A Shreveport man is behind bars this afternoon after a patrol officer spotted him walking in the Highland neighborhood pushing a dolly loaded with merchandise believed to have been stolen from a local church.
Shreveport Police Officer Melvin Smith observed 35-year-old Tommy J. Neal near the intersection of College Street and Centenary Boulevard pushing a two-wheeled dolly with a trash can on it covered by a white sheet.
Smith stopped Neal and, upon further investigation, discovered musical equipment stolen from the Noel Methodist Church in the 500 block of Herndon Street hidden under the sheet. Neal was immediately taken into custody without incident.
Detectives responded to the scene and ultimately located other items stolen from the church concealed in a vacant house in the 1600 block of Highland Avenue. The items included kitchen utensils, books, food, and ice chests. The church has been the victim of at least one theft and one burglary since June 1 and investigators believe those crimes have been solved with the arrest of Neal.
Neal, who reportedly has no home address, was booked into the Shreveport City Jail on one count of simple burglary of a religious building and one count of illegal possession of stolen things. Authorities will be working to determine if he is responsible for other similar crimes in the area.
