Officers with the Picayune Police Department are investigating a rash of vehicle burglaries within the past week along with the case of one vehicle being stolen.

During that time, officers have answered calls of burglaries occurring in the areas of Third Avenue, ldlewild Drive, Lewis Circle, and Shirley Drive.

In the first incident on Lewis Circle on May 26, the victim reported the theft of a wallet with cash as well as personal identification documents.

The second incident occurred on ldlewild Drive on May 26 where the vehicle owner had a wallet containing a large amount of currency, bank cards, a handgun and more personal identification documents stolen.

The next incident occurred on May 27 on Shirley Drive. In that incident, the complainant called and stated his handgun had been stolen from his friend’s vehicle. The victim stated he had left his handgun in his friend’s vehicle and when he remembered he contacted his friend and found the handgun was missing. By the time the victim remembered the forgotten gun, the truck had been to several locations in Picayune as well as Slidell.

The last incident occurred on May 30 in the area of Third Avenue. The victim in this case stated someone entered his vehicle during the night and taken a handgun.

During the course of the investigation, patrol officers observed three subjects on security cameras trespassing at a residence on Idlewild Drive. A patrol officer in the area observed the three subjects on ldlewild Drive. The subjects dropped a bag before running into a wooded area. An officer recovered the bag, which contained the handgun stolen during the Third Avenue vehicle burglary.

On May 25, at 7:27 a.m. officers were dispatched to North Magnolia Street in reference to a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, officers met with  the victim, who stated his 2018 Ford F-150 truck had been stolen. The victim also advised that a check for $400 and a leaf blower valued at $600.00 were in the truck. On May 27 at approximately 7:00 a.m. investigators went to the Slidell area where the vehicle had been spotted. The vehicle was not able to be located in the Slidell area. Investigators were then called to the area of North Howard Street in Picayune in reference to the stolen vehicle being recovered. Investigators were able to recover the vehicle undamaged and return it to the victim in this case. The other items from the vehicle were not recovered. This case is still under investigation.

The  suspects are still at large at this time but these cases are still under investigation.

The Picayune Police Department would like to remind citizens to lock their vehicles at night and remove all firearms and valuables. The majority of the vehicle burglaries and vehicle thefts in these incidents involved unlocked doors. The police

department is adding extra patrols to combat the vehicle burglaries, thefts, as well as other crimes this summer. Anyone who observes suspicious activity in their neighborhood, especially at night, is encouraged to contact dispatch at 60 l-749-5482 or in the event of an emergency, call 911.