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Baton Rouge man stole nearly $200k worth of equipment from Ascension business

2 years 6 months 1 week ago Friday, June 03 2022 Jun 3, 2022 June 03, 2022 12:12 PM June 03, 2022 in News
Source: WBRZ

GONZALES - A Baton Rouge man was arrested after he managed to steal over $190,000 worth of equipment from a business in Ascension Parish and then sold it off to a scrap yard.

The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office said the theft was reported Wednesday at ESP Valves Inc. on Don Lou Road. The owner told deputies the equipment was stolen from storage on their property. 

"It was unreal, watching the footage seeing someone going through our stuff," Jay Leto, the owner of ESP Valves said.

Investigators reviewed surveillance video which showed the thief loading the stolen items into a vehicle. They were later able to identify the man in that video as Kieu Tran, 32. 

Deputies tracked down Tran, who admitted to breaking into the business and then selling off the stolen equipment to a scrap yard in Baton Rouge. The victim was eventually able to recover that equipment. 

"Our detective who was amazing, was tremendous and he was the reason we found these people," Leto said. 

Tran was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail on theft and burglary charges and his bond is set to $40,000

Leto is relieved that he was able to get everything back and his business can carry on. 

"It was a terrible feeling, but we are glad that we have everything back. Back to business as usual," Leto said. 

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