Residents of Ponchatoula Foil Burglary Attempt, Capture Suspect

PONCHATOULA, La. (WVUE) – In a remarkable display of community vigilance, residents in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, banded together to thwart a series of burglaries that had plagued their neighborhood. The incident unfolded on Saturday, January 27, when a group of homeowners confronted a suspected burglar attempting to flee the scene. By shooting out the suspect’s tires and later discovering him hiding inside a truck, the residents successfully apprehended the individual, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office reported that the incident involved a three-person ring believed to be responsible for a spate of burglaries targeting homes and vehicles in the area. The suspects, identified as 27-year-old Zachary Lafleur and 37-year-old Amber Skelton, both residents of Ponchatoula, have been arrested. However, a third suspect, 29-year-old Branson Monistere, remains at large and is wanted on multiple counts of burglary and possession of stolen items.

According to the statement released by Sheriff Daniel Edwards’ office, deputies were summoned to the Creekside subdivision after homeowners pursued Lafleur and cornered him at gunpoint. The sheriff’s office revealed that Lafleur was caught in the act of burglarizing a residence, prompting the homeowner to call for assistance from neighbors. Despite their efforts to restrain Lafleur, he managed to escape and sought refuge in a truck. However, one of the homeowners disabled the vehicle by firing shots at its tires, forcing Lafleur to flee on foot.

Minutes later, another resident residing on Weinberger Road heard a home security alarm sounding from a neighboring property. Having been alerted about the burglary suspect roaming the vicinity, the homeowner decided to conduct a thorough search of his own property. To his astonishment, he discovered Lafleur asleep inside a truck that belonged to him. The homeowner held Lafleur at gunpoint until law enforcement arrived at the scene.

Further investigation revealed that Lafleur had attempted to break into the nearby house to evade capture, triggering the alarm that had alerted the vigilant neighbor. Meanwhile, deputies received information about a U-Haul truck spotted in the Creekside subdivision, which was later found parked outside Discount Tobacco in Ponchatoula. Allegedly, two individuals were attempting to sell stolen items from the back of the truck.

Although Monistere managed to flee just moments before deputies arrived, Skelton was apprehended and arrested at the scene. Lafleur, on the other hand, faces charges including two counts of residential burglary, two counts of vehicle burglary, one count of attempted burglary, one count of simple criminal damage to property, and one count of illegal possession of stolen items. Skelton has been booked with three counts of residential burglary, one count of vehicle burglary, and one count of illegal possession of stolen items. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office has issued a warrant for Monistere’s arrest, listing charges of three counts of residential burglary, one count of vehicle burglary, one count of illegal possession of stolen items, and one count of failure to appear in court.

Authorities are urging anyone with information on Monistere’s whereabouts to contact TPSO detective Alex Nanni at (985) 902-2017 or Crimestoppers of Tangipahoa at (800) 554-5245.

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