A 12-year-old Fayette County boy has been charged with the breaking and entering of a local business that allegedly occurred overnight Tuesday.
According to Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth, his office received a commercial burglary alarm at 1:45 a.m. at Pettit’s Grocery, located at 58 Main St. in the Village of Bloomingburg. Following the alarm drop, a local resident called the sheriff’s office and reported observing a person break out the front window of the business, enter the business and then flee on foot shortly thereafter.
When deputies arrived at the scene, the front door glass was found shattered and deputies searched the area for the subject without success, Stanforth said. Packs of cigarettes, chewing tobacco and soft drinks were reportedly taken from Pettit’s.
An investigative lead in the late morning hours on Tuesday resulted in the possible identification of a suspect with the assistance of Fayette County Juvenile Court probation officers. Sheriff’s detectives and the probation department worked cooperatively in locating the suspect, who allegedly admitted to breaking into the business.
Following the investigation, the sheriff’s office received a report of vandalism that occurred at a residence on Lincoln Street in Bloomingburg. During this investigation, it was discovered that the Lincoln Street home, owned by Brian Woolever of Greenfield, was under renovation and that a window on the main residence and a second window to a detached garage had been broken.
According to Stanforth, a 2013 Dodge Challenger SRT8 inside the garage had been vandalized. During the questioning of the youth involving the breaking and entering at Pettit’s, it was also discovered that he was allegedly involved in the Lincoln Street incident.
The boy was charged in the Fayette County Juvenile Court with breaking and entering, two counts of theft, vandalism, criminal damaging, and criminal trespassing. He was taken into custody and transported to the South Central Ohio Juvenile Detention Center awaiting appearance in juvenile court.
Detectives are continuing their investigation and additional charges are possible, Stanforth said.
