Photo: Broken doors from storefront| Shasta County Sheriff’s Office
Story Originally Published By: Shasta County Sheriff’s Office
Vandalism damage evidence | Shasta County Sheriff’s Office
“On Monday, 03/27/2023, Shasta County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to numerous vandalism reports from business owners and residents in the Burney area. The reporting parties identified a group of approximately 4-5 juveniles who were responsible. The affected locations were Mike’s Automotive & Transmission (37080 Hwy 299E), the Solid Rock Foursquare Church (20343 Tamarack Ave/20328 Pine St), Shascade Intermountain Services (37009 Hwy 299E), an occupied travel trailer, and a vacant residence on the 20000 block of Cedar St.
Deputies obtained video surveillance footage from the automotive shop which showed several juvenile suspects at the location at approximately 3 AM on 03/27/23. During the investigation and contacts with the community, deputies were able to identify one of the suspected juveniles responsible. When deputies contacted this juvenile at his residence, they discovered he was wearing the same clothing depicted in the surveillance video. Deputies ultimately identified the other four juvenile suspects who took part in multiple vandalism incidents. The involved juvenile suspects are ages 12, 13, 14, 14, and 15. Their names will not be released due to their ages.
Deputies ultimately located and contacted all the involved juveniles. The 12-year-old suspect was released to his parents and a case will be submitted to Juvenile Probation requesting criminal charges be filed. The additional juvenile suspects were arrested and transported to Shasta County Juvenile Hall without incident. The estimated total for the damages to all involved locations and property is $36,000.
Recently, the Burney area has seen an increase in vandalism (damage/graffiti) primarily to local businesses where additional unknown juveniles were suspected to be responsible. The rise in vandalism in the Burney area has frustrated the community and the Sheriff’s Office is continuing efforts to identify those responsible.
Security cameras with surveillance footage were a key element in identifying the suspects in this case. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public that the installation of security devices such as cameras and lighting can be both a deterrent to criminal activity and an asset to investigators in the event of an incident.”
