WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Dec. 29, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) — A West Valley City 11-year-old took his mom’s car and went on a joyride with his four teenaged friends, according to police.
Roxeanne Vainuku, spokesperson for West Valley City Police Department, said the boy’s mom woke up at around 2 a.m. to find that her son was no longer asleep in the home.
Vainuku said the mom also found that her 2004 Mitsubishi Galant was missing from her driveway. The mother reported that the keys to the Galant were missing from her purse along with her two cell phones.
A press release from Vainuku said: “With the items missing and the fact that the 11-year-old’s footprints were seen leaving the house to where the car was parked, it was believed that the 11-year-old left in the vehicle. Both the vehicle and the child were immediately listed on National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and ATL’d (attempted-to-locate) throughout the county.”
While searching for the vehicle, a WVCPD Officer was driving through the area of 3800 South 4000 West when he spotted the Galant driving recklessly in the opposite direction. When the officer turned around, the vehicle pulled to the side of the road and turned its lights off.
Officers were able to approach the vehicle and found that boy and his four 15-year-old friends had been having snowball fights and driving around all night after the boy had picked them up. All parties were cooperative and exited the vehicle without incident.
Charges of joyriding and violating curfew were referred to juvenile court against the 11-year-old. The rest of the juveniles were referred for curfew violation only. All juveniles were released to their parents.
