BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said a group of boys between the ages of seven and twelve years old caused thousands of dollars in damage to a Boxwood St. home on Thursday.

Children face felony charges

Took the mail box, egged the home and tore the alarm system apart

Neighbors claim to be shaken by the incident

More Hernando County News

“The alarm system - that obviously doesn’t work. They yanked it out of the wall, the air conditioner. I had a chainsaw in here and they threw it through the mirrors,” property owner Ken Kattenhorn listed as he walked through the home on Friday.

Kattenhorn said a neighbor let him know she saw the group of boys breaking into the home during the day Thursday. The neighbor told deputies she recognized one of the boys, which led to the arrest of two 12-year-olds.

According to arrest documents, both boys admitted to deputies that they entered the home with a group, but said it was the others who broke mirrors and windows and damaged walls. They denied breaking or damaging anything themselves.

“Oh, it’s ridiculous - absolutely, incredibly ridiculous,” said Kattenhorn said of the daylight break-in and damage caused.

Neighbors said they were shaken by the incident, as well.

“I was really surprised because they weren’t adults, they weren’t teenagers, they were younger children, and it just surprised me that they would do that,” said neighbor Marie Christie.

Remus Gligor said he’s lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years. He said there was a time when vandalism was a major problem on Boxwood Street.

“My home, the fence,” Gligor said of his property that saw damage during that time. “They took the mailbox, they threw eggs on the building.”

Gligor said that kind of activity seemed to have died down, but Kattenhorn said this isn’t the first time his property has been targeted. He said he bought it last year to turn it into a rental home.

Since then, he said an air conditioning unit was stolen from outside, as was a trailer. But he said all of the damage visible on the inside Friday was a result of the Thursday afternoon break-in.

Kattenhorn estimated repairs would cost as much as $10,000.

“All of the repairs, all of it has to come out of my pocket,” Kattenhorn said.

A sheriff’s office spokesperson said the 12-year-olds face felony burglary of a dwelling charges. Deputies were still trying to make contact with the other five suspects Friday afternoon.