Two Florida preteens were pulled over by Alachua County deputies on September 21, 2021, during a high-risk traffic stop after stealing their mom's vehicle and taking it out for a joyride. The siblings, 10 and 11 years old, drove about 200 miles from home after their mom disciplined them by taking away their electronics.
They were pulled over by police officers around 3:50 a.m., after the kids, as well as their mom's car, had been reported missing to North Port Police, according to the statement.
The Alachua County Sheriff's Office released a statement on Facebook shortly after the incident. "Two North Port, Florida kids are stopped in Alachua County operating a stolen vehicle," the post started. "At around 3:50 a.m., Deputies located a white sedan traveling on I-75 in the City of Alachua. The vehicle was reported stolen out of North Port, Florida causing deputies to conduct a high risk traffic stop."
"Much to their surprise, Deputies observed a 10 year old male driver exit the vehicle, along with his 11 year old sister," the statement continued. "It was learned that the siblings had been reported as missing to the North Port Police Department and that the stolen vehicle belonged to their mother."
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"Contact was made with the mother of the children who declined to pursue charges and drove 3 hours north to Alachua County to take custody of both kids," the statement concluded. The phots show two images of the kids exiting the vehicle with their hands raised and their faces covered so as to conceal their identities since they are minors.
Many people in the comments appeared concerned.
"I hope someone asked them what they were running from before they just sent them back..," one user wrote.
"Why are two young kids driving to get away?" another commenter asked. "I would wonder what’s going on at home."
The police department provided an update to give more context into how the incident unfolded. "It was learned that both children were upset with their mother because she took away their electronic devices, which is believed to have been done because they were not using them appropriately," the comment read. "The children did speak with both Deputies and Detectives and those conversations did not lead to any belief that the children were mistreated by their parent or any other person within the home."
"As far as criminal charges are concerned, the only criminal charge available to the Deputies related to this incident would have be driving without a valid license since the owner of the vehicle did not wish to pursue criminal charges," the comment continued. "This crime is a criminal traffic violation and a juvenile will not be accepted into the department of juvenile justice for misdemeanor criminal traffic."
"Our Detectives did speak with their mother at length who was clearly doing her best to raise two young children and she was very receptive to the recommendations they provided in helping her get assistance. We appreciate our community and respect your voice, so we wanted to provide you with as much additional detail as possible."
People in the comments proceeded to thank the police department for their good work.
"Thank you all for your care to do what’s best for everyone in this situation," one person wrote.
Another commented: "Alachua County Sheriff Good job, sir. Your explanation a kindness to all concerned."
