PORT HUENEME : 9 Juveniles Arrested in School Break-Ins

Police in Port Hueneme have arrested nine juveniles after a string of break-ins and burglaries at two elementary schools, officials said Monday.

The juveniles, who range in age from 9 to 15, were arrested over the weekend for allegedly stealing videocassette recorders, school supplies and personal property during 10 burglaries at Hueneme and Bard elementary schools since November, 1991, Police Sgt. Fernando Estrella said.

Each of the youngsters was charged with burglary and released into parental custody pending Juvenile Court hearings, Estrella said.

Five of them were also charged with possession of stolen property, he said.

Estrella termed the spate of burglaries unusual and said it surprised him.

He said they were not a signal of extensive youth-oriented crime in Port Hueneme.

“I can’t tell you that this is an epidemic, because it’s not,” Estrella said.

“As far as there being any kind of organized juvenile gang-type thing, it’s just not there.

“The gang aspect is still being investigated, but at this time, we don’t see anything.”

The juveniles allegedly got into Hueneme School by picking door locks, Estrella said, a skill “they said they learned how to do by watching television.”

“That’s part of the real problem, that they said they were just watching TV and learned how to do that,” Estrella said.

Although police said Hueneme Principal William Davis was instrumental in the investigation, Davis downplayed his role.

“I didn’t help much,” he said.

“Kids will always eventually come to me or whoever is in charge if they know of something that’s going on,” Davis said. “They don’t want this sort of thing to happen at their school either.”

The investigation is continuing, and Estrella said there could be more arrests.