An 18-year-old adult and a 17-year-old juvenile, both of Prairie Grove, are facing a total of 12 felonies and 21 misdemeanors after they apparently went on a night-long crime spree that included stealing a school van and breaking into a local church.
According to a Prairie Grove police report, Donovan Harris, 18, of Holmes Street, is charged with breaking and entering five vehicles, breaking and entering a building, theft of motor vehicle, five counts of theft of property, count counts of criminal mischief, criminal trespass, minor in possession of alcohol, possession of drug paraphernalia, reckless driving, leaving the scene of a property damage accident and no driver's license.
The juvenile suspect is charged with breaking and entering four vehicles, breaking and entering a building, five counts of theft of property, two counts of criminal mischief and minor in possession of alcohol.
According to the police report, the spree started at 8:20 p.m., Aug. 8 when both suspects entered Jerry's Park Liquor but were denied any alcohol because they were underage. A video surveillance shows one of the suspects concealing a bottle of Smirnoff Red.
Later in the same evening, Harris entered the Prairie Grove School District's gated bus lot and stole a brown minivan and drove it to the juvenile's home. The juvenile got into the van and they drove to Walmart on Martin Luther King in Fayetteville where they stole a case of Bud Light can beers, the report states.
Neither has a driver's license, according to the report.
While consuming the alcohol, the report says, both suspects traveled back to Prairie Grove. Harris was driving and struck a concrete culvert, damaging a tire. He was able to drive the van to Prairie Grove High School and left the vehicle in the rear parking lot at 2:30 a.m., Aug. 9. A surveillance video at the school captured the arrival of the van and the sounds of a damaged vehicle. It also shows both suspects exiting the van. Both suspects were wearing clothes similar to what was seen on the video from Jerry's Park Liquor.
Officers found Bud Light beer cans along the drive path at the high school.
The report continues that the suspects were captured on video at 4 a.m., Aug. 9 on the property of Prairie Grove Self Storage, 930 E. Douglas St. They removed envelopes from a box used by customers and left the envelopes lying on the ground.
Still on foot, Harris and the youth next entered vehicles parked along East Parks Street. They started one truck and left it running. Loose change was missing from one of the vehicles.
From there, the suspects entered an unlocked door at First United Methodist Church in Prairie Grove at 1404 E. Parks St. Once inside, the report states, the suspects knocked over and destroyed a flat screen TV, stole grape juice, a box of donuts and a box of cinnamon rolls. They also spilled the items on the floor of the church.
Before ending the spree, the suspects entered two or three more unlocked vehicles on Lee Ann Way, stealing cash and sunglasses.
After the last stop, the suspects crawled into the window of the juvenile's house and "went to bed," said Capt. Jeff O'Brien.
O'Brien said police were able to identify the suspects through video surveillance and the knowledge of the officers on duty who had prior contact with the two suspects. Officers have seen them walking around town, O'Brien said.
Harris was arrested the evening of Aug. 9 and also found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia. According to the report, Harris was advised of his rights and during the interview admitted to committing the offenses and also implicated the juvenile.
O'Brien said the suspects were intoxicated after drinking the liquor and a case of beer and Harris admitted to that, O'Brien said.
"You just don't think right when you are drunk," O'Brien added.
The juvenile was not questioned because of his status with the Department of Human Services. He was ordered taken into the juvenile intake's custody.
Harris was taken to Washington County Detention Center. He has court dates in Prairie Grove District Court and Washington County Circuit Court.
General News on 08/24/2016