Teen burglary ring suspected in a string Kennewick home break-ins

When a group of teenage burglars were caught outside of a 10th Avenue home Tuesday, police don’t believe it was the first time.

The group of six kids, ages 12 to 16, are tied to a series of eight burglaries at apartment complexes near 10th Avenue and Olympia Street in Kennewick between Thursday and Tuesday, said Officer Sebastian Castilleja.

They were targeting homes where no one was home. They forced open the front door and would grab items from inside and leave.

Their luck ran out on Tuesday night when they tried breaking into a home on West 10th Avenue a little after 7 p.m. A woman called 911 after she saw the group trying to get in her front door.

Kennewick officers caught three teens shortly after arriving. By the end of the night,six were booked into the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of residential burglary.

The group included a 12-year-old, a 13-year-old, two 14-year-olds, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old.

Some of the stolen items were recovered, Castilleja said. Police did not want to release information about what had been taken, because they are still investigating.

Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers at 509-586-8477, 800-222-8477 or go online to www.tricitiescrimestoppers.org.

Crime stoppers offers up to $1,000 for information leading to a felony arrest.

Tipsters can remain anonymous.

This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 11:41 AM.