The Gazebo Gazette
GULFPORT (GG) — On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, Logan Allan D’Elena of Saucier, Miss. was convicted by a jury late last week for burglary of a dwelling and grand larceny. Circuit Judge Christopher Schmidt presided over the two-day trial at the Harrison County Courthouse in Gulfport. After receiving the jury’s verdict, Judge Schmidt found that D’Elena was a life-habitual offender and sentenced the defendant to life in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
The jury heard that on the afternoon of December 15, 2022, the victim’s neighbor saw a bronze-colored Ford F-150 leaving the victim’s property on Turan Road with a utility trailer full of forestry equipment in tow. The neighbor called the victim, who was out of town, to ask him if he had sold any of his equipment, which the victim had not, so the neighbor called 911 and reported the theft.
When deputies with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office responded to the victim’s residence, they found the back door pried open and the master bedroom’s window busted out. The home had been ransacked, and a safe in the master bedroom had been sawed open with a gas-powered cutting saw. At least fifteen firearms had been stolen from the victim’s safe along with thousands of dollars’ worth of ammunition.
Testimony at trial revealed that D’Elena had visited the victim’s property earlier the same morning in the same suspect vehicle while the victim was at the residence. D’Elena contacted the victim and asked if he had any equipment for sale.
The victim allowed D’Elena to inspect a forestry mulcher and stump grinder that the victim had been attempting to sell. D’Elena stayed at the victim’s property for approximately two hours, taking photographs of the equipment and “talking business” with the victim. Before leaving the property, D’Elena left his business card with the victim.
During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that a neighboring property to the victim had video surveillance which captured each time D’Elena went to the victim’s property. D’Elena can be seen on video returning to the victim’s neighborhood at 12:31pm and hiding out in the trees just short of the victim’s property.
D’Elena waited for the victim to leave his residence before driving the Ford F-150 back onto the victim’s property. Video surveillance showed that when D’Elena finally left the victim’s property about an hour later, the victim’s utility trailer carrying the victim’s forestry mulcher and stump grinder was attached to the back of the truck.
“The investigation revealed that D’Elena traded the forestry mulcher and stump grinder for a red Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle and cash, and abandoned the utility trailer on the side of the road approximately a mile and a half from D’Elena’s residence. The utility trailer, forestry mulcher, and stump grinder were returned to the victim. However, the stolen firearms were never recovered,” said Assistant District Attorney Jasmine Magee who prosecuted the case along with Katherine Simmerman.
At the sentencing hearing, the State offered proof that D’Elena has three prior felony convictions for burglary of a dwelling, which is considered a crime of violence. In addition, D’Elena has multiple other pending felony charges. As such, he was subject to being sentenced as a habitual criminal with the maximum penalty of life imprisonment due to his violent history.
Judge Christopher L. Schmidt considered D’Elena’s criminal history and sentenced D’Elena to Life in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, a sentence to run consecutive to the 25-year sentence that he is currently serving for his prior felony convictions.
