LEBANON COUNTY, Pa.–Two teenage boys are in custody, accused of stealing an SUV and breaking into multiple vehicles in Lebanon County.
According to police reports, 18-year-old Tristan Artz and a 15-year-old boy, both of Myerstown, went on a crime spree between July 23 and July 24 in Myerstown and Jackson Township.
The pair allegedly broke into 15 vehicles and stole an SUV from the 300 block of South Locust Street. Artz is accused of damaging property after doing burn outs in the stolen vehicle on front lawns along Hilltop Road and in a cornfield on Woleber Road in Jackson Township.
The duo then ditched the vehicle in a wooded creek bed near a business along the 1300 bock of Hilltop Road, police said. A business owner found the stolen vehicle the following day and contacted police.
Artz and the juvenile were identified as suspects and admitted to committing the crime spree, state troopers said.
Police believe the majority of vehicle break-ins occurred along the 100 block of West Carpenter Street and the 300 block of South Locust Street in Myerstown. So far, only four people have contacted state troopers regarding items stolen from their vehicles.
Artz was arrested and taken to Lebanon County Correctional Facility. The juvenile was placed in the Lancaster County Youth Intervention and Detention Center. Both are facing multiple charges.
Troopers are still trying to identify all residents who may have had their vehicles broken into.