MEDIA RELEASE
Contact: Sgt Chris Hewitt
Release Date: 09/05/13
Release Number: 1
Three Juveniles Arrested in Golf Course Crime Spree
(Valley Springs, CA) On August 24, 2013 at 6:15 am Calaveras Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the La Contenta Golf Course on Highway 26 in Valley Springs for a report of vandalism and theft. During the investigation the deputies learned that a beverage golf cart had been stolen from the business’s storage shed. The cart was mounted with coolers that contained alcohol, Gatorade, water, and snacks. The deputies also found that a truck left parked in the parking lot overnight had been put into neutral and allowed to roll into an electrical control box. The golf clubhouse walls had also been vandalized with spray paint.
At 10:00 am on the same date the golf cart was found parked at the intersection of Highway 26 and Milton Road. The subsequent investigation revealed that two 17 year old males and one 16 year old male from the Burson, Jenny Lind, and Railroad Flat areas were the likely suspects. The deputies learned that on the night of August 24th the three juveniles walked over to the golf course from the Shell gas station after attending a party, and allegedly vandalized the property and stole the golf cart. The golf cart was recovered by La Contenta personnel. The damage to the cart was described as total, with an estimated loss of approximately $15,300.00. The loss of the items stolen from the beverage cart’s coolers was anticipated to be between $400 and $500.00. The damage to the control box was estimated to be $5,800. The total to clean the vandalism from the walls was estimated to be $200.00.
Deputies contacted the three juvenile suspects, who all had different versions of what happened that night, each blaming the others. All three juveniles were either given a citation and released to their parents, or arrested and turned over to the Calaveras County Probation Department. The charges against them include Burglary (felony), Vandalism (misdemeanor), Tampering with a Vehicle (misdemeanor), Grand Theft (felony), Conspiracy to Commit a Crime (felony) and Possession of/Receiving Stolen Property (felony). The names of the suspects are being withheld due to their ages.
