![[Le Mars Daily Sentinel]](http://www.lemarssentinel.com/images/nameplate-small.png){kind=small}
RSS
Print
Email link
Respond to editor
Read comments (16)A new suspect, a 16-year-old, was also tied to five of the burglaries after police interviews.
(Advertisement)
|
The new suspect, 16-year-old Ryan Stream, of Le Mars, has been charged with five similar felonies.
Conyers is accused of burglarizing businesses starting in September 2007 including the Plymouth County Historical Museum, the Le Mars Convention Center, the Le Mars Family YMCA, Calvin Christian Reformed Church, Curves for Women, Le Mars Head Start (two incidents), Plains Area Mental Health, and Kime Hall and the Westmar Library, both on the former Westmar Campus.
Stream has been cited into juvenile court for allegedly burglarizing the museum, the Le Mars Head Start, Plains Area Mental Health, Calvin Christina Reformed Church and Curves for Women.
Police Chief Stu Dekkenga said none of the stolen cash has been recovered, but police did find one of the stolen security video cameras at the north pit of the Le Mars Municipal Park.
These charges come two weeks after Conyers and two other teens, Erik Carl Thompson, 17, and Nathan Phillip Adams, 16, were charged with about half a dozen other burglaries around Le Mars.
Police were tipped off by a caller who saw the trio at the Le Mars Municipal Park, carrying what the caller believed was a bolt cutter.
"It turns out it was like a cattle prod, stolen from the vet clinic," Dekkenga said.
The authorities are continuing to investigate and anticipate more charges to be filed.
Some of the crimes the teens are charged with seemed premeditated, Dekkenga said.
"At the museum, they were walking around days a head of time before the burglaries -- they signed into the registry," he said. "But some I think were spur of the moment."
Although Conyers is 18 now, the burglaries have been filed as juvenile citations. In total Conyers faces 20 felony charges. The recent charges include 10 counts of burglary in the third degree, nine counts of criminal mischief and one count of criminal trespass. He is being held on a $20,000 bond at the county jail.
"He turned 18 since most of the burglaries occurred," Dekkenga said. "It will be an issue for the county attorney's office to decide how to address this."
Stream faces four counts of burglary, five counts of criminal mischief and one count of criminal trespass. His charges, along with Thompson's and Adams' charges, are also juvenile charges.
Now you are going to blame the parents. Once again judging people you don't know. Well I know all of these boys and blaming the parents is way off base. Stuff happens and help has been sought but guess what the system just passes them off and the parents are at a loss at what they can do next. You said it yourself people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. If you say you know one of these boys then do you really think his parents are to blame?
I know one of these kids and he is a good kid gone wrong. Maybe in your perfect world nobody ever does any thing wrong and maybe your kids are perfect. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Yes the crimes committed were horrible. But these are boys, not men who have messed up there lives for goood. Should they go to prison for the rest of there lives? NO!!! They should pay for there crimes yes, but going to prison isn't the answer for these boys. Help and guidance under the law is what they need. Maybe these kids had no guidance at home, maybe they were reaching out for attention. Well they got attention now did'nt they? I guess their parents have time for them now. Too bad it took this to wake everybody up!!!
You know, maybe I have been too harsh because if my kids were those caught, I would have been devastated. It's by the grace of God,that I had kids that didn't do that kind of stuff. It's just I'm tired of people stealing and vandalizing. I'm tired of Christmas decorations being stolen, I'm tired of things being stolen off of loved ones graves. Something has to be done. I obviously don't have the answers, but it seems what is being done now, isn't working. I miss the days that you could trust most of the people in your town.
They haven't been caught crossing the line. Be careful what you wish for is all I can say.
They haven't been caught crossing the line. Be careful what you wish for is all I can say.
No, I did not have a perfect life nor my kids perfect. However, they never crossed the line by committing a felony. They were taught the difference between right and wrong and THOU SHALT NOT STEAL. What do you want to do, givemabreak when they murder someone too??? Little crime leads to bigger crimes. It's a proven fact. They aren't going to change with a little slap on the wrist or to give them a break!!!
This is just something that fell into the laps of the police. The media is gobbling this up because stories like this don't come along often. And now the whole entire town is enraged while the drug problem still runs rampant.
And now, the police decide to sting up a couple more burglaries to it, how interesting. I was involved in a case where the police decided that since they got ya for one instance of an act, you must have done all the acts that ever took place. Pure laziness.
Sammysmom. Its interesting how perfect of a life you must have had. I do hope that you have perfect children also as this can happen to anyone. Maybe the police should try to get drugs out of town as hard as they have been working on this case. Throw away the keys for these young people who have their whole lives ahead of them ya good answer. They were failed by the system the same system that wants to now condem them. As you likely don't know all of the facts and the paper seems to make it seem worse maybe you should keep your ideas to yourself. Revenge is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies.
Absolutely throw away the key. Criminals need to know that they can't get away with this crap in our town anymore. We, who are so boring, need to make it known that we will not tolerate felony activity in our ho-hum town. I never remember my parents locking our house or their car for that matter. Now, unfortunately everything has to be locked up like Fort Knoxx.
I was making a point to common man, not justifying their actions.
Ha. Throw away the key? Really?
I don't give a hoot how incredibly bored you are.... YOU DO NOT STEAL.... or vandalize other people's property!!! I say lock them up and throw away the key, even the minors. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.
They weren't solving problems with violence when they committed these crimes... they were bored. It was an act of rebellion. Honestly, Le Mars is one of the most boring towns for young people. After living in several places in the US, (including the remote Pierre, SD) I have found Le Mars to be one of the most boring. The residents here are very selfish, just look at the recent school funding vote. Or look at your wonderful skatepark. Time and time again, Le Mars disappoints me. And its showing through our young people.
Also, I disagree with you sincerely, commonman. Being not too old myself and growing up in the age of video games and cable television, I believe that I turned out just fine. Sure, Ive gotten in my fair share of trouble, but who hasn't? I believe that the kids who grow up in this age of extreme violence and choosing the higher ground are much better people that those of past generations.
Yes, things have changed. I believe that the one big difference from when I was a kid and today is the way we are taught to solve a problem. Years ago we had the good guys wearing the white hats and the bad guys wearing the black hats. Today our kids play video games that pit them against the police and society and teaches the kids that the way to solve a problem is with violence. The people who say that video games and movies do not have an influence on the kids should remember the way kids are taught in school, they watch movies and play educational games on the computer. Its not rocket science to see that their influence on the kids of today are negative. The kids of today need more positive role models and activities so we can change this pattern of solving problems with violence.
I am not saying that 'all of a sudden kids are rude'. I am not oblivious to the fact that from the beginning of time there have been groups of children who were disrespectful. it has not been that long ago since I was a kid myself. I was in no means your ideal child and I don't claim to be, however I do stand by my claim that children today are committing more crimes than they did in previous generations. I am talking the heavy theft, the school bomb threats and shooting, the bar stabbings,etc--the serious stuff and don't you think those kids who commit the serious crimes started out with the petty crimes? Do you disagree that we have a bigger problem today than our parents and grandparents did? I am keeping it real and what I see worries me.
localmom3... if you want to feel outraged and disgusted with the current actions of children, i'm not going to say that your feelings are incorrect.
but i categorically disagree with the idea that children today are particularly ruder or less civilized when compared to the kids from previous decades. each generation of children is disrespectful and produces anomalies who commit crimes. kids didn't suddenly start disrespecting the world in, say, 2003. rude kids, along with adults who incorrectly yet loudly cry 'kids were nicer when i was young!', have been around longer than the hills.
so i appreciate the effort to want to help this current group of young kids to make the best decisions possible. but starting the discussion with 'we were better children when we were children' is a weird form of bragging that is turn-off to children (who likes that kind of righteousness thrown at them?) and adults (who correctly remember episodes with rude kids during their childhood and dismiss the comment as overly nostalgic) alike.
keep it real if you want to actually make progress.
What is happening to our children? Have they lost all respect for others? It seems everyday I read the paper or turn on the news I hear of children disrespecting and harming others. This is extremely disturbing to me, being a mother of three young ones. It scares me to death to think that my kids are gonna grow up in this world that seems to have changed so much since I grew up. We, as parents and as a community, need to do something about this huge problem!