On May 8, 2024, a St. James Parish Jury found 32-year-old Kaleb Clement of 3661 Kenmore Dr. Paulina, LA, guilty of Simple Burglary. Clement was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Adam Koenig and Bruce Mohon. Presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Cody Martin. 

          On June 19, 2019, officers with the Gramercy Police Department responded to a residence in the city limits of Gramercy in reference to a reported vehicle Burglary. Upon arrival, officers learned from the homeowner that an alert was received via the home’s video surveillance system. When viewing the video surveillance, a dodge pickup truck pulls into the driveway of the residence. An unknown white male wearing dark colored clothing and white shoes exits the truck, walks down the driveway, and enters the back yard. The unknown male then knocks on the door of the residence then proceeds to a vehicle parked in the driveway. The male subject is then observed making forced entry into the vehicle. A short time after, officers were dispatched to a second location in reference to a theft of a boat and trailer. The description of the suspect and suspect vehicle in this incident matched the description of the suspect and vehicle involved in the vehicle burglary. Gramercy officers traveled to St. John Parish after receiving information indicating the whereabouts of the stolen property. Gramercy officers and St. John deputies arrived in the area and observed the suspect vehicle still connected to the boat and trailer with an individual matching the description of the suspect standing in the boat. As officers exited their vehicles, they lost sight of the suspect who was ultimately found hiding inside a compartment on board the boat. The suspect was identified as Kaleb Clement, and he was detained pending further investigation. During a search of the suspect vehicle, officers located a Louisiana Vehicle Registration and an insurance card associated with the vehicle which was burglarized in Gramercy. In addition, during a pat down search of Clemet, officers located the keys to the burglarized vehicle in Clements’ pant pocket. Clement was arrested by St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office and booked into the St. John Parsh Jail as a fugitive from the City of Gramercy. Clement was subsequently transported to the St. James Parish Jail where he was booked on said charges. 

          Upon the jury rendering a guilty verdict in this matter, sentencing was deferred to a later date pending a Pre-Sentence Investigation. Sentencing is tentatively set for August 6, 2024. The District Attorney’s Office intends to file a habitual offender bill in this matter as Clement is a 4^th time felony offender.