Teen in clown mask goes on robbery spree, then parent turns him in, IN cops say
Police were searching for a person accused of robbing cars in a “clown-like mask” when a parent walked into the sheriff’s office with their 16-year-old son, Indiana deputies said.
The teen went on a two-night crime spree in an Evansville neighborhood, where he broke into two vehicles on June 19 and tried to rob more vehicles and a home on June 22, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office said in a June 24 news release.
“This is just youthful immaturity,” Sheriff Noah Robinson told WEHT. “Wearing a mask like that ramped up social media attention and led to this person’s parents seeing it posted online.”
Police did not identify the teen suspect.
Two residents said cash, a laptop and designer handbags were taken from their vehicles as home surveillance footage captured the masked teen, according to deputies.
Three days later, the teen was seen on home surveillance footage as he tried to open several locked vehicles and a locked garage, according to the sheriff’s office. Another person said two window screens were removed from their home, which police believe was an attempt at burglary.
The teen did not get into the home, garage or vehicles on June 22, deputies said.
A parent recognized their child in the surveillance video posted to social media by the sheriff’s office in the hopes of identifying the suspect. They brought their child to the sheriff’s office, where the teen confessed, deputies said.
“We are grateful to the parent who demonstrated courage and integrity by doing the right thing, even under difficult circumstances,” Robinson said in a statement. “Their decision to bring their child forward not only aided our investigation, but also gave this young person an opportunity to face consequences and access the resources available through Juvenile Court.”
Multiple stolen items were found at the teen’s home, according to deputies.
The teen is currently in the Youth Care Center and is held pending proceedings in juvenile court, deputies said. He was charged with two counts of attempted burglary, theft as a felony and two counts of theft as a misdemeanor.
Evansville is about a 175-mile drive southwest from Indianapolis.
