Juvenile admits to theft of firearms
by Kathleen Stinson

NEW RIVER – A juvenile admitted to burglarizing a New River house and taking several firearms last week, according to Lt. Todd Bates of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Sometime between 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. July 10, a witness noticed a juvenile crouched down near a house in the 49000 block of North 5th Avenue, reported Bates. The unidentified witness then saw the youth walk away from the house carrying a blue box. Knowing that residents

of the home were not there, the witness said she became suspicious and called the owner of the property.

The owner checked the contents of the house and found several firearms missing, including one 22‑caliber handgun, and called MCSO, Bates said.

The witness later identified the suspect as the person she saw at the house, and the 13‑year‑old male juvenile was then picked up and detained by MCSO, Bates said.

The youth admitted to committing the burglary and was charged with second‑degree burglary and theft, Bates said.

The juvenile was booked into the Mesa Southeast Juvenile Detention Facility the date of the incident.

Reach the reporter at kathleen@thedesertadvocate.com.