10-04-2024, 12:50 PM
The city, the state, the parent???
A 10-year-old boy who has been suspected in various crimes including robbery and auto theft has been arrested and charged after police say he recklessly drove a stolen car across a crowded Minneapolis school playground, narrowly missing multiple children.
The boy was booked Thursday into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of second-degree assault in connection with the incident at 11:45 a.m. on a school day Sept. 20, , outside Nellie Stone Johnson Community School in the 800 block of 27th Avenue N., police said.
Police records indicate that the boy, whose identity is being withheld by law enforcement because of his age, has at least 30 entries dating to May 2023.
He has been arrested at least twice before for auto theft-related crimes, according to police. He’s also listed as a suspect in more than 12 cases that range from auto theft to robbery to assault with a dangerous weapon. The remaining entries are mostly related to cases involving running away, police said.
Police records say one of the boy’s auto thefts occurred late last year when he was 9 years old and stood 5 feet tall at that time.
The boy’s mother told the Star Tribune that her son was due in court Friday afternoon on allegations of stealing the car and “assaulting the person whose car it was.” The Star Tribune is not identifying her in order to protect the boy’s identity.
The woman, who lives in Minneapolis, did acknowledge that her son steals cars, “but why he does it, I don’t know. He doesn’t come from a bad home. I’m a single mom. His father passed away.”
She pointed to “kids who are in the community who are older and getting him into that. He’s traumatized by these older kids. ... I want my son to get help. He’s a 10-year-old kid.”
Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the 10-year-old’s family is cooperating with police and have asked for help to keep the boy or anyone else from being injured or killed.
“It is unfathomable that a 10-year-old boy has been involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention,” O’Hara said in a statement. “Prison is not an acceptable option for a 10-year-old boy. But the adults who can stop this behavior going forward must act now to help this child and his family.
“This is only one example of the revolving door we’re dealing with – arresting and re-arresting the same juveniles for auto theft and other violent crimes. This is a complex issue, and we need every entity involved in intervention to come together immediately to establish short- and long-term solutions.”
Late Friday morning, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said in a statement that the boy has been charged “because of the very significant safety implications both for this child and the broader community.”
While the statement from County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s office announcing the charges in juvenile court said the law prevents prosecutors from saying more about this case, a person, including a child, cannot be prosecuted if they are not capable of understanding the legal proceedings or assisting their lawyer in the defense.
A court-appointed psychologist makes a recommendation on competency to a judge who ultimately makes the decision. If a child is found not competent by the court, the case against them must be dismissed or suspended, and the child must be released from custody.
“We are facing an urgent crisis in our community related to a small group of children who are not competent to stand trial in the juvenile justice system, but who cannot safely be at home,” the statement continued. “We are actively engaged with law enforcement, as well as county and state partners, about the critical need for safe and appropriate out-of-home placements for children with these complex needs who require specialized care. We cannot charge or prosecute our way out of this crisis.
“What we need is clear: residential placements with varying levels of security in our community that are resourced and staffed to be able to accept and successfully treat our youth with complex needs. And we need urgent and immediate action to address this issue now.”
Source: Startribune
A 10-year-old boy who has been suspected in various crimes including robbery and auto theft has been arrested and charged after police say he recklessly drove a stolen car across a crowded Minneapolis school playground, narrowly missing multiple children.
The boy was booked Thursday into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of second-degree assault in connection with the incident at 11:45 a.m. on a school day Sept. 20, , outside Nellie Stone Johnson Community School in the 800 block of 27th Avenue N., police said.
Police records indicate that the boy, whose identity is being withheld by law enforcement because of his age, has at least 30 entries dating to May 2023.
He has been arrested at least twice before for auto theft-related crimes, according to police. He’s also listed as a suspect in more than 12 cases that range from auto theft to robbery to assault with a dangerous weapon. The remaining entries are mostly related to cases involving running away, police said.
Police records say one of the boy’s auto thefts occurred late last year when he was 9 years old and stood 5 feet tall at that time.
The boy’s mother told the Star Tribune that her son was due in court Friday afternoon on allegations of stealing the car and “assaulting the person whose car it was.” The Star Tribune is not identifying her in order to protect the boy’s identity.
The woman, who lives in Minneapolis, did acknowledge that her son steals cars, “but why he does it, I don’t know. He doesn’t come from a bad home. I’m a single mom. His father passed away.”
She pointed to “kids who are in the community who are older and getting him into that. He’s traumatized by these older kids. ... I want my son to get help. He’s a 10-year-old kid.”
Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the 10-year-old’s family is cooperating with police and have asked for help to keep the boy or anyone else from being injured or killed.
“It is unfathomable that a 10-year-old boy has been involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention,” O’Hara said in a statement. “Prison is not an acceptable option for a 10-year-old boy. But the adults who can stop this behavior going forward must act now to help this child and his family.
“This is only one example of the revolving door we’re dealing with – arresting and re-arresting the same juveniles for auto theft and other violent crimes. This is a complex issue, and we need every entity involved in intervention to come together immediately to establish short- and long-term solutions.”
Late Friday morning, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said in a statement that the boy has been charged “because of the very significant safety implications both for this child and the broader community.”
While the statement from County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s office announcing the charges in juvenile court said the law prevents prosecutors from saying more about this case, a person, including a child, cannot be prosecuted if they are not capable of understanding the legal proceedings or assisting their lawyer in the defense.
A court-appointed psychologist makes a recommendation on competency to a judge who ultimately makes the decision. If a child is found not competent by the court, the case against them must be dismissed or suspended, and the child must be released from custody.
“We are facing an urgent crisis in our community related to a small group of children who are not competent to stand trial in the juvenile justice system, but who cannot safely be at home,” the statement continued. “We are actively engaged with law enforcement, as well as county and state partners, about the critical need for safe and appropriate out-of-home placements for children with these complex needs who require specialized care. We cannot charge or prosecute our way out of this crisis.
“What we need is clear: residential placements with varying levels of security in our community that are resourced and staffed to be able to accept and successfully treat our youth with complex needs. And we need urgent and immediate action to address this issue now.”
Source: Startribune
