ALACHUA, Fla. — A 10-year-old boy from North Port and his 11-year-old sister were caught driving their mom's car in the city of Alachua, over 200 miles away (roughly a 3-4 hour drive) from their home.
A statement from the Alachua County Sheriff's office said deputies pulled the kids over on Interstate 75 in Alachua shortly before 4 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21 after the kids' mother reported the kids missing and her car stolen to North Port police.
Deputies contacted the kids' mother who declined to pursue charges and drove up to Alachua County to pick her kids up.
According to follow-up information provided by the sheriff's office, the children were reportedly upset with their mother because she took away their electronic devices as punishment for "not using them appropriately". The sheriff's office added that deputies talked to both the children and their mother, and there was no indication that anyone was mistreating the kids at home.
Alachua County detectives felt the mother was "clearly doing her best" to raise the kids and accepted recommendations they provided to help her get assistance.
The sheriff's office added that since the mother declined to press charges, the only potential criminal charge brought against the kids would be driving without a valid license.
"This crime is a criminal traffic violation and a juvenile will not be accepted into the Department of Juvenile Justice for misdemeanor criminal traffic," the statement said, "We appreciate our community and respect your voice, so we wanted to provide you with as much additional detail as possible."
