FOSTORIA, Ohio — What do you do when you’re 10-years old and craving a soda but the nearest convenience store is 11 miles away?
This Ohio tween snuck off with his parents’ keys, nabbed their car and took a joy ride to the Circle K in the next town over. That’s when things went sideways.
Fostoria police saw the vehicle driving erratically along State Route 199, tapping frequently on the brakes and cruising with no headlights in the still-murky dawn light before 7 a.m. When the officer following the car tried to signal the driver to pull off the road, it took off, heading back down 199 at around 70 mph before careening into the wrong lane.
“Almost lost control, almosts made a head-on with a semi tractor trailer,” said Fostoria Police Chief Keith Loreno. “And then it actually hit the curb, causing some damage to the tire and the rim, so the car became inoperable.”
When officers opened the door to see who caused all the commotion, they found a 10-year old boy behind the wheel. The juvenile was cited for fleeing from a law enforcement officer. At this time, no charges are planned to be filed against the parents, police said, but the incident should be a cautionary tale.
“You know, the biggest thing on this is probably, where do you put your car keys,” Chief Loreno said. “Children have a natural curiousity, I don’t care how old they are. They’re going to get into things. It’s no different than putting the cigarette lighter away or the matches. Put them in a different spot and put some protections in there.”
