Palm Coast, FL - Three juveniles, a 13-year-old female and two males, ages 12 and 13, are facing charges of Burglary of an Unoccupied Conveyance, Petit Theft, and Loitering. The 12-year-old male is also charged with Credit Card Theft.
Flagler County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call Monday (May 27) morning in the F-section of Palm Coast. A victim told deputies that her vehicle had been broken into the night before. Another car in the driveway also appeared that it had been burglarized. A check found that $100 cash, a checkbook, and multiple credit cards were missing.
As deputies were working the two burglaries, another neighbor walked up and said their vehicle was also broken into but again, nothing was missing. Deputies found some of the stolen items at a nearby intersection.
Surveillance video from neighbors in the area showed two young males and one young female walking in the area. Due to previous encounters, law enforcement was aware of a home where a number of juveniles lived.
They went to the home where an adult female positively identified the children in the video as her son and two of his friends. When questioned, they admitted to sneaking out and burglarizing the vehicles. They admitted to trying to use a credit card to make purchases on an Xbox gaming console.
“This is exactly why we implemented District and guardianship policing in 2017 so that our deputies get to know the neighborhoods. I’m very proud of our deputies in quickly solving these cases,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “These kids made a very poor decision. They thought they could break into these cars, take whatever they wanted, and that there would not be any consequences. Fortunately, that is not the case. I hope this encounter will be the conduit that puts them back on the right path. Luckily, this time we were able to return the stolen property to the victims but that is not always the case. Help protect yourself from becoming a victim by locking your car doors and taking your valuables with you.”
The three juveniles were processed at the Flagler county Jail and released to their guardians at the request of the Department of Juvenile Justice.
