On March 12, 2019, Benzel Young of 435 N Airline Ave. Gramercy, LA., age 27, pled guilty as charged to Simple Burglary. Young was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Adam Koenig, and presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Jessie LeBlanc.

          On December 28, 2016, detectives with the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a Lutcher residence in reference to a burglary. Upon arrival, detectives made contact with members of the Lutcher Police Department and the homeowner. Upon making contact with the homeowner, detectives learned that the suspect had removed a window unit from the residence and made entry. While canvassing the scene, detectives were alerted to an area inside of the residence that had been tampered with. The homeowner noticed that miscellaneous items including jewelry were missing. Detectives were able to obtain scientific evidence to submit to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for DNA analysis. While waiting on the conclusions from the crime lab, detectives learned that within a small margin of time following the burglary, a male subject identified as Benzel Young sold multiple items identical to the items taken during the burglary. A warrant of arrest was obtained for Young. Testing at the crime lab indicated that a DNA sample taken from the interior of the residence matched that of Benzel Young. Young was subsequently arrested and booked into the St. James Parish Detention Center.

          Upon entering a guilty plea to the above-mentioned charge, sentencing was deferred to a later date pending a Pre-Sentence Investigation.

          On June 10, 2019, Young appeared before Judge LeBlanc for sentencing. Judge LeBlanc ordered that the defendant be committed to the Louisiana Department of Corrections for a period of 10 years with credit for time served.