ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A 17-year-old boy certified as an adult Thursday faces dozens of charges in relation to thefts spanning a year throughout St. Louis County.
Juanell Carter, 17, was charged with 53 felony counts, including burglary, stealing and property damage for thefts that occurred between June 2022 and June 2023. The St. Louis County Family Court certified Carter as an adult.
St. Louis County prosecutors issued charges against Carter for 38 counts of first-degree property damage, seven counts each of stealing a motor vehicle and other items, five counts of stealing a firearm, two counts of first-degree burglary and one count of stealing more than $750 or more.
According to the probable cause statement, Carter smashed the windows of several cars throughout St. Louis County. Police said he stole purses, credit cards, guns and vehicles.
Carter and an unnamed accomplice also broke into garages at two St. Louis County homes, police said, and stole a purse with credit cards at one of the homes.
Police arrested Carter while he was driving a stolen car and found several of the stolen items inside.
Police identified Carter as a suspect after matching his fingerprint to those left inside one of the cars that had been broken into. Investigators also found Carter's Instagram page, which offered for sale a gun that was stolen from one of the cars for $250.
“Oh, it’s sad when I see that because I go into the juvenile detention centers every week to mentor the youth and talk to them about my mistakes,” said Bobby Bostic, a local author.
In 2022, Bostic was released from prison after serving 27 years of what was supposed to be a 241 sentence.
He was behind bars for his role in an armed robbery he committed when he was 16 years old.
Bostic has since written books about his experiences, hoping to reach troubled teens early before they turn to violence and crime.
“I can relate to the disturbing case of the 17-year-old in many ways. I was a child when I committed my crime, but I too was certified as an adult. I try to teach the youth how to write business plans because a lot of crime centers from poverty and a lot of that crime they’re committing, it leads to serious consequences,” said Bostic.
“The person has to be willing to accept the responsibility of change,” said Eric Barber, founder of Common Goals and Minds.
Four years ago, Barber started the community-based program.
One of the nonprofit’s goals is to keep boys 14 and up on the right track.
“It’s a community issue. We should have someone advocating, stepping up and trying to steer them in the right direction,” said Barber.
Carter was booked at the St. Louis County Jail, where he remained on a $25,000 bond. If he posts bond, a judge ordered he must wear a GPS monitoring device.