Mandan police have nabbed two juveniles who they say were involved in a spree of thefts from unlocked garages and vehicles.

Lt. Paul Leingang said a 17-year-old Mandan boy and a 15-year-old Mandan boy were arrested Friday after detectives executed search warrants on two Mandan homes. Officers found property that had been previously reported stolen in the homes, he said.

The boys, who face charges of burglary and possession of stolen property, have been placed at the Youth Correctional Center, Leingang said. He said the suspects likely will face more charges, but prosecutors will sort that out as investigations continue. Their cases will be handled in juvenile court, where hearings and files are closed to the public.

Leingang said the detectives proved probable cause to get the search warrants from a judge by presenting a "collection of information we had been gathering" by talking to people and investigating crime scenes.

Mandan police received more than 60 apparently connected theft reports from June 9 to the end of the June. The reports dealt mostly with items being stolen from unlocked garages, and unlocked vehicles in and out of garages, bikes being stolen from in and out of garages, and unlocked vehicles with keys inside being taken for short joy rides.

Leingang said the property found during the execution of the search warrants cleared up many of the reports, while others now appear to be unrelated to the spree.

"We were able to solve probably 35 to 40 of the cases,"he said.

The items recovered by police include laptops, stereo equipment, cell phones and other electronics, Leingang said.

He said anyone who has not reported thefts from southeast Mandan, Marina Bay and Liberty Heights areas should call the police department, as the owners of some of the property have not been identified. The thefts may have occurred as far back as May.

"We have some property that we know was stolen that was not reported," he said.

Officers will be calling the known owners of the found property during the next week, Leingang said.

"Ninety percent of the stuff we have, we know who it belongs to," he said.

Just because arrests have been made in the case doesn't mean people should start leaving their cars and garages unlocked, Leingang said. He said all of the thefts involved unlocked vehicles and garages, so locking doors may repel thieves. He said the case has not been closed, and investigations are ongoing.

"It goes a long way in preventing"thefts, he said of locking doors.

Leingang said a rash of thefts or vandalism is frustrating for victims and police alike. He said the Mandan Police Department's nearly constant staff shortage causes police to be "reactive rather than being proactive."

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@;bismarcktribune.com.)