Devine teen faces charges in Kids Are First school burglary
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A 13-year-old was taken into custody Monday night after his parents discovered he was responsible for a break-in at the Kids Are First childcare center in Pearsall earlier this month.
The crime was reported Monday, November 10, and involved over $1,000 in damages and stolen property. The school was forced to close temporarily. Damage included broken windows, compromised alarm systems, and destroyed emergency equipment, according to investigators.
Widely shared video surveillance footage reportedly caught the attention of the youth’s parents, who told Pearsall police that they had recognized their son in the images.
According to investigators, the parents questioned their son and found two radios in his backpack that they had not purchased. Confronted with the evidence, the teen allegedly admitted to breaking into the school.
The parents brought their son to the Pearsall Police Department on Monday, November 24, where he provided investigators with a statement regarding the crime.
A report on the case noted that the juvenile told police he went to the school when he was younger and “wanted to make sure it was safe.”
Investigators have confirmed the radios found in the boy’s possession matched those reported stolen by school staff.
The juvenile, who is from Devine but was staying with family in Pearsall at the time, has been transported to the Atascosa County Juvenile Detention Center in Jourdanton. He remained in custody Tuesday, when he was slated for a court hearing.
