Sheriff’s Office also assisting FBI in search for Chase Bank robber
A 29-year-old St. Rose man, who was arrested for robbing the Express Cleaners on Jan. 17, could have taken part in a pair of similar crimes that took place in Destrehan during that same week.
Charles Conrad III was arrested after a pair of photos taken at and near the scene of the Express Cleaners robbery allowed detectives to track down a 2008 red Dodge Charger that was used in the crime. Sheriff’s Department Spokesman Capt. Pat Yoes says detectives ran a registration search for the Dodge Charger and were eventually led to a witness that identified Conrad.
Two days before that crime took place, a man entered Uniforms by Kajun and 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.
On the evening of the Express Cleaners robbery, a third Destrehan business was robbed. This time, two black males entered Video Traques, with one man 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.
“We do have some major leads and we are following these leads closely to determine whether or not the suspect was involved in all three crimes,” Sgt. Dwayne LaGrange said. “The investigation is still ongoing.”
Though Conrad’s arrest will certainly make Destrehan residents feel a little safer, the Sheriff’s Office is still investigating two more robberies that took place in the area.
On Valentine’s Day, one Chase Bank clerk got the scare of her life when a man entered the bank at 1:38 p.m. wearing a black shirt, dark colored jeans, tennis shoes and a hat. The man then demanded that the teller give him money. She quietly complied and the robber fled the scene.
The FBI has taken over that investigation, but LaGrange says that the Sheriff’s Office is assisting in any way that they can.
On Feb. 7, the Shell Gas Station on River Road was robbed.
In that instance, two black males entered the store at 1:21 a.m. with bandannas covering their faces. They both approached the register and one of the men kept his hand under his shirt as if he was holding a gun. The woman asked the men not to hurt her, and then handed over $439.
“We’ve had additional patrols on both sides of the river,” LaGrange said. “We are out there spending some extra time to make ourselves visible.”
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