2 Boys Arrested in Burglary at Youth Club

She knows them both. One was a regular at the Moorpark Boys & Girls Club. The other showed up now and then. Now Toni Sarcinella wishes she could talk to them face-to-face.

The 14- and 15-year-old boys were arrested Wednesday in connection with the Aug. 17 burglary and vandalism at the club.

Sarcinella, the club’s executive director, has banned the teens from club programs indefinitely. But she is particularly eager to meet with the younger suspect, because he was a regular participant in club programs.

“This had been his home for many years,” she said. “He’s always had some very serious behavior problems. But he was one of our favorites. We really took care of him because we knew he needed it.”

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies broke the case after someone at the club spotted the 19-year-old brother of the 14-year-old suspect wearing a white T-shirt with a distinctive design that was among the stolen items, Sgt. Terry Hughes said.

He said the older brother said he found the shirt at his house but did not know how it got there.

“We don’t believe he was involved in the crime,” Hughes said.

Authorities then went to the house to question the 14-year-old and discovered evidence connected to the crimes, which included flooding the floor with water and splashing paint on the walls, carpet and furniture, destroying videotapes and cutting up the felt on the pool table, officials said.

“The tennis shoes he was wearing had paint all over them,” Hughes said.

The suspect was arrested at his home at 6 p.m., and the 15-year-old youth was taken into custody an hour later, following a soccer practice at a Moorpark College field.

Hughes said many of the items stolen from the club were recovered from the 15-year-old’s home, including 31 checks totaling $1,235, a clock, camera, calculator, a stuffed animal and candy.

No attempt was made to cash the checks, he said.

A computer, stereo, golf club and three or four cameras are still missing, and deputies are exploring the possibility that someone else may have stolen the items after the youths left the facility.

The two teenagers allegedly confessed to burglarizing the same club late last month, said Hughes, adding that authorities recovered property from that incident as well.

They were released to their parents following their arrests.

A massive community fund-raising effort is underway. So far, the club has accepted nearly $7,000 in cash donations and $10,000 worth of furnishings, building supplies and equipment.

Many others have offered to donate their time for unskilled labor, but the major tasks will require a contractor. Sarcinella said she hopes the work will be completed within three weeks.

The club, which offers programs to 1,350 youths in Moorpark, has continued to operate since the burglary.

The suspects have no prior arrest records and do not belong to any gangs, Hughes said.