BOGALUSA, La. — Police have arrested a murder suspect after a Bogalusa bar owner was killed and the business' ATM was ransacked.
According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, 51-year-old David Rester robbed and sexually battered a convenience store clerk in the Pearl River area.
Police in D'Iberville, Mississippi Rester after a lengthy police chase. Investigators said that the Rester committed a series of crimes, including an alleged armed bank robbery and kidnapping, in Waveland, Mississippi prior to his arrest.
Investigators believe Rester is the man who murdered Marl Wayne Smith, owner of the Pub Lounge bar in Bogalusa. According to the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office, Smith was murdered inside the Pub Lounge on Thursday.
Police say the ATM inside the bar was destroyed and all the money was taken.
A surveillance camera caught an image of the suspect, and police are asking for the public's help to identify them.
More information may be released further into the investigation.
“Please look closely at this picture and help us identify this cold-blooded killer, so we can put him in jail where he belongs,” Sheriff Randy Seal said. “He must be brought to justice!”
Anyone with information on this killing is asked to call Det. Capt. Tom Anderson at 985-661-2024. Callers can remain anonymous.
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