Police Frequently Called to Teen Group Home

A 16-year-old Harbinger House resident charged with grand theft auto on May 22 isn’t the first from the group home to be picked up for a vehicle theft recently.

About a week earlier, a 15-year-old boy from Harbinger House was accused of stealing a and leading New Port Richey police on a vehicle chase. The chase ended with him crashing ito an unoccupied business on May 14. The teenager was arrested and charged with grand theft motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing to elude, criminal mischief, criminal trespass on school grounds and driving with no valid driver's license.

Six Harbinger House teenagers were arrested over two days this week. The 16-year-old involved in the May 22 incident and arrested. Two teenage residents, 15 and 17, who were with him were each charged with a count of criminal trespass.

Then, on May 23, three residents, two who were 16 and one who was 17, were accused of auto burglaries. They were arrested that day and each face one count of grand theft and four counts of auto burglary. They were found on stolen bicycles on Green Key Road and River Road.

Harbinger House is a group home for abused, neglected or abandoned boys in foster care or going through dependency proceedings. It is run by Juvenile Services Program, a Clearwater-based nonprofit.

Isabella Cox, executive director of Juvenile Services Program, said on May 24 that she hadn’t seen the arrest reports from the weekend. She couldn’t speak about any of the teenagers’ arrests, she said.

“We are caregivers,” she said. “We are not the guardians. The children are placed with us, and we give them room, board and the opportunity to go to school.”

The New Port Richey Police Department received 269 calls for service from Harbinger House between October 1, 2010, and May 21, 2011. All but roughly 60 were missing person/runaway alerts. Harbinger is required to call the police whenever a youth goes missing for an extended period.

The 59 other hits included an aggravated assault, threats or harassment, theft, a few simple batteries, a property damage report and calls for information to police.

Harbinger is not a “lockdown” facility, Cox said. Some of the youths can sign out and in. Others, like the young, are accompanied off grounds by staff.

A runaway incident does not necessarily mean a youth plans to stay away, Cox said. Sometimes, the teenagers are nearby, she said. They can be at a park or spending time with friends, she said.

Cox doesn’t like that the New Port Richey Police Department emailed a press release specifically for the weekend crimes. She doesn’t know the state of the teenagers when they were arrested. They’ve been judged, she feels.

“It’s a sad day for the children,” she said. “They’re children. They make mistakes.”

Patch is withholding the names of the teenagers because of their ages.