Teens face felony charges after Brooksville crime spree

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (FOX 13) - They broke into two Hernando County homes and swiped a pair of guns and some valuable electronics. The sheriff’s office says four Brooksville middle schoolers are the culprits.

All four of the eighth-graders confessed to the break-ins.

One homeowner called the sheriff’s office Wednesday when he realized someone had been inside.

“He actually called us yesterday evening about 7 p.m. and said that somebody had been in his house and ransacked it and stole a couple firearms,” Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said.

The criminals got away with a pistol, a shotgun, and multiple electronics. 

The sheriff said it appears one of them fired a gun inside the home. They found one round lodged in a mattress.

“Fortunately, through some good detective work along with a little bit of help from a neighbor, we were able to track down four juveniles and eventually find out that they did commit the burglary and actually committed one other burglary,” said Nienhuis.

The group hit a vacant house that’s for sale, then broke into number two while no one was home.  We’re told they used a crowbar on a back door.

The teens had a half-day of school and a neighbor saw them walking down the street that afternoon.

“At least a couple of them lived very close by and that’s why the neighbor knew who they were,” Nienhuis said.

Turns out, the bullet in the mattress happened when one of the middle schoolers accidentally discharged the gun during the burglary.

“Almost shot himself in the leg and it could have been disastrous,” said Nienhuis.  “He could have killed himself accidentally with that gunshot.”

The four teens are charged with burglary and grand theft, both of which are felonies.