Three boys detained after stolen truck, school break-in in Chisholm

Three boys were taken into custody in Chisholm after police said a City of Chisholm Public Works vehicle was stolen and Vaughn-Steffensrud School was broken into, a case that pulled in significant police resources and put the city’s public-property security under a brighter spotlight. No one was hurt, and all three juveniles were brought to the Arrowhead Juvenile Center in Duluth.

Chisholm Police Chief James Vukad said the case came during what he called a troubling increase in juvenile criminal activity this summer. In remarks carried by Fox 21, Vukad said, “This summer alone, we’ve seen a troubling increase in criminal activity involving juveniles.” The city lists Vukad as chief of police for the Chisholm Police Department on its Public Safety page, underscoring that the warning came from the city’s top law-enforcement office at 201 4th Ave SE.

The juvenile response also placed the case inside a regional detention system meant for more than short-term holding. Arrowhead Regional Corrections describes the Arrowhead Juvenile Center, at 1918 Arlington Avenue North in Duluth, as a 48-bed secure juvenile facility that provides detention and correctional treatment services to delinquent youth. The center also offers on-site public education, mental health services, cultural services, chemical dependency education and chaplaincy services.

The break-in lands at a sensitive time for Vaughn-Steffensrud School, where city and school officials discussed the property’s future at a Feb. 9, 2026 working session. City records also show legacy programming activity at the school continued into spring 2026, keeping the building on the city’s agenda before the burglary. That makes the case more than a single stolen truck and a single break-in: it now sits alongside broader questions about how Chisholm monitors youth crime, secures public assets and protects a school property that remains an active local concern.