Three teenage boys are accused of forcing entry into several homes in St. Paul’s East Side last month and making off with cash, jewelry and other personal belongings, authorities say.
In one instance, the 16-year-olds reportedly stole $12,000 from a homeowner on Burr Street who had been saving the money for his cancer treatment.
Lasall Martais Clayborn, Shawn Larome Jordan and Martavious Jermaine Bradley were arrested after police found some of the stolen items inside Clayborn’s house, according to court documents. Jordan and Bradley were hiding behind his shower curtain, police said.
All three were charged Wednesday with first-degree burglary, according to juvenile petitions filed against them in Ramsey County District Court.
Six of the suspected burglaries took place between about 4 a.m. Sept. 29 and 3 a.m. Sept. 30 on Tedesco, Desoto, Otsego and Burr streets.
In most instances, the teens cut through screens to gain entry into homes, according to the charges.
Two of the homeowners reported chasing young men out of their yards after noticing damage to their screens.
The three are accused of stealing cash, gaming systems, wallets, keys, credit cards, EBT cards and jackets, the petitions said.
Clayborn also also arrested in mid-August along with four others for his suspected involvement in a separate burglary spree.
Police executed a search warrant at his home on Burr Street at the time and found several items believed to be stolen, court documents say.
Given his home’s proximity to the rash of subsequent burglaries, investigating officers went to his house Sept. 30 and knocked on his door, authorities say.
Clayborn answered and police saw another young male run down the hallway into the bathroom, according to the petitions.
The officer chased him and soon found Bradley and Jordan hiding in Clayborn’s bathroom, court documents say.
After getting permission from Clayborn’s guardian to search the home, police found an EBT card and two jackets stolen in the string of burglaries and arrested all three teens.
None of their parents or guardians could be immediately reached for comment.
Elsewhere on the East Side, there were seven burglaries or attempted burglaries throughout the day on Sept. 15. In each of the cases, people were inside their homes when the burglaries occurred or confronted a suspect in their yard.
Investigators are always looking for connections between cases, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman, on Wednesday.
Mara H. Gottfried contributed to this report.