Three Prineville juveniles charged with burglary and theft, accused of breaking into several Crook County Fair vendor booths
Barney Lerten
PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — Prineville Police said Friday they have arrested three juveniles on burglary and theft charges, accused of stealing nearly $2,000 worth of items from several Crook County Fair vendors a week ago.
Here’s the full news release:
On Friday, August 8, around 3:34 a.m., the Prineville Police Department responded to a report from a security guard at the Crook County Fairgrounds.
The guard reported encountering unidentified individuals in the vendor booth area. When he attempted to contact them, they fled on foot. The guard pursued the suspects but was unable to catch them and sustained injuries during the chase.
Later that morning, as fair vendors began arriving, officers conducted follow-up investigations and discovered multiple thefts had occurred overnight.
A total of six victims reported stolen items from their booths, with the total value of the stolen property estimated at nearly $2,000.
Through the course of the investigation, Prineville Police detectives identified three juveniles believed to be responsible for the thefts. Investigators also developed information regarding the possible location of some of the stolen property. Based on this evidence, arrest warrants were issued for all three juveniles, along with a search warrant for a residence on SE Elm Street.
On Thursday, August 14, at around noon, officers executed the search warrant at the SE Elm Street residence. Two of the juvenile suspects were located at the home, while the third was found at another location.
All three were taken into custody and lodged on charges of second-degree burglary and first-degree theft. Their identities are being withheld due to their age. Multiple stolen items were located at the residence.
This case remains under active investigation. No further information is available at this time.