Teens charged in St. Charles 'crime spree'

Two St. Charles East High School students have been charged with multiple felonies in connection with a recent "crime spree" in which two small fires were set, police said Thursday.

The 16-year-old boys, who face charges including arson and burglary, are not being identified by name because they are juveniles.

St. Charles police said the teens are responsible for two small fires reported around 2 a.m. Jan. 18 near garages on the 0-99 block of South Ninth Avenue and the 100 block of South 10th Avenue, as well as two shattered windows and two burglaries in the same general area. They were arrested Wednesday night after a 10-day investigation that involved neighborhood canvassing and forensic examinations of shoe prints at the snow-covered crime scenes, police said.

"Our officers and our detectives did an extensive door-to-door canvass and interviewed a lot of people," police spokesman Paul McCurtain said. "It eventually led back to these two."

The teens are each charged with burglary, burglary to motor vehicle, attempted residential burglary, attempted arson, and two counts of arson. One is also charged with criminal damage to property.

The most serious of the offenses are Class 1 felonies punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Police said the teens were being held Thursday at the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center, pending a detention hearing.