Youths blamed for $17,000 in damage at Indiana Statehouse

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Four youngsters caused at least $17,000 in vandalism damage when they broke into the Indiana Statehouse last month, state police said Tuesday.

Investigators determined the three girls and one boy, ages 12 through 14, damaged a door to enter the building on March 28 as it was closed to the public that Sunday afternoon, police said.

Once inside, the youths spread graffiti and damaged electronic items in the Indiana House of Representatives chamber. They also threw a wooden bench over a railing onto a lower floor and vandalized the Statehouse tour desk area.

A Capitol Police officer chased the youths as they fled the building and caught all four a few blocks away, police said.

Investigators have requested that Marion County prosecutors file juvenile charges including criminal mischief, trespass, theft and resisting law enforcement against the four youths.