The apprehension of an 11-year-old runaway has cleared an arson and two burglaries, Porter Police said.

According to police, the boy—a runaway since Friday—was taken into custody by Chesterton PD School Resource Officer Randy Komisarcik when he returned to school on Tuesday.

The boy was cooperative when interviewed and admitted his involvement in the arson of a camper in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday in the 700 block of Woodlawn Ave., police said. The fire spread from the camper to a house, burning siding, shingles, and part of the roof. Police said that the blaze caused $5,200 damage to the camper and the residence, according to the insurer.

The Porter, Chesterton, Burns Harbor, Liberty Township, Beverly Shores and Portage fire departments all responded to the scene, as did the Porter County Fire Investigation Strike Team.

The boy also admitted his involvement in two burglaries of a home office in an out-building in the 500 block of Michigami Trail, police said, the first committed sometime between Sept. 29 and Oct. 2, the second on Saturday. Stolen in the first were cash, old coins, blank checks, and a .38 caliber revolver, the latter of which was recovered on the ground behind the out-building, police said. Nothing appears to have been taken in the second burglary, although the office was ransacked.

Porter County Juvenile Probation authorized the detention of the boy at the Juvenile Detention Center. Police said that the investigation is continuing.

Posted 11/6/2008