Two Women Capture Suspects

— WBR Police Compare Them To “CSI” Officers

PORT ALLEN — Two women with knees bent and feet planted wide apart to ensure a steady aim held a pair of would-be burglars at gunpoint Thursday afternoon until West Baton Rouge sheriff’s deputies could arrest the suspects, the Sheriff’s Office said.

At first, a neighbor calling 9-1-1 reported seeing a suspicious vehicle in the 4900 block of Rebelle Lane, said sheriff’s Sgt. Glynn Scalise, one of the first law-enforcement officers on the scene shortly after 3 p.m.

A second call heightened the law- enforcement response when a caller reported that a woman was holding two men at gunpoint while arguing with them, Scalise said.

“She (one of the women) was yelling at them, and I couldn’t tell what was going on,” Scalise said, imitating the women’s posture and comparing them to crime-fighting officers on the popular television series “CSI.”

Scalise said deputies quickly gained control of the situation.

One of the men already had his hands up inside a brown Toyota hatchback, Scalise said.

The other was lying sprawled on the ground beside the car, Scalise said.

Laurence Berry, 40, 1408 Johnson St., Baker, and Anthony Mims, 48, 10658 Northdale Drive, Baton Rouge, were booked into the West Baton Rouge Parish Jail on counts of burglary, felony theft, possession of crack cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia, Scalise said.

The homeowners, one of the women and the husband of the other woman stood outside Thursday afternoon for a while talking with sheriff’s deputies about the afternoon’s unusual events.

John Fairchild’s wife, Dana, was on her way out of town when she noticed something going on at her neighbor’s house, John Fairchild said.

On closer inspection, she saw another neighbor pointing a gun at the two men, John Fairchild said.

John Fairchild said his wife always carries a weapon when traveling.

After sizing up the situation, Dana Fairchild grabbed her gun and joined her neighbor, John Fairchild said.

“Several of us over the years have had stuff stolen,” John Fairchild said. “It’s good to see people looking after each other.”

Dana Fairchild was unavailable for an interview because she had resumed her trip shortly after deputies arrived, her husband said.

The other woman involved declined to be identified or interviewed for this story.

The homeowner, Dwayne Coulon, said he was checking soybeans in back of the spillway near Maringouin when he received a cell phone call from a neighbor about the burglary at his home.

His first reaction was, “I don’t need this,” Coulon said.

But on second thought, he said, “It’s good to have good neighbors.”

Scalise said the two men admitted to stealing tools and several fishing rods and reels to buy crack cocaine. The items were recovered inside the Toyota, Scalise said.

One of the men said he was “glad” he got caught, so that he can finally receive help, Scalise said.

Deputies will try to match some of the recovered items not belonging to the Coulons to other nearby burglaries, Scalise said.

Reported in 2theadvocate.com