ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — Deputies arrested a group of kids on Wednesday after they broke into a storage unit. While working the case, law enforcement found the kids had guns with them.
Deputies were sent to A&A Storage, 394 Challenger Court, to investigate a reported trespass incident. Once there, deputies found three juveniles who were accused of breaking into a storage locker with intentions of theft.
The juveniles alleged that a stranger on Snapchat had directed them to retrieve a motorized wheelchair from the storage yard for him. They were then supposed to take the wheelchair to the Pleasant Valley Shake Shoppe for pick-up. Although the juvenile in possession of the phone housing the Snapchat conversation had a dead battery initially, charging the phone revealed no concrete evidence aside from a social media profile claimed to belong to the unknown individual.
The storage locker, identified by the juveniles, showed no signs of forced entry or previous lock security. The property owner of A&A Storage stated that the items within the locker were forfeited property from years prior and expressed a desire to press charges against the juveniles.
Eyewitnesses who were at the scene provided voluntary statements, corroborating the trespass and adding that they witnessed one juvenile riding the wheelchair from the storage unit.
Upon questioning, one juvenile revealed that they were promised $25 for the task, with the entrance code to the facility provided by the unknown Snapchat user. Found in his possession were two packs of Allen wrenches which he claimed were for working on his car.
The local magistrate approved intake to the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) for the juvenile possessing the wrenches, on charges of breaking and entering as well as possessing criminal tools. Other juveniles were transported back to their residences, with ongoing investigations regarding potential summons for breaking and entering charges.
An alarming development arose as one juvenile reported witnessing the handover of a firearm among the group, which was allegedly discarded in a bush at the scene. Officers recovered a semi-auto .380 ACP pistol with a silver finish, a black grip, and a magazine containing two Federal brand live .380 ACP rounds from the bush.
The discovery has expanded the scope of the investigation, now extending to the origin of the firearm and the accessibility of the storage facility’s entrance code to the juveniles.
The matter is now subject to an ongoing investigation as authorities look to uncover more details surrounding the incident, the unknown Snapchat user, and the firearm discovered at the scene.