Teens charged with arson of 14.5 acres

Two teenagers are charged in connection with a suspected arson of 14.5 acres of timber in Ouachita Parish and a third also was in custody, according tot he Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

Christopher Caleon Beaver and Jose Louis Reeves, both 18 and of Calhoun, are accused of stealing fireworks from a shed and using them to set fire to timber and property on Jim Finley Road, according to investigators. A 15-year-old, whose name was not released because of his age, also was taken into custody.

Damage to the shed and burned timber is estimated at $36,000, according to LDAF.

Beaver was booked into the Ouachita Parish jail May 15 on counts of simple arson and simple burglary, according to online booking records. As of May 31, he was still being held on $20,000 bond.

Reeves was booked into the Ouachita Parish jail May 3 on counts of simple arson, simple burglary and criminal trespass. He was released May 17 on $17,500 bond.

The juvenile was charged with criminal trespass and released to the custody of his guardian.

The Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division assisted LDAF investigators in the arrests.