H&R Staff Report

DECATUR - A 15-year-old Decatur boy was detained twice by police within 13 hours between Wednesday night and Thursday morning for allegedly committing a business burglary and then a residential burglary.

Police Sgt. Jason Walker said the boy's mother told police that she believed her son had a substance abuse problem and was committing the break-ins to obtain drugs.

The boy was discovered inside Rambo Pharmacy, 144 E. Leafland Ave., at about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday when officers answered a burglar alarm that was going off at the business, Walker said. The teenager, who had prescription drugs from the pharmacy in his possession, told officers that he had an 11-year-old accomplice but that boy was not found at the scene, Walker said.

The mother prevailed upon police to allow her to have her son involuntarily committed at a local hospital for psychiatric and drug treatment, which appears to be what the teenager may require, Walker said. However, the hospital declined to accept the youth, and he was released to his mother's custody, he said.

At about 10:28 a.m. Thursday, officers were called to an apartment building in the 700 block of West Decatur Street, Walker said. Interviews with people in the building determined the same 15-year-old boy had been let into an apartment by another occupant of the building who had a key to the unit, he said.

When the teenager was located, he had water pills from the apartment in his possession, Walker said. Because of an injury to his hand he was taken to a hospital for treatment and a second effort was being made Thursday afternoon to get him admitted for psychiatric testing, Walker said.

If that effort failed, police intended to detain the boy at the Sangamon County Juvenile Center, pending filing of a juvenile petition, Walker said.