Daily arrest report: Morgan City man accused in Bayou L'Ourse burglaries

(Editor’s note: The charges listed here and the narratives that go with them are provided by the police agencies that made the arrests. Guilt or innocence has not been determined in court.)

A Morgan City man is accused in a series of burglaries at a Bayou L’Ourse welding business, arrest reports say.

Assumption
Sheriff Leland Falcon reported these arrests:
—Kyle Bailay Bellard, 22, Columbus Street, Morgan City, was transferred from St. Mary to Assumption on Wednesday and booked on five counts of simple burglary.
On July 1, the Sheriff’s Office responded to a Bayou L’Ourse welding business. Deputies were advised by the complainant that approximately $25,000 worth of welding equipment from the work site had been stolen.
On July 2, Assumption Parish detectives received information identifying Bellard as a likely suspect.
St. Mary Parish authorities requested and were granted a search warrant for Bellard’s property in Morgan City. Authorities located the stolen equipment.
At some point, detectives interviewed Bellard and that process produced sufficient information to obtain warrants for Bellard.
The suspect went to the location on at least five occasions, resulting in five burglary charges.
Bellard was arrested in St. Mary Parish on or about July 12. Bellard was transported to Assumption Parish on Wednesday.
Bellard was booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center pending a bond hearing.
—Kenneth Lee Benoit, 40, Jupiter Street, Morgan City, was arrested Wednesday on St. Mary warrants alleging failure to appear on charges of attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, criminal neglect and possession of amphetamine/dextroamphetamine.
On Wednesday, deputies responded to a complaint at a location on Teddy Street in Pierre Part.
While investigating the original complaint, deputies came into contact with Benoit. Deputies conducted a criminal records inquiry and determined that Benoit was wanted on failure to appear warrants in St. Mary Parish as well as a fugitive warrant.
Kenneth Lee Benoit was arrested and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center without bond.
The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office reports that he was booked into jail in St. Mary at 3:58 p.m. Thursday.

St. Mary
Sheriff Blaise Smith advised that over the last 24-hour reporting period, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 43 complaints and reports this arrest:
—Abel Keller Garza Jr., 32, Morgan City, was arrested at 9:45 p.m. Thursday on charges of brake lights required, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and driver must be licensed.
Garza was released on a summons to appear Jan. 4.

Franklin
Police Chief Morris Beverly reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to 13 complaints over the past 24 hours and made this arrest:
—Christopher Lumpkin, 39, Easy Street, Franklin, was arrested at 10:09 a.m. Thursday on 16th Judicial District Court warrants alleging failure to appear on the charges of sex offender registration moved without notifying and failure to register and notify as a sex offender. Lumpkin was booked, processed and transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.