By Jim Hannah
The Cincinnati Enquirer

ERLANGER - Detectives charged three Northern Kentucky teens with causing $100,000 in damage for allegedly playing demolition derby with stolen trucks.

The teens were charged Wednesday with a path of destruction that started at Builder First Choice on Montgomery Drive in Erlanger on April 8. A truck belonging to the business was driven into a support beam of the building, said Erlanger Lt. Kevin Gilpin.

Police said vandals then went to Prime Source Trucking on Floridian Drive in Crescent Springs where they started tractor-trailer cabs and drove them into trailers. The gate to the business, inventory on the lot and five tractor-trailers were damaged.

Crescent Springs Detective Jeff Mosier said security camera tapes from the trucking company showed three suspects climbing the fence.

Lt. Gilpin said the three are suspected of breaking in the door of St. Vincent dePaul thrift store on Crescent Springs Road in Erlanger on the same day and taking a cash register.

James Keeney, 18, of Crescent Springs is charged with burglary and criminal mischief. He was booked into and released from the Kenton County jail.

Two teens were charged with two counts of criminal mischief, attempted theft of a motor vehicle and burglary. Their names were not released, and it was unclear if they were in jail or released to their parents.

Fort Mitchell police also charged Keeney and at least one of the teens in a dozen car break-ins over Easter weekend at a mobile home park in Fort Mitchell.

Fort Mitchell police Sgt. Tom Loos said about $15,000 worth of stereo equipment was taken from the vehicles.

Many of the stolen items were recovered at the home of one of the teens who lives in a neighboring mobile home park in Crescent Springs.

Megan Sexton, 19, of Fort Mitchell said police recovered CDs and stereo equipment stolen from her car and her boyfriend's car.

"We woke up at about 9 a.m. to find both our cars broken into," she said. "They stole my baby's favorite DVD, and that made me mad."

E-mail jhannah@enquirer.com