Three teens charged in rash of car break-ins, burglaries in northern Washington Co.
A Canton Township teen and two juveniles were charged last week following the rash of car break-ins and burglaries in Langeloth and Burgettstown last month.
Smith Township police were called to a “plethora of residences” on May 10 following suspicious activity in the area, with money, wallets, purses, electronic devices and even a handgun among the items reported stolen following the overnight crime spree, according to court documents.
Investigators asked for the public’s help in finding the suspects, and received numerous surveillance videos from businesses and people in the neighborhoods where the burglaries and car break-ins occurred. Police said the videos showed three young males walking around on the evening of May 9 into the early hours of May 10 wearing hooded sweatshirts and ski masks.
Police identified one of the boys allegedly involved, and interviewed him at the principal’s office of a local high school as his mother listened to the conversation on the phone. The teen allegedly confessed to the crime spree, and named 18-year-old Mason Comfort of Canton Township as one of the accomplices, police wrote in court documents.
Police said the two bought ski masks at a local sporting goods store beforehand, and a personalized phone tracking app allegedly showed Comfort’s movements on the night of the crime spree, according to court documents.
Comfort turned himself in to authorities on May 29 and was charged with felony counts of burglary, theft and trespassing, along with one misdemeanor charge of loitering. He was arraigned by District Judge Kelly Stewart and taken to the Washington County jail on $20,000 cash bond. The two other teens are facing charges as juveniles.
Smith Township police Detective Tyler Evans, who investigated the burglaries and car break-ins, wrote on the department’s Facebook page that the public was instrumental in helping police solve the crime spree.
“I thank our community once again for their cooperation, support, patience and understanding while I completed this investigation,” Evans wrote. “I will be in contact soon to provide further updates, specific to each victim.”