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They then fled on foot but were later caught, telling detectives that they didn't stop the vehicle because \"they didn't want to go back to jail,\" Nerheim said.

A 10-inch long hunting knife and a cell phone with pinned GPS coordinates of other homes near Old Mill Creek were later found on the homeowner's driveway, Nerheim said.

The \"sole purpose\" of the teens' trip from Chicago to Old Mill Creek \"was to commit several vehicle burglaries,\" Nerheim said.

\"The dilemma I have faced for the last five weeks surrounding the Old Mill Creek case has been balancing justice, the safety of our community, and recognizing the ages of the offenders involved,\" Nerheim said.

Although Nerheim initially charged the teens with felony murder, which \"does fit the crime committed,\" he decided to exercise \"discretion in this situation,\" as he hopes the teens \"will learn from this tragedy,\" and \"take this opportunity to be rehabilitated,\" due to their young ages, he said.

\"It is time for these offenders to understand the seriousness of their actions and face the consequences,\" Nerheim said in the statement. \"If they choose to continue to follow the troubled path they are currently on, it will end in only one of two ways – either with another tragic funeral or with more involvement with the criminal justice system.\"

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