Locomotive joyriding teens face the judge

[Dr. Whiplash]

http://www.dispatch.com
Two teen boys admitted in Athens County Juvenile Court Wednesday that they stole a 125-ton locomotive for a midnight joyride after sneaking out of a detention center. Eric Burks, 16, of Lawrence County, and Zachary Walden, 13, of Scioto County, each pleaded guilty to delinquency counts of aggravated theft, breaking and entering, and escape, said Athens County Prosecutor David Warren.

The boys ran away from the Hocking Community Residential Center in Nelsonville the night of Jan. 15 and started the locomotive on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, authorities said. They made it 12 miles toward Logan before surrendering to Hocking County sheriff’s deputies.

Judges in the teens’ home counties will decide how much time they will serve in a state juvenile facility, Warren said. "My guess is that the judges there are not going to be very happy with them."