Two Dieterich Juveniles Arrested for School Break-Ins

Two juveniles from Dieterich, one 14 years old, the other 16 years old, have been arrested by the Effingham County Sheriff's Department in two separate burglaries to the Dieterich School District building. The two separate incidents involved vandalism and theft of property and currency.

The first burglary was reported to the sheriff's office on November 20. School officials reported vandalism in an office and the theft of an Apple iPad.

The second case was reported to the sheriff's office on Wednesday of this week. In this case, school officials reported the theft of a safe containing over $1,000 and damage to locks and other school property.

A review of security footage and physical evidence in both cases, along with a cooperative effort between sheriff's department staff and school officials, led to the arrests. County Sheriff Dave Mahon said he was proud that the sheriff's office and the school officials could work together to "swiftly bring this case to a conclusion". 

The sheriff's office is prohibited from releasing the names of minors charged with criminal offenses in Illinois. The case has been referred to State's Attorney Bryan Kibler's office for prosecution.