A man who claimed he was homeless and needed money was arrested by Slidell police last week on charges of burglary and attempted burglary, and police said he may have been involved in over 15 residential burglaries.

Kyle T. Burkett, 18, whose last known address was 1508 Magnolia St., in Slidell was booked Sept.3 on two counts of burglary and three counts of attempted burglary.

Police got wind of Burkett’s activities after a resident in the 100 block of Greencrest Court called the police to report that someone was trying to break into their home. The suspected burglar ran off, and police cordoned off the area to try and find leads.

While stationed there, detectives noticed a lot of activity at a house in the 200 block of Greencrest. They checked with dispatch and found the resident was wanted for failure to appear in court.

The homeowner’s girlfriend told police that Burkett had been staying at the house, and she was suspicious about his activities. She said Burkett had been acting “strange” and nervous about the police in the area.

She told police that Burkett brought into the house a big full of coins, claiming he got it from his grandmother, and he bragged that he had $1,400, which she thought unusual, because Burkett was unemployed.

The woman told the police that Burkett had gone to the mall to buy a new pair of shoes and a hat. Police were able to find the person who gave Burkett a ride to the mall, who told detectives that Burkett had a lot of cash on him. He also said that Burkett had asked him to drive to a bank earlier in the week so he could exchange the bag of coins.

Police located the person who drove Burkett home from the mall and inside the car they found a pair of athletic shoes, whose sole print matched those found on the ground near an earlier attempted burglary. While at the mall, police also found Burkett’s old hat that matched the description given by a homeowner in yet another attempted burglary.

When police finally located Burkett back at the Greencrest home, they asked him to come to Slidell headquarters. When he was confronted with the evidence, police said Burkett admitted to committing several burglaries and attempting several other break-ins.

Burkett allegedly told police that he would approach a house, see if anyone was home, and try to find an open door or window.

Once inside the house Burkett claimed he would only look for money, because he told police he was homeless and needed money to eat.

Besides the two counts of burglary and two counts of attempted burglary, police expect to charge Burkett with at least 10 more counts of burglary or attempted burglary.

After he was booked in Slidell, Burkett was taken to St. Tammany Jail, where he is being held under a bond of $65,333.