Police: Former U.S. congressional candidate from Monroe falsely reported robbery

Former U.S. congressional candidate Zelma Blakes was arrested Tuesday on accusations she falsely reported a robbery and kept money she claimed was stolen. Blakes, 36, 1206 St. John Street, Monroe, ran against U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander to represent the 5th District of Louisiana in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004.
On Tuesday, Blakes was charged with filing a false report and felony theft.

An employee of Jackpot Video Bingo, Blakes was supposed to take a deposit from the business to a bank Monday when she said she was robbed of the money and her purse. She told her story to Monroe police, who began an investigation.

Detective Maj. Don Bartley said investigators became suspicious of Blakes' story because parts of it defied logic.

For instance, Blakes told police that a black woman wearing all black approached her vehicle with a gun and robbed her.

"If someone approaches your vehicle, you're not going to stay and chit chat," said Bartley. "If something doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense."

During the investigation, police reportedly discovered the bag of money that Blakes said was stolen at a local residence without the property owner's knowledge.

Bartley said the money was located when someone called the police station to say they knew where it was.

Blakes was taken into custody Tuesday after she arrived at the police station as part of the investigation. She reportedly denied the charges.

Blakes attended Carroll High School and graduated from McNeese State University in 1995 with a degree in broadcasting.

Blakes was taken from the Monroe police department Tuesday afternoon to Ouachita Parish Correctional Center. She was freed on a $4,000 bond.