Sunday, May 6, 2012

Boy, 14, suspect in nearly 100 Tennessee burglaries

By NBC News affiliate WSMV.com

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Police fully expect the burglary rate to go down in north Nashville because of the arrest of just one person – a 14-year-old boy.

Officers said the teenage suspect has been responsible for as many as 100 break-ins across north Nashville over the last two years.


"We work too hard for what we have, and then for someone to take it or destroy it from you, I mean, that's not right," said neighbor Geri Kennedy.

North Nashville has experienced the rash of home burglaries that all share one thing in common.

"A lot of these burglaries were being committed by a juvenile," said Metro Police Lt. Horace Temple.

Read original story at WSMV.com

One juvenile is allegedly responsible for between 50 and 100 burglaries, vandalisms and thefts in the Hope Gardens, Buena Vista and Salem Town neighborhoods.

Police said the teen would kick in back doors, rush inside and steal video games, flat screen TVs and whatever else he could grab.

"He's tested the waters and tested our resources, definitely," Temple said.

And police said the kid was creative. He apparently used a go-kart as his getaway vehicle.

Investigators said he would drive from house to house in back alleys to target the homes.

"He was an innovative individual," Temple said.

In a way, officers said they feel bad for the child. He lost both parents and needed someone to look up to.

"The child didn't have a mentor or any kind of guidance in his life, and it kind of led to the life of crime on the streets," Temple said.

Now, the teen is off the streets. Though he has been arrested and released several times before, he will now faces serious time in state custody.

"We absolutely expect our burglaries to dramatically decrease in these neighborhoods," Temple said.

Investigators said in many cases they linked the teen to the crimes through fingerprints or the items they found inside his home.

They said he also admitted to several of the break-ins.

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