7 juveniles arrested in car-theft investigation

The all-male crew is being tied to crimes from Columbus to Richmond, Ind.

Seven juvenile males taken into custody late Thursday afternoon as part of a multi-jurisdictional car-theft investigation are believed to be involved with all sorts of ancillary crimes, from break-ins to being in possession of stolen guns. Here are some key facts of the story:

  • The boys range in age from 13 to 16, prosecutors say
  • 2 stolen cars also recovered during the arrests
  • Activity stretches from Columbus to Richmond, Ind.
  • Cars stolen had been left running at gas stations
  • Police: Car thefts have occurred since mid-December

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UPDATE @ 2:12 p.m. (March 4):

Seven juvenile males appeared in juvenile court this afternoon and the judge said the teens will each face a charge of felony receiving stolen property charge and misdemeanor charges of running from police.

The judge said additional charges could come and the juveniles will stay in juvenile detention until a pre-trial hearing on March 25.

Each of the seven teens will be appointed an attorney, according to the judge.

UPDATE @ 1:20 p.m. (March 4):

Seven juvenile males are expected to appear in juvenile court this afternoon, however they have not been officially charged, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.

The prosecutor’s office said they are still reviewing the cases for possible charges against the teens.

UPDATE @ 8:10 p.m. (March 3): The juveniles arrested in the car-theft investigation are believed to have been involved in stealing cars to commit other crimes, take joyrides, cause crashes and victimize people for fun, Moraine police Sgt. Andrew Parish said.

He said a multi-jurisdictional investigative team involving police from Dayton, Moraine, Huber Heights, Centerville and Kettering as well as Moraine has been focused for the last 2 1/2 months on a car-theft problem and subsequent criminal activity that included break-ins.

Seven juvenile males — all from Dayton, ranging in age from 13 to 17 — were arrested and two stolen cars have been recovered. One was stolen from Huber Heights and other was taken from Fairborn, all in the last week, Parish said.

“We’ve tied a least a handful of these juveniles caught today to multiple car thefts dating all the way back to mid-December, and possibly even before that,” Parish said.

“We’ve also tied them to several break-ins and breaking-and-entering offenses in an expansive area that ranges all the way up to Columbus, all the way down to Cincinnati and as far west as Richmond, Ind. We believe these juveniles are responsible for some of those incidents,” the sergeant said.

He said police believe the crew targeted cars left at gas stations and in front of houses as they were warming up. The cars stolen had been left unattended and running.

The crew used those stolen cars to commit other crimes police believe they were associated with and take joyrides and causing crashes and victimizing other people just for fun, Parish said.

Guns also have been tied to several of the juveniles taken into custody, he said, noting that none of the guns has been recovered.

Some of the juveniles are runaways, others have warrants out of county juvenile court for their arrests.

The arresting agencies will take their evidence to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office Juvenile Division. Parish said the charges are likely to include:

** Delinquency by reason of receiving stolen property

** Delinquency by reason of grand theft auto

The prosecutor’s office will have to explore whether charges will be pursued against parents or guardians, he said.

Parish said police had been conducting surveillance on the Milburn Avenue address over the last couple of weeks because they were able to determine the house is a hangout for some of the juveniles. That surveillance also turned up at least two stolen vehicles in the same neighborhood.

Thursday afternoon, several of the juveniles left the house to get in those cars and that’s when police from several agencies made the arrests, at least one of which occurred after a foot chase through several yards.

Thursday night, Parish said. police were searching the house on Milburn, looking for more evidence of the crew’s activities. There are other houses in the Dayton area where the juveniles like to gather, he said, and police are likely to search those soon.

FIRST REPORT

At least seven juveniles have been taken into custody as part of a multi-jurisdictional car theft investigation.

The investigation includes Dayton, West Carrollton and Miamisburg police.

The arrests involved foot chases through an industrial neighborhood in the area of North Keowee and Webster streets.

One of the juveniles are caught several blocks south, in the area of Herbert and Taylor streets.

More arrests are occurring in the area of Chapel Street and Milburn Avenue.

Dayton police tell us they can’t say much right now because the investigation is ongoing.

We’ll keep working to bring you updates on this developing story.

— Jim Noelker, a first responder for whio.com and News Center 7, contributed to this report.

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