Mendocino County teens found in vacant rental house

Four Mendocino County teens who made themselves at home in a Boonville-area vacation rental they were not entitled to occupy have been arrested on suspicion of suspected burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime, authorities said.

The suspects, all Philo residents, one age 19 and the others 17, were discovered at the Hutsell Road rental when a cleaning woman arrived Thursday afternoon. She found their car outside and four unauthorized visitors inside, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said.

The group had arrived around 2 a.m. the previous morning, rifled through cupboards and storage areas and behaved as if they belonged there, the Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities said they did laundry, took showers, ate and drank the food and alcohol, slept in the beds and even set up a gaming system to play video games.

The oldest, Juan Rebolla-Medina, was found to have an illegal weapon - a metal knuckle knife with a folding blade. In addition to suspected burglary and conspiracy, he was arrested on suspicion of possession of a prohibited weapon and was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on Friday, with bail of $50,000.

The three younger teens were arrested and taken to juvenile hall. Their names were not released because they are minors.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@MaryCallahanB.