Two juveniles were arrested Thursday for allegedly stealing a recreational vehicle in Valley Grande and leading deputies on a brief foot pursuit.

According to Chief Deputy Randy Pugh with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, two 15-year-olds from Selma have been arrested and charged with first-degree theft.

Their names have not been released because they are minors. Juvenile criminal records are sealed.

“They were both arrested, charged and brought here. We’ll file petitions on them, and hopefully the judge will keep them in detention for a little while,” Pugh said.

Pugh said the Polaris side-by-side the two teenagers allegedly stole was valued at around $17,000. The call came in around 10 a.m. Thursday morning on Rountree Drive in Valley Grande. Pugh said a deputy happened to be nearby, as well as an Alabama State Trooper that assisted the sheriff’s department.

Pugh said when the deputy spotted the boys driving the side-by-side down the road, they abandoned the vehicle and took off running on foot.

According to Pugh, deputies were able to catch one pretty quickly, but it took some time to catch the second suspect.

Pugh said people that lived in the area helped catch him by telling officers they spotted them running through their backyard.

“Community involvement is what helped us catch these guys,” Pugh said. “Neighbors saw them doing it. While we were chasing the other guy probably a mile away, we also had somebody call in and say the individual ran across her backyard. The community involvement is what helped us.”

Pugh said the department is asking people in the community to keep a watch out for their neighbors and to call the sheriff’s department with any information needed to help a crime.