Beaufort teens use stolen bikes to steal even more, police say

Five teenagers riding stolen bicycles were arrested early Sunday after a Battery Point resident told police that someone had rummaged through his unlocked car. That led investigators to uncover other stolen items, including a handgun, according to the Beaufort Police Department.

Police responded to the 5:30 a.m. call of a vehicle that had been broken into to find all five teenagers - ranging in age from 13 to 17 - riding the bicycles in the area.

One of the teenagers was immediately arrested as the four rode away, according to officer Hope Able, spokesperson for the department.

The four were quickly located and arrested, Able said.

Investigators determined the bicycles had been stolen from a Petigru Drive residence that had been burglarized that same day, Able said. A separate Beaufort Police Department report indicated over $16,500 in property was reported stolen from that residence.

Items reportedly stolen from vehicles around the neighborhood included a handgun, Able said.

The 13-, 14-, and 15-year-old teens were charged with first-degree burglary, receiving stolen goods and fleeing to evade arrest. They were taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice Detention Center in Columbia where they await Family Court hearings.

The two older suspects, Jahmad Rahmee Simmons, 17, and Jamaari Singleton, 16, both of Beaufort, were charged as adults with first-degree burglary and taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center.

Simmons has been assigned a bond of over $77,000, according to the detention center’s website.

Singleton, who is not listed at the detention center, was assigned a $75,000 bond and was released after posting bail, according to the Beaufort County Court website.

The thefts remain under investigation.

This story was originally published May 16, 2016 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Beaufort teens use stolen bikes to steal even more, police say."