NEW ROADS - The Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Office said it busted a juvenile burglary ring where they believe a group of three teens are responsible for wreaking havoc on the parish.

In all, they are responsible for as many as 10 burglaries, according to Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux. Thibodeaux said the juveniles stole two cars within 29 minutes one night. Cash and weapons are also missing.

Two juveniles were taken into custody over the holidays. One was wearing an ankle monitor because of prior crimes. A third juvenile who is believed to be the ring leader, Demarion Simmons, was arrested Saturday after a weeks-long search.

Thibodeaux said Simmons has escaped from two secure juvenile facilities over the past two months. Before Simmons' Saturday arrest, Thibodeaux expressed his concerns about Simmons escalating his crimes or a homeowner hurting him.

Simmons left the Bridge City Center for Youth on Nov. 21. He was taken back into custody and escaped from another facility in Acadiana on Dec. 11. He was serving time for prior burglaries.

"I'm very worried that a serious event is going to take place where someone is going to shoot this child or vice versa," Thibodeaux said.

The sheriff said the group's burglaries ranged from Ventress to Lakeland.

"I think you have a broken juvenile system," Thibodeaux said. "Here you have one that was caught two weeks prior with an ankle monitor, the very next day was caught again burglarizing and stealing again. So what's the use of having an ankle bracelet when no one is monitoring it?"