Charges have been filed against 11 juvenile suspects in connection with two related burglaries, thefts, and property damage incidents that occurred in late June at Mint Valley Elementary School and the Mint Valley Golf Course.
Longview Police Captain Brandon McNew released a report yesterday saying detectives identified overlapping suspects -- ranging in age from 12 to 16 years old -- in both cases.
In the first incident, officers responded to a reported burglary at Mint Valley Elementary. Upon arrival, they discovered extensive damage to school property, including broken computers, discharged fire extinguishers, and stolen food.
Later that morning, some juvenile females admitted to officers that they had been inside the building along with others. Over the following weeks, detectives conducted interviews, obtained video evidence, and served search warrants on social media accounts to confirm who was involved.
The second case was the high-profile golf cart theft at Mint Valley Golf Course, where several carts were stolen overnight, taken for joyrides, and crashed. The golf course reported that each cart was valued at more than $7,500, with total damages estimated at around $20,000.
Because of the suspects' ages, their identities are not being released. In the Mint Valley Elementary case, 11 suspects are facing various charges, including second-degree burglary, malicious mischief, third-degree theft, and criminal conspiracy.
In the Mint Valley Golf Course case, four suspects have been charged. They face multiple counts of first-degree theft, second-degree burglary, second-degree criminal trespass, third-degree malicious mischief, and criminal conspiracy.