MOLINE, Illinois -- Many WQAD viewers have wondered "Where are the parents?" of teenagers suspected of car thefts in the Quad Cities.
On Tuesday, May 1st, we reported that two brothers, ages 13 and 14, had no parent or guardian to be released to after Moline police questioned them about a stolen car they were standing near when they should have been in school.
There was not enough evidence to charge them with any crime. Another 13-year-old boy who was with the brothers was released to his mother.
When Moline police sought the brothers' parent or guardian, they found that their mother is in prison, their father is not around, and their 65-year-old aunt who serves as a guardian is "not willing to come get them."
"She didn't want to deal with them. She says she can't control them and wasn't gonna pick them up. We called several social service agencies but nobody was able to come out at the time," said Sgt. Eli Soliz.
Police say the guardian gave them permission to drop the boys off at their 21-year-old godfather's house. But the boys never went in. Instead, they headed back toward Davenport on foot, where WQAD caught up with them.
When asked if they had ever been in juvenile detention before, they said yes, but "everybody does the same thing when they get out, though."
Sgt. Soliz says "it's happening all the time, but it wouldn't happen as often if there were consequences."