Three teenage boys arrested in connection with a string of Rapid City home burglaries will be tried as juveniles, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The three - ages 15, 15 and 16 - were arrested Oct. 3 after a neighbor noticed their car parked in the driveway of an unoccupied home on Arrowhead Drive. Rapid City police believe the boys stole electronics and alcohol from about six houses, breaking into all of them during the day, when no one was home.

Pennington County Deputy State's Attorney Roxie Erickson said that as juveniles, the boys would not face prison time or large fines.

If the boys are "adjudicated to be delinquent" in juvenile court, the judge can place them on probation, order them to serve up to 90 days in the Juvenile Services Center, and order fines or restitution that is "reasonable for a juvenile."

The parents of a juvenile offender also can be held responsible for up to $1,500 restitution for each victim of their child's criminal behavior, Erickson said.

Erickson also pointed out that juveniles have arrest records - not criminal histories - because they are never "convicted" in juvenile court.

As part of their probation, juveniles can be placed on house arrest, sent to counseling or treatment, required to attend school, and be held to other requirements. They also can be placed on "intensive probation."

"If the judge determines that a juvenile has exhausted juvenile probation remedies, the judge may send a juvenile to the Department of Corrections, at which time, this court's jurisdiction ends," Erickson said.

Juvenile court hearings are closed to the public. The boys' names will not be released.

Contact Heidi Bell Gease at 394-8419 or heidi.bell@rapidcityjournal.com