Juveniles sentenced in church vandalism

Two juveniles who tried to run away before they were to be sentenced for vandalizing six Carson Valley churches were ordered Thursday to indefinite confinement in detention facilities.

District Judge Michael Gibbons committed Ronald Bronk, 17, to a term in a state facility in Elko or Caliente.

Gibbons placed Kylie Antti, 17, on probation, and ordered her to Aurora Pines facility for girls south of Gardnerville where she may be confined up to six months.

He also ordered the pair to pay $6,934.52 restitution for damage to the six churches.

The juveniles were arrested June 7 with a 19-year-old and another 17-year-old following a vandalism spree at six churches.

They spray-painted the numbers "666" on the churches along with upside-down crosses, Satanic references and obscenities.

A few days before Antti and Bronk were to be sentenced in juvenile court, they ran away with the help of an 18-year-old.

They were caught a few hours later and have been in juvenile detention pending Thursday's hearing.

In letters to the churches read by Gibbons, the two teens apologized for the vandalism.

"I'm deeply sorry for the most selfish, inhumane thing I have done in my entire life," Bronk wrote. "I hope I can help out around your church to repay what I've done.

"Deep down, I am a wonderful person. I hope everyone can try to forgive me."

Antti wrote how sorry she was.

"I know what we did was wrong," she wrote. "I am willing to do whatever it takes to forgive me."

Prosecutor Michael McCormick said the teenagers' apologies rang hollow in light of their attempts to skip out and messages attributed to them on the MySpace.com Web site.

"He (Bronk) will say whatever he can to avoid going into custody," McCormick said. "They don't care about the system or the residents of Douglas County. I think I speak for other members of this community. We don't want them here."

He encouraged the judge not to commit Bronk to the boys' detention facility at China Spring which is adjacent to Aurora Pines.

"It would just create another opportunity for these two young children to try to do another journey on their own. I would like to see him succeed. If Ms. Kylie is right next door, they will try to communicate," McCormick said.

Gibbons said he had to take all factors into consideration.

"The court does understand that juveniles do a lot of stupid things they wouldn't have done if they thought it through," he said.

"This offense did take planning. You had to determine how to go out at midnight, have a vehicle, get the spray paint and divide up the churches. It offended a lot of people in the community," he said.

He said Antti had demonstrated her behavior was out of control as evidenced by the vandalism and her use of drugs and alcohol.

Bronk was living without any parental supervision and caused most of the damage, Gibbons said.

"He slashed tires on a (church) van. That had nothing to do with the '666' on the calendar. He was just being malicious," Gibbons said.

In addition, he said Bronk demonstrated he was unable to follow court rules.

He encouraged both of the juveniles to take advantage of the programs offered during their confinement.

Christopher Tipton, 18, accused of helping Antti and Bronk with their plan to run away to Sacramento, pleaded guilty Wednesday in East Fork Justice Court to minor consuming and a probation violation.

He denied knowing Antti and Bronk were on house arrest when they tried to run away July 13.

They were discovered several hours later in the camper shell of Tipton's truck.

According to court documents, Tipton was accused of helping Antti steal her parents' vehicle, then pick up Bronk, who had cut off his house arrest monitoring bracelet.

The Antti vehicle was recovered at the Gardnerville Ranchos sandpits.

"I had no idea what was going on until after the fact," he told East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl. "I didn't see the ankle bracelet."

Tipton said he was "a little intoxicated" when Antti arrived at his house. He said she told him her parents gave her permission to take their vehicle.

Tipton agreed to go to Mound House with Antti so she could "pick up her stuff."

"The next thing I know, Ronnie's in the car," Tipton said.

McCormick encouraged EnEarl to revoke Tipton's probation and keep him in jail.

"The kid just doesn't get it," McCormick said. "He's smoking dope, drinking, and hanging out with kids on house arrest."

Tipton told EnEarl he was ready to turn his life around and wanted to join the Nevada National Guard.

"They said they would take me as long as I don't have a felony or have committed domestic battery," Tipton said.

EnEarl continued Tipton's sentencing to Aug. 2.

He is in Douglas County Jail on $35,500 bail.