Roanoke Rapids police Chief Andy Jackson said 16-year-old Douglas Whitby III faces charges of breaking and entering, possession of stolen property, injury to personal property and larceny.
Those charges are connected to the theft of a Gator that was stolen from the maintenance area of the armory beside the high school. There were signs of forced entry to the maintenance area, according to an initial investigation by officer Chris Babb. Babb responded to the high school shortly after 2:45 p.m. Thursday. Detectives found the Gator at Emry Park and discovered front-end damage, apparently related to a crash when Whitby and 19-year-old Ryan Turner allegedly took it on a joy ride, Jackson said.
Turner faces the same charges as Whitby, who was jailed on $3,000 bond and has a September 17 court date.
Meanwhile, Gaston Police Chief Randy Griffin said Whitby was also charged with two counts each of breaking, entering and larceny stemming from two break-ins at the Gold Rush Internet cafe.
Money was stolen from a safe at the cafe in the first breaking and entering while a couple of nights later, according to investigation by Gaston officers John Turner and Tommy Staton, Whitby and Turner allegedly found the key and broke into the safe again.
Turner faces the same charges as Whitby in the Gaston case.