A group of local teens are alleged to have stolen a handgun from one vehicle and rummaged through another near the Park County Fairgrounds this month. Powell police eventually found the stolen gun hidden in a child’s bedroom, with a prosecutor describing it as an “obviously very dangerous situation.”

Authorities believe three young males — 18-year-old Hudson Heaton of Cody and two juveniles from Powell, aged 17 and 14 — were involved in the crimes on the night of Dec. 6 or early morning of Dec. 7.

Charging documents allege that the 14-year-old was the one who stole the handgun and hid it, while Heaton got into the other vehicle.

Heaton has been charged with felony counts of burglary and aiding and abetting aggravated burglary. He has no prior criminal charges outside of traffic violations, “but the facts involved in this case are obviously concerning,” Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney William Appleton said at a Monday hearing.

“… we have a firearm that was ultimately recovered in the room … where an infant child was located, with ammunition,” Appleton said, recommending a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

Park County Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah agreed with that recommendation. He later described the case as “really, really serious.”

The status of any pending charges against the two juveniles is unclear, as criminal cases against those under the age of 18 are generally handled in confidential juvenile court proceedings.

The case stems from an investigation by Powell police.

It was around midday on Saturday, Dec. 7 that a man in the 400 block of North Ingalls Street reported that his fully loaded Ruger LC9 handgun had been stolen from his unlocked vehicle. A short time later, a man on North Day Street — about five blocks due east — called police to report that someone had gotten into his unlocked truck overnight; although nothing appeared to be missing, someone had rummaged through the center console and scattered stuff on the front seat, Powell Police Sgt. Reece McLain wrote in an affidavit.

Officers soon obtained security camera footage from area residents that included images of the suspected burglars. One camera captured a male in a dark hoodie going into the vehicle on North Day Street around 12:40 a.m., McLain wrote; the male was with two others, including a “very tall and skinny” male in a gray hoodie who was seen trying to open the door of a neighbor’s vehicle. Meanwhile, other footage appeared to show the same three males walking down North Ingalls Street around 1 a.m., McLain said.

From there, it didn’t take police long to identify some suspects: At 7:42 p.m. that same day, Officer Isaac Gutierrez encountered Heaton, the 17-year-old and the 14-year-old at Absaroka and Fourth streets. Gutierrez reported that the group “match[ed] the description of those in the video and picture,” the affidavit says.

The trio denied having any weapons, the affidavit says, though they refused to let Gutierrez look through a backpack they had. The officer let them go, but the affidavit says he and McLain soon followed up with the group at a North Beckman Street apartment complex, where the two juveniles live.

According to McLain, Heaton’s clothing appeared to match up with the male who rummaged through the vehicle on North Day Street, the 14-year-old appeared to be about the same height as the male who tried getting into the neighbor’s vehicle and the 17-year-old’s outfit seemed to match up with the third member of the group.

The 14-year-old denied knowing anything about the auto burglaries — saying the group had stayed at the 17-year-old’s residence all night — but the 17-year-old and Heaton told a different story, the affidavit says. According to McLain’s summary of their accounts, the group had taken a walk the previous night and the 14-year-old took the handgun. They reportedly told police that the younger teen had been carrying the weapon in the backpack, and then stashed it in a family member’s apartment.

McLain said he and Gutierrez ultimately found the gun in the bottom drawer of a dresser in a toddler’s room, inside an empty baby wipe container; the firearm’s serial number matched the weapon stolen from Ingalls Street.

Though the chamber was empty, “the handgun magazine contained ammunition,” McLain wrote.

The Dec. 12 affidavit indicates that the officer recommended a series of charges that included not only aggravated burglary, but also reckless endangering; the document also indicates that McLain recommended charges against the 17-year-old.

While the status of any charges against the juveniles is unknown, Heaton is tentatively set for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 7.

The auto burglaries on the night of Dec. 6 came on the heels of others in that general area of town. Two were reported on Dec. 4 — one on Julie Lane and another on Beartooth Drive, in which someone rummaged through an unlocked vehicle and stole some cash.

That evening, Powell police took to Facebook to ask for help from anyone on Kattenhorn Drive, Gilbert Street, Beartooth Drive and Sunlight Drive who had security footage from the night of Dec. 3 or morning of Dec. 4.

However, the post was primarily issued as a “community safety reminder,” noting steps residents can take to prevent vehicle burglaries. Those tips include locking vehicles, removing valuables from vehicles, parking in well-lit areas or garages and never leaving a vehicle unattended and running.