Thanks to an alert neighbor and a Slidell police officer, a potentially dangerous hostage situation was averted Christmas Day.

Four Slidell residents have been arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary and simple burglary, according to Slidell police spokesman Capt. Kevin O’Neill.

O’Neill said that on Christmas Day, a resident on Megan Lane in the Eagle Point subdivision noticed a strange car parked on the street with a person sitting inside. The resident called the Slidell police, and a K-9 officer responded to the call. O’Neill said the officer approached the car and began talking to the occupant. The office became suspicious of the person’s answers and was going to call it in when he heard broken glass coming from a house. The officer called for backup, and officers came upon three other people trying to get into a house through a broken window. O’Neil said the man in the car was the getaway driver.

However, after questioning the suspects, what seemed to be a simple burglary turned into something a bit more serious.

One of the suspects told police the house they were breaking into was his sister’s house. They had heard that his sister’s husband had a lot of cash in the house. The suspects were also armed with a pistol and were ready to hold the family hostage if they were at home, police said. Fortunately, O’Neil said, nobody was home at the time of the break in.

Arrested were Andrew W. Page, 20, 1611 Rue Charters; Christopher A. Cottrell, 19, 211 Megan Lane; Samarie Clark, 17, 941 Magnolia St.; and Jamani Clark, 18, also of 941 Magnolia St.

All were charged with criminal conspiracy of aggravated burglary and simple burglary. Cottrell was also charged for an outstanding attachment for failure to appear in the Slidell City Court.

O’Neill did not know which of the suspects is related to the attempted burglary victim. He said all four were taken to St. Tammany Parish Jail in Covington.

“It was lucky the neighbor was on the lookout and that nobody was home,” O’Neill said.