A 16-year-old Merrill youth was referred to the Department of Social Services on several charges after deputies investigating a suspicious person case, recovered a stolen vehicle and solved several theft cases and a burglary.
At 4:30 a.m. on Friday, a resident on Corning Rd. in the Town of Corning reported three teen boys hanging out by his house. When deputies arrived, the youths fled into the woods. A Merrill Police Officer found tracks on a nearby road that indicated the suspects had been picked up by a vehicle.
A short time later, the Langlade County Sheriff’s Office reported a 13-year-old boy was missing from that county and he was suspected to be a runaway in the company of the 16-year-old Merrill youth and a 14-year-old Antigo boy.
Deputies and officers from the Merrill Police Department went to the Merrill youth’s home on North State St. and recovered numerous items that were stolen from vehicles overnight in the City of Merrill. They also learned the 16-year-old entered the home in the Town of Corning and committed a theft. He denied knowing anything about the others involved but officers found the two youths from Antigo hiding in the bedroom of the 16-year-old.
Deputies are seeking charges for the 16-year-old including burglary, operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent and theft. The Merrill Police Department will also be referring the 16-year-old on multiple charges.