By OLIVIA BERGMEIER
Salina Post
Two young runaways from Saint Francis Ministries caused a few spots of havoc throughout the weekend, starting with setting off a fire extinguisher in a Schwan's company truck and ending with a ditch fire.
Saint Francis Ministries reported the two boys as runaways to Salina Police Department (SPD) officers.
SPD Capt. James Feldman said the two boys, ages 13 and 16, had broken into the Schwan's company truck sometime between 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, and 6:30 a.m. on Friday, April 12.
"They entered it by breaking out a window," Feldman said. Once in the cab, they rummaged through it and located a fire extinguisher. They set the fire extinguisher off in the vehicle, then removed it from the truck."
Employees called and reported the incident to SPD at about 6:45 a.m. The total damage to the truck was $800.
Feldman said at the time, there were no suspects, but that changed on Sunday, April 14, after a witness reported two young boys starting a ditch fire near the 2600 block of Centennial Road.
The witness reported the fire to SPD around 10 a.m., and Salina City Firefighters assisted in subduing the flames. The fire burned a 10 feet by 4 feet area in the ditch.
"Officers began searching the area for the juveniles described by the witness, and they were located in the area," Feldman said. "The juveniles initially gave false names, but it was determined that they were runaways from Saint Francis out on West Cloud."
The boys had run away from the Saint Francis Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) at 5097 W. Cloud Street near town.
Officers also found evidence that the pair had broken into Snak Attack at 1619 West Magnolia Road by shattering a window, causing $1,000 in damages while attempting to get some food. Still, Feldman said they failed to enter the business.
The ditch fire caused about $40 in damages to the Salina Airport Authority as a renter for the scorched area.
SPD officers arrested the two children with requested charges for arson, attempted burglary, obstruction, trespassing, vehicle burglary and damage to property.
Officers transported the pair to the Geary County Juvenile Division in Junction City.
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