FOLEY, Ala — Foley Police Department investigators, looking into a Robertsdale High School student who was selling cheap sunglasses last week, have turned up an alleged theft ring that could have victims in six southern states. And the apparent masterminds of the ring were three juveniles.

“They were able to snowball this investigation into one of the largest theft rings I’ve seen in my career, especially considering these were juveniles in the middle of it,” said Chief David Wilson of investigators Matt Cuellar and Eric Waldrep, who were following up a lead on Dec. 7 involving recenent burglaries in the city of Foley.

The juveniles in question were described by Wilson as being two locals and one from the state of Florida.

Asked whether he had ever seen a theft ring this extensive masterminded by juveniles, Cuellar said, “In my career, juvenile or adult, I haven’t.”

Lt. David White, lead investigator for FPD, said burglaries occurred in the city on Dec. 2 at Mossy Oak and Custom Truck Accessories. In the Mossy Oak burglary over 40 pairs of Costa del Mar sunglasses were taken, he said.

According to White, last week investigators received a tip that a juvenile was selling Costa del Mar sunglasses at Robertsdale High School for $60 a pair. After Cuellar and Waldrep contacted the 17-year-old, the juvenile confessed to breaking into Mossy Oak and Custom Truck Accessories on Dec. 2. He also confessed to breaking into Mossy Oak on Oct. 24, 2007, along with Premier Sound in Foley and Floyd’s Exhaust in Robertsdale.

The juvenile also implicated a 16-year-old from Molino, Fla., in the theft ring along with the 17-year-old’s cousin, who was allegedly involved with the Dec. 2 burglaries in Foley, White said, noting the cousin was also selling sunglasses at Central Baldwin Middle School.

It was after Cuellar and Waldrep contacted the juvenile in Florida that Cuellar said “it unraveled from there.” The Molino juvenile admitted to several other burglaries, Cuellar said, including those involving shooting clubs, lawn equipment places and other businesses.

Indeed, White said the juveniles allegedly stole excavators, lawnmowers, boats, heavy equipment, a “bunch of guns” from the Styx River shooting club and two other shooting clubs, shirts, amplifiers, speakers, “anything they could get their hands on.”

The day before they were apprehended the juveniles allegedly sold a Caterpillar excavator on e-Bay which was stolen from the Fairhope area. The juvenile from Robertsdale had a check on him for $24,125 from the sale at the time he was arrested, White said.

The buyer of the excavator was halfway back to Wyoming with the equipment when he was notified by FPD that the property was stolen, White said. The buyer returned the excavator to FPD on Dec. 9. White said he thinks the buyer will attempt to get restitution for his time and gasoline in making the trip.

“This is the most I’ve seen with a group of juveniles,” said White of the stolen property, a lot of which was stored at the Robertsdale juvenile’s house and in storage units.

“Why did it get this heavy and the parents not know about it,” White said. He added, “We may bring charges on the parents of the juvenile.”

“One of the juveniles made comments they stole stuff from Tennessee, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and all around Alabama,” said Cuellar, who expects more cases to come out of the theft ring. According to him, the oldest item stolen from the recovered property was taken about a year and a half ago from the Wilcox exit area.

While FPD will be coordinating with police agencies in other states in connection with the theft ring, Wilson said FPD’s first priority will be to coordinate with local agencies such as the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, Robertsdale Police Department, Summerdale Police Department and Fairhope Police Department.