PRAIRIEVILLE - A group of suspected package thieves were arrested Wednesday shortly after an apparent crime spree that spanned at least two Ascension Parish neighborhoods.

The sheriff's office says the three suspects, 21-year-old John Vickers Jr., 18-year-old Jeremiah Preston and 19-year-old Javin Aguillard, are all from the Gonzales area.

The three were arrested Wednesday after residents reported them stealing packages in the Shadows of Ascension subdivision and in another neighborhood on Fairmont Avenue. Deputies received details on the suspects' vehicle and tracked it down to the parking lot of a nearby car wash. 

Deputies searched the vehicle and recovered several packages. Empty boxes were also found in a garbage can close by. 

Authorities were able to find the rightful owners of most of the packages and area citizens who notice they're missing a delivery have been instructed to contact the Sheriff's office. 

All three of the suspected thieves were booked on six counts of criminal trespass and misdemeanor theft, but the results of the investigation into their alleged activities didn't end there.

On Friday (Dec. 18) morning, the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office notified WBRZ that as its investigation into the incident continued, it became apparent that Preston and Aguillard committed additional package thefts.

As this is the case, their charges were upgraded to felony theft, along with three additional counts of criminal trespassing.