A D.C. judge ordered three of four boys accused in a Northeast burglary series to remain at the Youth Services Center, while the fourth remains released to his family under a 24-hour curfew and spot drug testing and must undergo psychological evaluations, WJLA reported. The judge had previously described the alleged actions as “egregious.”
The boys, described by WJLA as ranging in age from 13 to 15, were linked to at least eight home burglaries in Northeast D.C. between Sept. 5 and Oct. 2. Reports differ on the number of incidents and the boys’ ages: WTOP tied the arrests to eight burglaries and one unlawful entry, while NBC Washington reported prosecutors accused the teens in nine burglaries. DC City Cast described the group as one 13-year-old and three 14-year-olds.
The allegations include a burglary with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse and a separate unlawful-entry charge, WJLA reported. Prosecutors called the accusations “breathtaking, alarming, and concerning.”
Detention Fight Splits Three Boys From the Fourth
The three boys’ lawyers asked the judge to release them to a family member or a shelter house, arguing they had complied with all orders while in custody, WJLA reported. Prosecutors and the judge pointed to the severity of the boys’ alleged roles in the burglary series; the judge ordered all three to remain at the Youth Services Center.
One of the detained boys was already on probation for unrelated charges when the alleged burglary series took place. WJLA reported that the judge revoked his probation during the hearing; he will be sentenced later on the unrelated charges.
Fourth Teen's Charge Downgraded, Curfew Imposed
The fourth boy remains released to his family under a 24-hour curfew and spot drug testing and was ordered to undergo psychological evaluations. WJLA reported that his first-degree burglary charge was downgraded to second-degree burglary after officials cited an error. The next hearing for all four teens is scheduled for Nov. 3.
Related coverage from NBC Washington described the burglaries escalating last month, with three break-ins occurring within a span of just five hours. A separate account from DC City Cast described the series beginning Sept. 5 with unlawful entry into empty homes and culminating Oct. 2 in an armed invasion.
Part of a Broader Rise in Youth Arrests
The case has unfolded against a backdrop of rising juvenile crime figures citywide. DC City Cast reported that 1,013 juveniles were arrested in D.C. between Jan. 1 and June 29 this year, a more than 12% increase over the same period the previous year, with nearly 40% of those arrests for violent crimes compared with 34% the year before. The outlet separately reported that burglaries citywide had increased by 7% compared with the same period a year earlier.
Four teens were also charged as juveniles in connection with a separate spate of burglaries in the Kingman Park and Rosedale neighborhoods, according to the same outlet's coverage of the broader juvenile justice debate. Under D.C. law, a child cannot be placed in detention before a factfinding or dispositional hearing unless the child is alleged to be delinquent and available information indicates detention is required, according to the D.C. Law Library. The law also requires that a shelter-care hearing begin no later than 72 hours, excluding Sundays, after a child is taken into custody.
How Juvenile Detention Hearings Work
The D.C. Law Library’s text of § 16-2301 defines detention as temporary secure custody while a petition awaits final disposition. It defines a fact-finding hearing as the proceeding to determine whether the petition’s allegations are true. As noted above, D.C. law sets limits on when a child may be detained and requires a shelter-care hearing to begin within 72 hours of being taken into custody, excluding Sundays. These definitions distinguish the temporary detention decision from the later hearing on whether the allegations are true.
