By George P. Hassett

Two hapless thieves circled a motor scooter several times and stole it as a police officer watched from a nearby hill on Dec. 1, police said.

Cornelius Jackson, 20, of 42 Gueneva St., Dorchester, and a 14-year-old Charlestown juvenile were arrested and charged with receiving stolen property after they walked away with the scooter, police said.

Police followed the pair from the Boston city line onto Inner Belt Road in Somerville and stopped them.

Police found the scooter owner working at a nearby bar, Tavern at the End of the World. She identified the scooter as hers and said no one else had permission to use it. The scooter is valued at $600, according to police.

During the booking process, police allegedly found a small amount of marijuana in Jackson’s pocket.