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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Juveniles Arrested In Linwood Burglary

A 12-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy allegedly swiped crayons and calculators from Linwood Elementary last weekend during a vandalism rampage that tore apart a sixth-grade class.

Spokane County sheriff deputies arrested the two youths as they fled the classroom. They were booked in juvenile detention for second-degree burglary.

The pint-sized vandals allegedly broke into a portable classroom at the Country Homes neighborhood school at about 2 a.m. Saturday.

There was no sign of forced entry, said school district security chief Joe Madsen. The youths may have climbed in an open window, he said.

They dumped desk drawers and emptied storage boxes, but left three expensive computers untouched, according to principal Jim Rogers.

Crayons appeared to be popular with the vandals. Calculators and notebooks also came up missing during an inventory of students possessions Monday morning.

“We couldn’t make any sense out of what they looking for,” said Rogers. “That kind of gives you a clue as to the age level of the students we suspect are the culprits.”

The youths were caught when they set off a silent alarm, which alerted a school district security officer. The officer called sheriff deputies.

The security officer and a sheriff’s deputy opened the portable door and saw the two youths running to another exit, according the sheriff.

Another deputy grabbed the youths as they sprinted out the door.

Most of the damage was cleaned up Monday. “We try to eliminate any sign of vandalism,” said Madsen. “That helps to reduce any future vandalism.”

But many students in Kathy Whalen’s class felt violated, Rogers said.

“They felt like someone had broken into their private area,” said Rogers.

, DataTimes