Four Slidell teenagers, ranging in age from 12 to 14 were arrested Wednesday for burglarizing seven homes in the Westchester subdivision of the city over the past month.

The four juvenile suspects allegedly stole computers, jewelry, cameras, cellular phones, video game sets and a high-powered assault rifle from the houses, said Slidell Police Chief Freddy Drennan at a Friday press conference.

It was the stolen assault rifle that led the police to the young burglary ring. Wednesday night, police were in the Westchester area because of the rash of burglaries in the area. There was a call of shots being fired near Fritchie Park on Spartan Drive.

Slidell Police Chief Freddy Drennan holds up a recovered .308-caliber assault rifle that was recovered after the arrest of four Slidell teens involved in seven burglaries. Standing with the chief are the Slidell detectives involved in the case, Detective Daniel Seuzeneau, Detective Bryan Nicaud, and Detective Ralph Morel. (Staff Photo by Erik Sanzenbach)

Drennan said police quickly set up a perimeter and cordoned off the area where the shots had been heard. The teens were coming out of the wooded area as police arrived.

The teens said they had been shooting a gun and took police back into the woods where a .308-caliber assault rifle was recovered. The four were arrested and taken to police headquarters and their parents were notified.

During questioning of the teens and their parents, the boys admitted they got the rifle in the course of burglarizing seven houses going back to May 2, all in the Westchester area. They also said one of the boy’s sisters, who is 14 years old was also involved in the burglaries. Drennan said the girl fearing she would be arrested, fled to Baton Rouge where she was apprehended and will be returned to Slidell to be charged with burglary.

The suspects told police that they would go and knock on the front doors of houses. If no one were at home, they would look for an open window or open door to gain access to the house.

“There was no forced entry in any of the burglaries,” Drennan said.

Capt. Kevin Swann said one victim came to the door before the four knocked.

“She startled them, and they took off,” Swann said, adding that the four came back later and burglarized the woman’s house when she was gone.

Two of the young burglars moved from Kenner to Slidell. Detective Daniel Seuzeneau said the Kenner boys arrived in Slidell on May 1, and the first burglary happened on May 2.

“They started to work really fast,” said Seuzeneau.

The four were also very brazen. Suezeneau said they used one of the stolen cameras to take pictures of each one of them brandishing the assault rifle.

Police discovered that the 14-year-old from Kenner was on probation for a school burglary. Drennan said his department is not automatically notified of a juvenile’s crime record when they move. The boy was sent to the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center, and the other three were turned over to their parents. Drennan said the parents have been very cooperative with police and even signed off on search warrants of their houses where most of the stolen property was recovered.

However, not all the property has been found, said Drennan, There are several high-priced cameras missing, and the teens did throw away a television and computer monitor that did not work. However, Drennan said there is no evidence the boys sold the stolen property.

“It looked like it was all for personal use,” the chief said.

The 14 and 12-year-old boys were each charged with seven counts of burglary, and possession of a stolen firearm. The other two, ages, 13 and 14 did not take part in the burglaries, but were each charged with possession of a stolen firearm. The young ages of the burglars are disturbing to Drennan, but he is particularly alarmed at the theft of the assault rifle.

“This is an extremely dangerous weapons to be in their hands,” Drennan said. “And shooting a gun in a populated area is very, very disturbing,” he said.

He added the four may also be charged with firing a weapon within city limits. He said the ammunition for the rifle is dangerous too, because it is designed to penetrate a police officer’s bulletproof vest.

Drennan and his detectives said the burglaries should warn residents to be on the lookout and to keep all doors and windows locked if you leave the house.

“If you see anything out of the ordinary, do not hesitate to call us,” Swann said.

Police are also asking that if anybody in the Westchester area did not report a burglary, and think that some of the stolen property may be theirs to call the Slidell Police Department at 643-3131.