LONGBRANCH- A13-year-old city juvenile, alongwith hismother and stepfather, were arrested lastweek in connectionwith a string of burglaries in the northern section of Long Branch.
Police took the juvenile into custody on May 21 and are charging him with five counts of burglary, five counts of theft, fencing, obstruction, hindering, and three counts of attempted burglary, according to police reports.
He was transported to the Monmouth CountyYouth Detention Center in Freehold Township.
The home burglaries began around May 9 on the north side of the city, according to police reports, which state that the juvenile focused on homes close to his Joline Avenue residence during the day.
The juvenile allegedly would pry the screen from windows and slide unlocked windows up to gain entry into the homes, according to reports.
The proceeds fromthe robberies included video game consoles, video games, a flatscreen TV, digital cameras, DVDs and various pieces of jewelry, according to reports.
Avictimfromone of the home burglaries told police that he works for a video store in a neighboring town and said that he believes that the suspects in his home burglary came into his store and sold some of the stolen video games for cash, according to police reports.
Long Branch Forensic Detective Scott Beaver was able to link the juvenile to one of the house burglaries through forensic evidence found at one of the crime scenes, according to reports.
Further investigation revealed that the juvenile’s mother and stepfather took the suspect to the video store to sell the stolen proceeds, authorities said. Their names are being withheld so that the identity of the juvenile will not be revealed, due to the boy’s age. There was no indication during the investigation that either the mother or the stepfather had actual knowledge of the home burglaries, authorities said.
The mother and the stepfather of the juvenile are being charged with receiving stolen property, fencing, dealing in stolen goods, employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime, obstructing the investigation of a crime, and hindering apprehension, according to reports.
Bail was set at $10,000 each with no 10 percent option for both adults.
Police also seized the vehicle that was used to transport the stolen proceeds to the store. The mother faces additional charges for possession of stolen property after additional proceeds were found in her possession at the time of her arrest, according to reports.