Boy charged with arson in Villa Park
A 15-year-old boy has been accused of setting a fire in the office of the Jefferson Pool in Villa Park.
The boy is facing felony charges of arson, burglary and criminal damage to government-supported property, and misdemeanor obstructing a peace officer, according to a news release from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.
He appeared in juvenile court Wednesday morning, where DuPage County Judge Demetrios Panoushis ordered that the teen be detained until his next court appearance.
Police were notified by a surveillance camera around 12:46 a.m. Wednesday. They say it showed someone swinging an object at a window.
When police arrived, they saw the glow of a fire inside and the boy inside the building. They say he was found hiding in a toilet stall. Police say the boy was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a face covering and black face paint. They also say he had a lighter and a backpack containing a hammer, a hatchet, a pry bar, tin snips and a small dumbbell with a rope tied to it. Police allege he used the dumbbell to break the window.
The boy is accused of setting fire to papers on a desk, damaging the desk, a computer keyboard and carpeting.
The boy’s next court date is July 29.