Four suspects nabbed for two robberies

Published 7:37 pm Wednesday, March 7, 2007

City and county law enforcement teamed up to catch what they believe to be the suspects involved in two separate armed robberies.

The first robbery the suspects allegedly were involved in was the Feb. 25 robbery of Logan’s One Stop at the end of Beech Street, a release from the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department stated.

Witnesses reported two individuals, later identified as Frank Bridges and James Bridges, entered the store and approached the counter to purchase something. When the clerk opened the register Frank Bridges reportedly pulled a gun and went behind the counter and assaulted the clerk, Capt. Chris Lott said. Two other suspects were outside the store waiting in the car, Lott said. Those suspects were later identified as Agnes Batiste, 36, 1109 Merrydale Dr. and Timothy Young, 36, 845 Herrin Dr. Batiste allegedly was driving the vehicle during the incident, Lott said.

Sign up for our daily email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

Three days later, on Feb. 28, the four allegedly robbed the Picayune Movie Gallery at about 9 p.m., said Picayune Police Deputy Chief David Ervin. This time Batiste entered the store to rent a video and allegedly check the place out before returning to the vehicle where Young and the other two suspects were waiting, Ervin said.

Then Frank Bridges and James Bridges entered the store, each heading for one of the two clerks on duty at the time. One suspect had a knife while the other had a gun. Ervin said he could not confirm which suspect had which weapon.

The pair asked for the money in the store, and the employees complied, Ervin said. The employees were then locked in a closet before the suspects made their escape. Later one employee managed to escape the closet through the drop down ceiling to call the police.

Through cooperation and information sharing between the two departments, they were able to identify and capture the four suspects. Video footage taken at the Logan’s robbery provided by the Sheriff’s Department gave the Picayune Police Department the information they needed, Ervin said.

“We want to thank the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department for their cooperation in our investigation into the armed robbery of the Movie Gallery here in Picayune,” Ervin said.

Three of the four suspects were brought in by the Picayune Police Department and the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department, while the fourth was picked up at an acquaintance’s home in the county, Lott said. Lott said the suspects were captured through information provided by a network of informants.

The three suspects taken into custody by the police department were James D. Bridges, 37, of Picayune, exact address unavailable, Frank Bridges, 41, of 1109 Merrydale Dr. and Agnes Batiste, 36 of 1109 Merrydale Dr. The Sheriff’s Department has Timothy Young, 36, of 845 Herrin Dr., in custody.

“Crimes of violence will not be tolerated in this city. If a violent crime is committed in our city, we will go after the perpetrator wherever they run or live and bring them to justice,” said Chief Jim Luke in a written statement.

Ervin said the Movie Gallery robbery was solved in about 20 hours from the time it took place thanks to the collaborative effort of the Picayune Police Patrol division, Investigation division and Pearl River County Sheriff’s department.

In a separate incident the suspect involved in the Pit Stop robbery, which took place on Sept. 25, 2006, was caught in California. Jael Fraise, 30, last known address of 160 Arbor Gate Cr. Apt. E was picked up Feb. 28 in Needles Calif.