was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center. Miles is currently being held on a ,500.00 bond as well as a Parole Violation charge and remains in the Rapides Parish Detention Center at this time.
Miles is charged with: Criminal Trespass, 4 counts criminal damage, 4 counts vehicle burglary and theft of a vehicle.
Original Release – During the month of April and through mid-May, Sheriff’s detectives have been investigating numerous business/vehicle burglaries and thefts near US 71 South and US 165 South in Alexandria. From the beginning, from the evidence collected at each scene, detectives believed all the crimes were related and may have been committed by the same individual or group of individuals. Near midnight on
May 26th, a patrol deputy saw a truck on the parking lot of a church in Kingsville and went to investigate. As the deputy approached the vehicle, he recognized it as being reported stolen from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries earlier in the week. As the deputy activated his emergency lights to initiate the stop, the suspect immediately fled and led deputies on a lengthy pursuit. Deputies pursued the suspect vehicle, at high rates of speed, from Kingsville to Woodworth and back to Pineville where the chase ended at the top of the Curtis-Coleman Bridge. The suspects, identified as Randy Trae Miles, 39 of Pineville, and Melissa Sandifer Ferrington, 49 of Pineville, were taken into custody without further incident. Miles was arrested for numerous charges involving the pursuit and theft and/or possession of a stolen vehicle. Ferrington was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle. Both were booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center. Miles remains in jail on a $78,825.00 bond. Ferrington was released on a $5000.00 bond. Thankfully, no injuries were sustained during this high-speed pursuit.
Sheriff’s detectives also responded to the scene and through their investigation, were able to gather information which led to the recovery of another stolen vehicle and the location of other stolen property from numerous burglaries. On June 1st, 2017, detectives executed a search warrant at 1417 Sherwood Drive Pineville, LA, in reference to the burglaries and narcotic activity. Detectives located three adults and one juvenile at the residence. Rachel Johnson, Wade Johnson and Christopher Hayward were arrested on possession of stolen goods charges as well as other charges while the juvenile was turned over to the Department of Children and Family Services. The homeowner, Robert Thomas Brown, Jr., was not home at the time. Rachel Johnson remains in jail on a $30,000.00 bond. Wade Johnson remains in jail on a hold without bond on the contempt charge and a $9,500.00 bond on the other charges. Christopher Hayward remains in jail on a $7,750.00 bond.
Later that evening, deputies with the US Marshals Violent Offender Task Force, who had been assisting in the investigation, located a van thought to be involved in the burglaries traveling on LA 3225 at Sherwood Drive. A traffic stop was initiated and Brown, Curtis Troy Parker and Teresa Kaye Mitchell were all taken into custody without incident in reference to the ongoing criminal investigation. Robert Thomas Brown, Jr. was released on a $9,500.00 bond. Teresa Kaye Mitchell was also arrested on an outstanding NCIC warrant from Ohio for probation violation, theft and possession of criminal tools and is currently awaiting extradition. Curtis Troy Parker remains in jail being held on a probation violation.
On June 2nd, detectives uncovered evidence that two other individuals were involved or had a role in these crimes. On June 2nd, Henry Ray Durison, 59 and Charlotte Hemingway Constance, 47, both of Alexandria, were arrested on warrants for criminal conspiracy and accessory after the fact in reference to the burglary investigation. Both suspects were booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center and were released on June 5th on $10,000.00 bonds each.
“This has been a lengthy investigation and as we have said before, burglaries are one of our most frequent calls for service and a thorn in our side that we take personally” said Sheriff William Earl Hilton. “Our patrol deputies are always on the lookout for suspicious vehicles or persons in neighborhoods and near businesses. This one deputy, who saw this vehicle which was out of the ordinary on a church parking lot late at night, opened the door to solving these burglaries and may have even prevented a church burglary. I would like to thank our detectives for their tireless dedication and hard work, running down leads and looking at all the clues left by these individuals, for a job well done. I would also like to thank all the other agencies that assisted in this investigation.”
Detectives say their investigation is still ongoing and more arrests are probable
