Three Umatilla teenagers have been turned over to the Umatilla County Juvenile Department following an incident in which a vehicle was battered by a baseball bat Tuesday night.
According to Lt. Randy Studebaker of the Hermiston Police Department, officers were called to the 1200 block of West Ridgeway for a disturbance just before midnight. When they arrived, said Studebaker, they learned a group of males used a baseball bat against an unoccupied vehicle, causing more than $1,000 in damage before fleeing the area in a vehicle.
Officers were given a description of the suspect vehicle, which they shared with area law enforcement. A short while later the car was stopped in Umatilla. Hermiston officers detained two of the suspects, a 16- and a 17-year-old male, for charges related to damaging the vehicle. The third suspect, another 16-year-old male, was detained by the Umatilla Police Department for allegedly possessing a stolen handgun.
Studebaker said all three youths are known to area law enforcement from previous contacts. The case has been turned over to the juvenile department for disposition.
Studebaker said the relationship between the youths and the owner of the damaged vehicle is unknown.
