A 13-year-old boy in the Detroit area has been taken into custody, suspected of committing more than 11 home break-ins that reportedly targeting young girls.
13-year-old boy arrested
Authorities believe the boy is linked to a string of home invasions in Pontiac and Detroit, some possibly dating back as far as 2022, according to the New York Post.
“He was targeting the homes of young girls,” said Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “It’s terrifying. Any adult would shudder at the thought, let alone a child.”
Officials report that during a February 4th incident, the young suspect allegedly wore a mask and carried a knife.
A 10-year-old girl was attacked in her bedroom, with the intruder reportedly choking her until her screams alerted her mother.
Sheriff Bouchard revealed that, “Thank God we have very little in terms of physical injuries, but obviously the emotional impact—when you’re a child in your bedroom, the most safe and secure thing at home—there obviously has to be a process for them to deal with that trauma, that emotional trauma, that mental health.”
He added, “I think that’s going to be the biggest, ongoing thing,” as reported by CBS News.
Investigators had urged residents across both cities to lock their doors and windows during the search for the suspect, who frequently entered homes through windows.
Suspect was suspected to be older than a 13-year-old boy
There was initial uncertainty surrounding the intruder’s identity, with early estimates suggesting an older individual, between 17 and 21 years old.
“As soon as we realized what we had in terms of complexity and repetitive nature, we put it out to the community and got a quick response,” Bouchard shared.
He later confirmed the suspect is just 13 years old. “He’s a tall 13-year-old, and the parent, I would also say, has been cooperative.”
The break-ins escalated recently, with more incidents helping detectives link the cases.
It’s reported that in all 11 incidents, the young offender gained entry through unlocked windows. Allegedly, he brandished a knife in at least three instances.
Among those targeted was a 15-year-old girl, the daughter of Shauntay Pryor.
Pryor disclosed that the suspect used a knife to force her daughter to remove clothing, injured her hand with the blade, and choked her during the encounter.
The suspect fled when the girl’s sibling unexpectedly entered the scene. Following the ordeal, Pryor revealed her daughter has been undergoing therapy.
Area students knew 13-year-old boy’s identity before police
“She wanted to know who it was,” Pryor said. Apparently, word had spread among local middle and high school students.
“The little kids around town, middle schoolers, and high schoolers, had a little group chat going on; they knew who it was before we did.”
A significant break in the case came from a community member’s tip. Deputies received a call identifying the boy from a photograph authorities had made public. This proof led to his apprehension last Thursday, according to CBS Detroit.
Pryor explained that law enforcement later confirmed who the suspect was. She stated he attended school with her 13-year-old son.
The victim’s mother told the media outlet that the suspect watched her kids get off of their school bus and walk home to pinpoint where they lived.
The young suspect is now being detained at Oakland County’s Children’s Village as potential charges are evaluated.
Officials stated the boy was identified through the distributed image, and his parent has been cooperating with the investigation.
Pryor wants the boy to receive treatment in response to his crimes, saying, “Ain’t no way this 13-year-old baby should be like this at all. He is a monster, and he’s a baby.”
15-year-old boy charged with sexual assault of elderly woman
Elsewhere, a 15-year-old boy was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the brutal sexual assault of a 91-year-old woman in Florida on Friday.
Jesse Stone, only 14 at the time of the attack, will also face 30 additional years of sex offender probation upon release.
Prosecutors in Marion County revealed that Stone broke into the elderly woman’s home while she slept and attacked her.
Details of the attack revealed Stone covered the woman’s face with a pillow, potentially endangering her life as she fought back. He ran away after the attack.
“Something spooked him. He ran out. She locked the door, and then she called us,” a responding deputy remarked.
Detectives confronted him with DNA evidence at the crime scene, but it was his grandmother who convinced him to confess.
“She [the victim] didn’t deserve that,” his grandmother said to him while he was in police custody. “I think you understand that. Right?” Stone replied, “Yep.”
Stone pleaded guilty as an adult to charges of sexual assault and burglary with battery.
Prosecutor Katrina Self highlighted the shocking nature of the crime during the hearing, noting, “This was a woman that only ever showed him loving kindness throughout his time living in the neighborhood with her.”
She added the victim had even “considered the defendant to be a friend.”
Defense attorney Jonathan Mills stressed Stone’s youth, a clean criminal record, and struggles such as porn addiction and the absence of a father figure.
Mills maintained that his client was remorseful, pointing to Stone’s good grades and potential for sex offender treatment.
Judge Lisa Herndon described the assault as “egregious,” said that the victim was “lucky to be alive.”
