Cop Shop: Youths napped after crime spree

Two crime sprees, which police initially thought might be related, turned out not to be.

Both sprees, however, involved juveniles who attend Mammoth High School.

From May 2 through May 4, a 17-year old juvenile broke into several residences in Snowcreek developments I, III and IV.

According to School Resource Officer Andy Lehr, access was gained via breaking windows and then crawling in and unlocking the front door. The break-ins involved minimal theft—mostly liquor bottles and a backpack. It appeared the juvenile was using the condos as temporary crash pads.

Lehr said it is unclear whether or not the 17-year old had an accomplice.

On May 7 and into May 8, two male juveniles, ages 14 and 15, went on a car stealing spree in Mammoth and Bishop.

The pair stole a total of four cars between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

Lehr said the two swiped a bottle of 1800 Cuervo from Vons in Mammoth after school Thursday, used the public bus system as a traveling bar to get liquored up, and then stole their first car from the public housing project on Old Mammoth Road next to Snowcreek Athletic Club.

In each instance, they stole unlocked vehicles with the keys left inside.

Their first car was a Ford Explorer, which they traded in for a Honda Ridgeline in the Eagle Lodge area. The pair then traded the Honda for a Toyota pickup parked outside the Mammoth Tavern and drove to Bishop.

The boys’ parents called police at 8 a.m. Friday to report them missing.

Bishop police ultimately apprehended the boys in their fourth stolen vehicle. They were caught on East Line. How they were spotted? Well, the fourth time around they stole a car with a stick shift, which police noticed they weren’t driving terribly smoothly.

Lehr said none of the cars sustained major damage, though the boys took a few of the vehicles off-roading.