LEBEAU, La., July 27 (UPI) -- A tough-talking Louisiana sheriff's lieutenant appeared in a Crime Stoppers video and directly addressed the thief who targeted his favorite supermarket.

The St. Landry Parish Crime Stoppers video, released by KATC-TV, features St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Lt. Clay Higgins standing in front of Stelly's Supermarket, where a burglar was caught on camera July 8 stealing hundreds of dollars in cash.


"Stelly's has been a local favorite for decades. The family works hard and is known to be generous. Always with a kind word for friend or stranger. The Stelly family represents southern hospitality at its best," Higgins said in the video.

"If you're the man that committed this felony, look at me son, I'm talking to you. The sheriff likes Stelly's restaurant, and so do I. The food here is good, and the folks are friendly. We're going to identify you, arrest you and put you in a small cell. After that, I'm gonna have a cheeseburger here with fries and a Coke and leave a nice tip for the waitress. Meanwhile, your next meal will be served through a small hole in a cell door. Because our detectives harvested DNA from the rock you used and you left a perfect boot print on the door you kicked in. But we won't have to wait on lab results, 'cause you're on St. Landry Crime Stoppers tonight."

Higgins said he believes the thief will be identified and turned in by members of the public.

"The people that know you don't really like you, anyway," he warned in the video.