13-Year-Old Boy Allegedly Targeted Homes Of Young Girls In 11 Home Invasions In Michigan

A 13-year-old Michigan boy has been arrested for allegedly carrying out at least 11 home invasions, sometimes armed with a knife, targeting the homes of young girls, authorities said.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office last week released a surveillance image seeking the public’s help identifying the suspect in multiple home invasions in the Detroit and Pontiac areas, and warned residents to keep their doors and windows locked.

Investigators had linked a series of at least four home invasions between Dec. 23 and Feb. 4, and said they were looking at older break-ins that fit a similar pattern. The suspect appeared to target residences with young or adolescent girls, and entered or attempted to enter the homes through an unlocked window.

In the most recent break-in at around 4 a.m. on Feb. 4, the suspect, wearing a ski mask and armed with a knife, choked a sleeping 10-year-old girl, but was “apparently frightened off by the girl’s screams,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Obviously, an intruder willing to climb into a home in the middle of the night armed with a knife and primarily in the homes of young girls is a person we need to catch and take off the street,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement at the time.

The sheriff’s office announced the arrest of a 13-year-old suspect on Friday, and said they now believe he was responsible for at least 11 home invasions.

“Thanks to exceptional investigative work, teamwork, and public assistance, we have identified and apprehended a 13-year-old suspect. We now believe this individual has been involved in 11 such break-ins between Pontiac and Detroit,” Bouchard said. “The invasion of a child’s bedroom by a threatening intruder is a profoundly disturbing experience, and this incident has understandably caused significant distress among parents of young children. It appears the suspect was targeting residences of young girls. We will hand this case to the prosecutor for further proceedings, but we wanted to notify the public as soon as possible.”