Young teenagers face multiple felony charges for vandalism and theft

By RICHARD HANNERS

Whitefish Pilot

The arrest last week of three young juveniles may solve numerous cases of vandalism and theft that occurred across Whitefish since Aug. 22, police detectives say.

Three Whitefish boys, 12, 13 and 14 years old, have been charged with multiple felonies because the damages exceed $1,000 per incident. More charges are pending further investigation, but so far the three boys are linked to:

? Spraypainting playground equipment and the new restroom at Kiddie Park on Baker Avenue.

? Spraypainting four vehicles parked in the lot north of the O'Shaughnessy as well as the theater building, the back of Markus Foods and the Great Northern Brewery.

? Theft of bicycles, including one from a garage worth more than $2,000.

? Setting fire to a Ronald McDonald donation box at the fast-food restaurant to access the money. The boys involved with this incident were caught in the act.

Det. George Kimerly and officer Ricci Lamb say they will continue to interview the boys and compile cases against them. At this point, there's no evidence of alcohol or drug use, although one boy was charged with MIP tobacco.

A burglary charge is also being investigated. Other spraypainting incidents that are under investigation occurred at Third Street Market, Downtowner Motel, the Corner House restaurant and American Bank.

Police learned during interviewing that the boys engaged in what they called "car shopping" — wandering around town checking out parked vehicles to see what was inside and if the doors were locked. They did not admit to stealing expensive items but did take items like sunglasses and cameras, detectives say.

It was while they were "car shopping" on Aug. 22 near the O'Shaughnessy that they found cans of spraypaint. Police officers got a call about the spraypainted vehicles about 11:41 p.m. and began tracking several young suspects all across town without success.

At one point, the young suspects were seen on rooftops, which has recently become a popular activity for juveniles. On Sept. 11, several teenagers were seen on the roof of a Central Avenue clothing store throwing things at passing vehicles.

Six days later, Whitefish police officers doing a routine security check at Whitefish High School about 11:46 p.m. discovered three teenagers playing a game they called "Ninja School."

Rounding a corner near the library entrance, officer Jason Acheson's flashlight revealed a young male in dark shirt and blue jeans with a bandana around his neck standing next to a metal pole supporting a satellite dish. Looking up, Acheson saw another male on the roof and a third person climbing the pole.

While officer Eric Durkee was responding to Acheson's call for assistance, Acheson put his X26 Taser in a "low ready position" and advised the suspects that if they acted hostile, they would be "tasered."

A 19-year-old male from Columbia Falls, a 16-year-old female and a 17-year-old male were arrested and charged with criminal trespass. The latter juvenile had a laceration across his chest that may have resulted from his climbing on the pole.

Among recent police cases involving juveniles, an eight-year-old boy was arrested at Muldown Elementary School on Sept. 13 after he lit up a Swisher Sweet cigar on the playground.

When the boy appeared at night court Sept. 19, the judge was unable to see him over the bench because he was so short.

On Sept. 15, a group of juveniles got rowdy at Mountain Mall Cinema. The reporting party claimed they tried to purchase things with McDonald's gift cards as if they were credit cards.

Whitefish police received a call on Sept. 16 about juveniles with knives chasing other children at the skatepark. A 16-year-old female from Columbia Falls was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

Since Aug. 22, there have been four separate reports of rocks or bricks thrown through the windows of parked vehicles.

In addition to an American flag reported stolen from Smith Fields and calls about damaged mailboxes and stop signs, there have been 14 reports of stolen or found bicycles — including one missing bike reportedly worth more than $4,000 and several seen in the Whitefish River.

Residents heading off to work in the morning have found their parked vehicles hit with eggs, paintballs or spraypaint.

Alcohol may play a part in some of this activity. On Sept. 4, two males ages 18 and 15 were arrested at a Skyles Avenue apartment and charged with MIP alcohol. A 13-year-old female at the "party" was arrested and charged with obstructing a police officer.