A release issued by the department said officers received several complaints of the break-ins on August 18. As a result of the investigation, the juvenile has been charged with several crimes. Major Duncan Wiggins said there were 5 complaints of vehicle break-ins on the morning of August 18, which began being reported to dispatch at approximately 7 a.m.
Wiggins said the complaints had not been coming in very long before the arrest was made.
“The way we were led to him is still part of the investigative process and he has not been adjudicated yet,” Wiggins said.
The boy has been charged with multiple counts of unlawful taking over $300, possession of a handgun by a minor, first degree burglary, and second degree escape.
Over the course of the investigation, the department learned that the juvenile was responsible for an automobile fire that occurred on August 16. He has been charged with second degree arson as a result of the fire.
Of the seven charges he is facing, all are felonies.
According to the report, the investigation is still continuing. The juvenile is in custody and has been lodged at the juvenile detention center in Paducah.
There is no indication as of yet as to whether or not the boy will be tried as an adult. If he is charged as an adult, he faces possible prison time as well as probation or fines. Wiggins said the department is not involved in the trial of the boy.
“(The prosecution) haven’t gone to that determination yet. The hearing they had (August 19) was simply a detention hearing,” Wiggins said. “That’s not our determination, that’s a determination for the prosecutor and the judge.”
Wiggins also said that there in no connection between these incidents and the recent string of robberies that have been plaguing Trigg County in the last few months, to his knowledge.
