Stolen Items Recovered After Bigham Youth Burglary Spree

Authorities believe a rash of recent burglaries committed in the Somerset County Town of Bigham was the doing of a network of local kids, most of whom are middle-school-aged.

According to Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster, multiple members of law enforcement personnel responded to reports that 13 storage units and 6 vehicles were allegedly targeted between June 20th and 21st, with everything from sneakers to firearms reported missing.

"Deputy Jack LePage received information that led to the identity of 6 juveniles involved with these burglaries. The juveniles range in age from 10 to 15 years old. Items stolen were Nike Air Jordan sneakers, wallets, keys, and a 9mm Glock handgun. Through his investigation, Deputy LePage was able to recover the stolen property."

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Due to a law on the books in the State of Maine, authorities were not able to charge two of the minors involved, as they were under the age of 12. Because of this, local authorities have handed this case over to the Somerset County D.A.'s office and the regional Juvenile Community Corrections Officer (JCCO) for them to deal with any potential charges.

According to the state of Maine website, the JCCO will help determine where the two underage kids will stay until trial.

"If a juvenile gets a summons or is arrested, law enforcement notifies the Juvenile Community Corrections Officer (JCCO) at the Department of Corrections. The JCCO decides if the juvenile will be detained until the first court appearance or will be allowed to stay with the juvenile’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian."

According to online sources, the sentence length of juvenile offenders is typically left up to the discretion of the judge in each case. If convicted, most of the sentences for minors are designed to be more rehabilitative than punitive, with a focus on developing the youngster's future, rather than limiting it.

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