Two 9-Year-Olds in Chimney Caper Charged in Burglaries

Two 9-year-old Sepulveda boys, arrested after one got stuck in the chimney of a house, were charged Wednesday with committing a series of residential burglaries, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.

The boys have admitted stealing clothing and an undetermined amount of cash in seven residential break-ins in their Sepulveda neighborhood between Dec. 19 and Tuesday, Los Angeles police said.

Although one homeowner reported $3,800 worth of jewelry missing and another said $500 in cash was taken, the boys denied taking jewelry and said they used the money they got merely to play video games, Detective Richard Schauer said.

A Sylmar Juvenile Court judge is scheduled to decide today whether the boys, who were not identified because of their age, should be returned to their parents pending trial on the charges. They are being held without bail in Sylmar Juvenile Hall.

The boys, who police said are close friends and fourth-grade classmates at Plummer Elementary School in Sepulveda, were arrested Tuesday after firefighters rescued the boy who was wedged for three hours in the chimney of a house in the 15000 block of Sunburst Street in Sepulveda.