Four teens charged in BB-gun damage spree

Four teenagers have been charged for using BB guns on a vehicle-damage binge centered in the Lindenhurst and Lake Villa, Lake County said today.

Each of the four teens was charged with 40 counts of felony criminal damage to property. The Lake County sheriff's office said 16 vehicles in Lake Villa, 21 in Lindenhurst and four in unincorporated area were damaged in the spree overnight Wednesday.

Antioch police Sgt. John Laskowski was credited with helping to break the case. Authorities said Laskowski heard radio traffic Wednesday morning about reports on the damaged vehicles and, on a hunch, went to the local Wal-Mart store to inquire about BB-gun purchases.

Police said Laskowski obtained surveillance video that showed four teens buying a BB gun at the Antioch Wal-Mart at 1 a.m. Wednesday. Cameras also captured images of the car the teens rode in to the Wal-Mart, which led to a trace of the owner's address and arrests of the suspects.

Charged were:

•Nicholas A. Thomsen, 17, of the 400 block of Nuthatch Way, Lindenhurst.

•Shawn D. Smith, 18, of the 36000 block N. Lawrence Drive, near Lake Villa.

•Bradley R. Schmidt, 17, of the 900 block of Sumac Court, Lindenhurst.

•Nicholas M. Goetzinger, 18, of the 300 block of Kestrel Lane, Lindenhurst.

Bond for each suspect was set at 10 percent of $5,000 during a hearing this morning in Lake County circuit court in Waukegan. If convicted, the teens would face a maximum of three years in prison on each of the 40 counts against them.

Check back later for more details.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=312086">Lake County police search for BB gun vandals who damaged cars <span class="date">[08/06/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>