Two teens busted for stealing from cars; victims sought

By Brandi Makuski

Stevens Point police say they apprehended two teenagers early Friday morning suspected of stealing from vehicles parked on the north side of the city.

Police were called to the east end of Maria Dr. in the early morning hours of Aug. 31 after a caller reported suspicious activity in the area. Officers found two teenagers and attempted to question them, but the boys, ages 13 and 15, ran away.

The brief foot pursuit ended behind Madison Elementary School, where the teens were taken into custody.

“The ended up admitting they’d robbed five-to-10 cars,” said Assistant Police Chief Tom Zenner, adding based on information provided by the suspects, police weren’t sure of times or locations of the alleged thefts.

The teenagers were in possession of some stolen items from at least one vehicle, Zenner said, so both were cited for violation of curfew and theft, and the department made a referral to the juvenile justice system in case any victims came forward.

The two were participating in what police refer to as “car shopping”; rifling through unlocked vehicles for items to steal. Zenner said victims often don’t notice the missing items for several hours, and sometimes they might not report the incident at all.

“We got the perps; we need a complaint on them, that’s what it comes down to,” Zenner said.

Anyone with more information, or who could have possibly been a victim, should call the Stevens Point Police Dept. at (715) 346-1500.