-
A 2011 Chevrolet Traverse was taken from a residence on Halls Road. (CONTRIBUTED)
Two vehicles were stolen out of Putnam County during the night Sunday by three juveniles, one who reportedly was only 13 years old, authorities said.
A 2011 Chevrolet Traverse was taken from a residence on Halls Road. It broke down and was abandoned on the U.S. Hwy. 441 overpass at Milledgeville Road, according to Putnam County Sheriff’s Col. Russell Blenk.
The three teens then stole a Chevrolet Tahoe from a residence on Crestview Road, which is just a short walk from the abandoned Traverse, Blenk said.
They drove into Milledgeville, where law enforcement officers had been alerted by Putnam authorities of the stolen vehicle.
The Tahoe was seen by Milledgeville Police Department officers Jalen Webb and Lt. Ryan Chapple traveling southbound on North Jefferson Street around 12:40 a.m. Monday, according to MPD Maj. Linc Boyer. Chapple and Webb attempted to stop the vehicle near Longino Drive, but the driver of the Tahoe refused to stop and a chase ensued.
Boyer said Officer Walter Tuttle deployed stop sticks which flattened one of the Tahoe’s tires, but the driver still did not stop and continued southbound on North Jefferson and onto the campus of Georgia Military College.
The SUV went through the North Gate and then Gate Ballard and through some shrubbery before crashing into Usery Hall of GMC Prep School, Boyer said.
The three juveniles reportedly jumped out of the crashed SUV and attempted to run away but were quickly captured by the officers.
In addition to stealing the two vehicles, the juveniles also entered two other vehicles in Putnam County, from which they stole an LED light and a wallet, Blenk said. He noted the case is still under investigation and all of the details were not yet known before The Messenger’s press time Tuesday.
The three juveniles were taken by Milledgeville authorities to Putnam County’s Juvenile Court Monday, but the Putnam Sheriff’s Office was not made aware of that until later in the day.
Blenk said all three are Putnam County residents, one is 15 years old, another 13, and he did not yet know the age of the third one at the time he was interviewed by the newspaper.
“We just got the paperwork 30 minutes ago and the detective is going through it,” he explained.
When questioned about reports that several guns had been stolen during the entering autos, Blenk said no stolen guns had been reported from the two entered vehicles.
However, a Springfield Armory 9mm was inside the stolen Tahoe when it was taken, he said. The handgun was not found by Milledgeville authorities after the crash.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information may call the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at 706-485-8557 or via email to the sheriff’s crime tip hotline at putnamcountysheriff.org.