Astonishing Ages of Burglars Apprehended in Utica Revealed

What is wrong with the world we live in where four young children were involved in a burglary? Utica Police announced Wednesday the arrest on charges related to a break-in in the City of Utica..

Alarm Activated

Officials say officers responded to the Court Street Mini Mart at 1200 Court Street at approximately 6:00 P.M. on Tuesday after the store's alarm system was triggered.

Once police officers arrived they located a broken rear window and they established a perimeter around the property.

Apprehending the Suspects

Police say after they established the perimeter, they looked inside the Mini Mart and saw two individuals putting merchandise into bags. Eventually officers say they noticed the two individuals move to the front of the store to exit and turn themselves in, but the door was locked.

The owner of the store shortly after arrived on scene to let police in. Officials say the two individuals that were caught inside the store were discovered to be 15 and 17 years of age.

Both of the individuals were taken into custody without incident.

Assessing the Damage

After the arrest, police say officers noticed the inside of the store was torn apart and several items were damaged including the cash register and alarm system. Police also say officers moved to the upstairs vacant apartment where they noticed a door kicked in and found a number of bags with stolen merchandise inside.

More Suspects Discovered

One of the most disturbing aspects of this crime was what police discovered next. Upon further investigation of the incident, officials say they reviewed security tape and saw that there were two children inside the store that left prior to police arriving. Police learned the ages of those two suspects were 10 and 12.

Dealing with the Juveniles

At the conclusion of the initial investigation, police say the 17-year-old was charged with Burglary in the second degree and Petit Larceny. The other three individuals, ages 10, 12 and 15 will be turned over to the Utica Police Department Juvenile Aid in pursuance with the rest of this case.

A wave of crimes committed by younger children is nothing new. It was just earlier this week that a 16-year-old was arrested and charged following a shooting incident on Henry Street. A little over a year ago, a local non-profit organization called Sculpture Space was severely vandalized by younger children. It is not known what causes this behavior, but ultimately something has to be done.

One can only hope City of Utica Police can find an effective way to deal with this apparent new generation of offenders.