Fired employee, another suspect booked in theft of safe, its cash and guns

Two Evangeline Parish men, including a disgruntled former employee, have been charged with the burglary of Babineaux’s Concrete Officers responded to the burglary of Babineaux’s Concrete, 550 South 12th St. Eunice on March 23.
Taken during the burglary was a safe which contained $20,000 cash, an AK-47 assault rifle , and an AR-15 assault rifle.
During the investigation detectives learned that an employee was recently fired from the business. Detectives wanted to speak to the former employee, John Turner, as part of the investigation.
On March 28 detectives went to 217 S 7th Street in Mamou with members of the Mamou Police Dept and Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office.
As detectives knocked on the door two men were observed running out of the back door. Both were detained after a foot pursuit and identified as John Turner, 48, of Ville Platte and Jimmy Coker, 43, of Mamou.
Turner allegedly confessed to detectives that he went to the business and shut off the power in order to steal the safe and he was assisted by Coker. Coker also allegedly confessed to his part in the burglary.
The safe weighed more than 500 pounds and was removed from the building by both suspects and placed into a truck.
The safe was then taken into rural Evangeline Parish and cut open with a torch. The safe was located in a gully in Evangeline Parish.
Both guns and about $6,000 have been recovered to this point, police said.
Both were booked into the Eunice City Jail and appeared before 27th Judicial District Judge Alonzo Harris on March 31. Bond has been set at $55,000 each.
Both are charged with aggravated burglary and felony theft and were still in the Eunice City Jail Tuesday morning.