Ventura police recently arrested six teens and young adults they say are connected to 300 to 500 residential burglaries, the Ventura County Star reported.
That is a daunting number of crimes these suspects are accused of committing. But juvenile suspects, with the right Ventura County Juvenile Attorney, can work to get the best resolution for their case, which could mean keeping the case in the juvenile justice system rather than the adult criminal justice system. Penalties for juveniles are designed to rehabilitate rather than punish. But the wrong attorney might not properly fight juvenile charges in Los Angeles.
According to the news reports, the six defendants -- ages 17 to 21 -- would break into homes between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., knocking on a door or ringing a doorbell to see if someone was home. If they were home, the suspects would make up a name and say they were looking for a friend. If the residents weren't home, they would enter through an unlocked window, sliding door or dog door.
Police told the newspaper the group targeted homes above Poli Street as well as midtown near the beach in Clearview and Bayshore. Police said they began investigating after seeing a 40 percent increase in the number of daytime residential burglaries reported citywide. Recently, police caught three of the suspects in the act. Police said the group had been committing the burglaries since 2008.
But what it appears the story didn't say is how police linked all five suspects to these crimes or how they were able to say these five individuals committed 300 to 500 burglaries, which seems nearly impossible to actually prove.
What is important in any case, especially those involving juveniles, is not to give the police any statements if you are accused of a crime. Police are allowed to lie to suspects, so sometimes they tell them their co-defendants have already told them all the details, so it would be best if they confess, too. Sometimes officers will tell suspects they will put in a good word or talk with the district attorney about working out a deal, but most times the officers have no power or sway to help the suspects. These are tactics that officers use to get confessions.
Juveniles can be particularly susceptible to these tactics because they are scared, feel alone and worry about what the possible penalties can mean to their future. In California, nearly 15 percent of people arrested are juveniles, accounting for more than 225,000 arrests each year. According to the California Department of Justice, in 2009, 59,253 felony offenses were filed in juvenile court and 39 percent were for property offenses.
These charges are serious and they must be fought aggressively. Failure to act quickly when a juvenile is arrested could mean time spent incarcerated instead of getting therapy and training to not commit the crime in the future. It could mean the difference between keeping the charges hidden on their criminal record as a juvenile and being subjected to public record laws as an adult charged with a crime.
If you need to speak with a juvenile defense attorney in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Kern, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, contact the Law Offices of Daniel E. Kann toll free at 888-744-7730 for a free consultation.
