The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 29-year-old St. Rose man for allegedly robbing the Express Cleaners in Destrehan. The arrest was made exactly a week after the crime took place.
Charles Conrad III, of 228 Mockingbird Lane, is charged with robbing the store at gunpoint at 1:20 p.m. on Jan. 17. A Metairie man, who was working at the store at the time, was told to lie on the floor while a female co-worker was forced to gather up money.
The robber then fled the scene.
One day after the crime occurred, the sheriff’s office released a pair of photos taken at and near the scene of the robbery. One showed the robber in a black hooded sweatshirt with a large design on the back, while the other photo showed the robber getting into a 2008 red Dodge Charger that was parked at the Krystal Klear Car Wash on Longview Dr.
St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Pat Yoes says that detectives ran a registration search for the Dodge Charger that eventually led to a witness who identified Conrad.
“Deputies and plain clothes detectives have worked day and night in this case both investigating and protecting businesses in the area and have done an excellent job in both endeavors,” Sheriff Greg Champagne said.
Conrad, who has previous convictions for armed robbery and domestic battery, is being charged with armed robbery and the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His bond is set at $500,000.
Two days before that crime took place, a similar armed robbery occurred at Uniforms by Kajun. In that instance, the robber held a knife to a female employee’s cheek to get her to turn over the store’s money. The robber, who was wearing tan pants, a black hooded sweatshirt, flip flops and sunglasses, then fled the scene with the money and the clerk’s cell phone.
In both cases, the robber was described as being 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing anywhere from 140 to 150 pounds.
On the evening of Jan. 17, eight hours after the Express Cleaners robbery, a third Destrehan business was robbed. This time, two black males entered Video Traques, with one the men pointing a handgun at the store’s female employee. The employee complied with the robber’s request for money and was tied up by the men afterward. The victim was able to free herself and contact the sheriff’s office.
Sgt. Dwayne LaGrange said that one of the two robbers was described as being between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet. He weighed between 175 to 180 pounds. The second robber was described as being between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 9 inches and weighing from 170 to 180 pounds.
All the above investigations are ongoing.
Anyone having information on any of these crimes is asked to contact the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office at 985-783-6807 or Crime Stoppers at 1-877-903-STOP. Citizens who call Crime Stoppers do not have to give their name or testify and could receive up to $2,500.
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