EDGARD — Daroy Bourgeois did an unusual thing this month during routine court procedures in St. John the Baptist Parish — the Bridge City man pleaded guilty.

The declaration came April 2 during his arraignment to the charge of simple burglary of an automobile and occurred, according to the St. John Clerk of Court’s Office, against the advice of defense attorney Michael Smith.

Daroy, 20, was expected to simply say “not guilty,” which District Attorney Bridget A. Dinvaut said the majority of all defendants do before beginning the long process of judicial prosecution and adjudication.

Dinvaut said Daroy’s plea shocked prosecutors.

“It is a very, very rare phenomenon when somebody actually stands up before the judge, says ‘I’m guilty’ and accepts responsibility,” Dinvaut said, adding it was Daroy’s first criminal offense.

According to the Clerk’s office, Daroy was sentenced to two years with the Department of Corrections suspended and placed on two years of active probation with monitoring.

He was ordered to pay $815 in fees and fines, as well as a $71 monthly probation fee starting next month.

Charges of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile and simple burglary were dropped, Dinvaut said.

Daroy was arrested after the St. John Sheriff’s Office responded to Parker Lane in Reserve at 5:30 a.m. Jan. 24 after reports of three males entering a vehicle and fleeing in a white Nissan Altima.

Deputies located a car matching the suspect vehicle description at the intersection of West Second Street and River Road in Reserve, and the vehicle’s three occupants were arrested following a traffic stop.

Deputies later responded to Ash Street in LaPlace in reference to an overnight vehicle burglary where the victim reported losing cash and personal documents.

Also arrested with Daroy were his 17-year-old brother Devin Bourgeois and their 14-year-old juvenile brother.

Dinvaut said prosecutors are proceeding with cases against the two youngest Bourgeois siblings.