Teens Suspected in Vehicle Break-Ins

A trio of teenage boys face criminal charges after they allegedly were caught breaking into vehicles at the complex on landmark Drive near Irmo, Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said Wednesday.

Metts said detectives will recommend that the 11th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office prosecute two 15 year-old-boys on two counts of breaking into a motor vehicle and one count of criminal conspiracy. Metts said his office will recommend the third teen, a 16-year-old boy, be prosecuted on one count of breaking into a motor vehicle and one count of criminal conspiracy.

Metts said he could not release the names of the three teen-age boys names because they were minors, but said the two 15-year-old boys live in Jackson, S.C. The 16-year-old boy lives in Beech Island, S.C., he said.

The three teens were allegedly visiting a friend who lives at Landmark Apartments, Metts said. The 16-year-old boy drove himself and the two 15-year-old boys to the apartment complex in his mother’s Jeep Cherokee sport-utility vehicle, Metts said

Sgt. Bill Finch, who works as a road patrol supervisor, allegedly saw the three teen-age boys in the process of breaking into the motor vehicles at the apartment complex on Monday night, Metts said. Finch and other deputies who were working as a team to conduct directed patrols in residential areas near Irmo caught the three teen-age boys and placed the boys in investigative detention, he said.

Deputies found that one 15-year-old boy possessed one TomTom Global Positioning System device that was allegedly stolen from a motor vehicle that was parked at the apartment complex, Metts said. 

Deputies found that the second 15-year-old boy possessed one Sony PSP video game player as well as headphones for the player and one Kyocera Qualcomm 3-G cellular telephone. Deputies found that the 16-year-old boy possessed one black stainless steel hunting knife, Metts said.

While the three boys were at the apartment complex, one of the 15-year-old boys also allegedly paid $30 to buy marijuana that was stored in five small plastic bags, Metts said. 

The three teen-age boys have all been released to the custody of their mothers.

Metts asked anyone with information concerning the motor vehicle break-ins that occurred at Landmark Apartments or additional criminal activity in Lexington County that involved the three teen-age boys to call the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department at (803) 785-8230 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.