Four parents charged after boys aged 13 to 15 allegedly tried to steal from a business in Dunkirk, New York

Within the past month, Dunkirk Police responded to seven separate incidents, including trespassing, robbery and assault. All seven involved children between 13 and 15 years old. Dunkirk Police Chief Douglas Swizer said that when a teenager is committing serious crimes repeatedly, “it becomes an issue that we feel that parents should be involved and aware of what’s going on.”

In September, officers responded to Dunkirk City High School, where two girls, ages 13 and 15, were found allegedly trespassing. According to the police release, the 13-year-old allegedly refused to leave, physically resisted officers and threatened school staff.

Two weeks later, juvenile suspects were involved in a reported home invasion. One resident was allegedly stabbed. Charges in the case are pending.

Four days after that, four boys, aged 15, 14, 14 and 13, were petitioned to Family Court after officers found them attempting to steal property from a local business. In that case, the parents, Loren E. Duman, 38, Luz M. Hyatt, 40, Maria C. Ramos, 40, and Felicia Quinones, 46, were each charged with endangering the welfare of a child (failure to exercise control).

The two 14-year-old boys, believed to be the same boys involved in a previous burglary attempt, were then involved in an alleged assault and robbery. One was petitioned to Family Court on charges of second-degree robbery, criminal obstruction of breathing, third-degree criminal mischief and obstructing governmental administration. The other was petitioned on charges of second-degree robbery and second-degree obstructing governmental administration. The parents, Duman and Ramos, were charged with endangering the welfare of a child (failure to exercise control) and were issued more appearance tickets.

On the same day, officers responded to a report of a package stolen from a residential porch. A 13-year-old girl was identified and petitioned to Family Court on a charge of petit larceny. Mark J. Wieczorek, 60, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child (failure to exercise control).

Swizer said the rise in juvenile crime is something other communities have been dealing with in recent months, but that the severity of the crimes led to the call to action. “Education is our big thing,” he said. “We’re not dealing with anything that other communities don’t, but we do want to educate.” He added, “We can’t arrest our way out of this situation.”

The Boys and Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County did not make anyone available to speak with the station. A club representative noted that its programs serve children between 5 and 12 years old, and that a larger facility is in the works, with plans to expand to programs for older children once it is complete.

Swizer said real change starts with parents. “It’s not all about being buddies with your children. You still have to be the parent. You still have to make the hard decisions,” he said. “So we encourage them to sit them down, talk to them, have a relationship with them, but understand that there has to be a mutual respect thing there too.”

Source: Read the original report