Three Teenagers Accused of Burglarizing Lakewood Home

Lakewood Police Department arrested a trio of teenagers accused of burglarizing a home in the 1200 block of Andrews Avenue.

The homeowner returned to his house at about noon on Monday, saw three strangers loading their minivan with his possessions and called police, Lakewood Police Chief Tim Malley said.

The teens tried to flee but they were stopped and arrested by police.

All three of the suspects are from Cleveland. A pair of them are 17-year-old boys who are being charged as juveniles. The third is 19-year-old Joshua Freeman.

At the time of the burglary, Freeman was already out on bond while facing weapons and drug trafficking charges, according to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas web site.

All three suspects face charges of aggravated burglary, possession of criminal tools, obstruction of official business, criminal damaging and failure to comply.

Freeman also faces a charge of providing false information to a police officer.

The 17-year-old who drove the minivan is also charged with hit-skip and reckless operation.

Malley credited the victim for calling the police instead of trying to confront the suspects by himself, which might have been dangerous.

"When the victim pulled into his driveway and saw them, he called the police," Malley said. "He didn't confront them -- even though he may have wanted to -- and that was the best thing he could do."