String of ATM armed robberies lands New Orleans man in jail, another wanted

ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A recent string of armed robberies at ATMs may come to an end soon after investigators arrested a New Orleans man and issued warrants for another.

Mandeville police reported the first case happened on Wednesday, June 26, at the Capital One bank in the 3800 block of Highway 22. They say a woman was withdrawing money from one of the drive-up ATMs when a robber with a gun and mask approached and grabbed the $300 the woman had just withdrawn, as well as her cell phone. Police say he jumped into the passenger side of an SUV and made his escape.

Two days later, on June 28, around 9:20, police say a woman was trying to withdraw money from an ATM at the same bank when she was also confronted by a masked gunman who forced her to withdraw $1,000. After that robbery, the man left in a dark colored four-door car.

About 45 minutes after the second Mandeville robbery, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office reports an armed robber approached a man at an ATM in the Covington area and stole money that he was preparing to deposit. Deputies say they believe it was the same robber who targeted the women during the Mandeville cases.

Then, on Wednesday, July 3, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office reports Jefferson Parish deputies saw a vehicle being used in connection with the crimes outside of a bank. They tried to make a traffic stop, which led to a chase that reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour. It ended when the vehicle crashed in Slidell.

The driver, 20-year-old Leonard Earl Howard III, and the passenger, 26-year-old Vondrell Newsome, allegedly got out and tried to run off. Newsome was caught in a nearby wooded area, but Howard remains on the run.

According to the sheriff’s office, Newsome was booked in Jefferson Parish. In St. Tammany Parish, he’s charged with armed robbery and misdemeanor flight.

Howard is wanted in St. Tammany Parish for armed robbery, aggravated flight, aggravated obstruction of a highway and resisting an officer.

Additionally, both are facing armed robbery charges in Mandeville.

Anyone with information about Howard’s location can call the STPSO at 985-898-2338.

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