Captured by their underwear, that’s how St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Peter Galvan described the recent arrest of two Franklinton men for their alleged involvement in the string of armed robberies that cropped up across the parish.

Thanks to the high-tech DNA processing facilities of the Coroner’s Office, the two suspects have been linked to at least six area Sonic robberies, Galvan said.

Slidell Police Chief Freddy Drennan gave credit for catching the alleged robbers to Galvan’s expedited efforts.

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“Usually, evidence like this is sent to the state crime lab for DNA processing which could take close to a year to get the results,” Drennan said, adding it took about a week for Galvan’s staff to get the results.

Jay T. MaGee, 21, 26472 Ray Jones Road of Franklinton, and Palanstea T. Williams, 18, of 1515 Parker St. in Franklinton, were arrested earlier this month for armed robbery by Mississippi authorities for robbing a Picayune Sonic restaurant. The suspects are currently being held in Mississippi under a $500,000 cash bond, authorities said.

The robberies began on Nov. 10 last year when a Hammond Sonic was robbed at gunpoint. The armed robberies continued to a Ponchatoula Sonic on Nov. 16 then to the Sonic in Slidell. Subsequent robberies continued thereafter across the area including restaurants in Covington and Denham Springs.

The duo’s alleged crime spree came to a close earlier this month thanks to a sharp-eyed Mississippi resident who called Poplarville police around 9:40 p.m. after witnessing two suspicious-looking black males leave a 1999 Silver Dodge truck parked in front of their home. A patrol officer arrived and found the keys still in the truck. He took the keys out and locked the vehicle for safekeeping, authorities said.

At 11:14 p.m., Poplarville police received a 911 call that the Sonic, which was about three blocks from the parked truck, had been robbed. Not long after, the same resident called police again telling them the two subjects were back at the truck and were “franticly trying to gain entry into the truck,” police said. By the time officers arrived, the two men were gone. While still on the scene, MaGee approached the officers clad in his underwear only, claiming he owned the truck and two subjects tried robbing him.

Officers were able to link items in the truck belonging to MaGee to the robbery. Using a K-9 unit, they also located MaGee’s clothes in the woods some distance away along with more evidence linking him to the crime, police said.

“It appears that once MaGee and Williams arrived back at their getaway vehicle, they first thought they locked the keys in the vehicle and climbed through the rear sliding window to look for the keys,” officials said. “While doing this, they left behind the gun they used and other Sonic items inside the truck.”

Police said the second man, Williams, was arrested the next day when a resident notified the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office after seeing Williams pushing a bike along U.S. Highway 11 around 6 a.m.

Deputies stopped Williams and discovered he had about $1,700 in cash stuffed in his shoes. It was also determined the bicycle had been stolen. Both men were arrested for armed robbery.

Mississippi authorities turned over the clothing found in the woods worn by MaGee to Galvan’s office in Slidell, including a red baseball hat that Magee was seen wearing in surveillance film at several of the Sonic robberies.

Using the sweatband under the hat, Galvan and his staff was able to match its DNA with MaGee linking him to several of the Sonic robberies, authorities said.

Other law enforcement agencies in Tangipahoa and St. Tammany are currently pursuing warrants charging both men with multiple counts of armed robbery and kidnapping.