Officers in Pontiac, Michigan have apprehended a 12-year-old boy on suspicion of stealing cars and selling them for $30.
He was caught red-handed
The boy was apprehended on Saturday, June 28 after weeks of investigation, being caught red-handed as he was breaking into cars in Pontiac, according to a statement released by Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
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The area is historically known for its now-shuttered General Motors automobile manufacturing plants.
The County Sheriff’s Department released a statement
“Through their investigation, detectives learned the boy had taken three or four vehicles over the past month, selling at least one of them for $30,” Oakland County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
The boy was caught carrying a license plate
“The suspect entered numerous vehicles in the parking lot and when he was stopped and apprehended, he was carrying a license plate,” the statement continues.
The preteen suspect remains unidentified on account of his age.
They caught him after a long investigation
According to WCRZ, officers caught the boy breaking into cars in a business parking lot after setting up a stakeout over the weekend.
The stakeout was part of a weeks-long investigation into multiple reports of stolen cars, with four being stolen from one business alone.
Bouchard said the boy was on a ‘path of grand theft auto’
In his statement, Sheriff Michael Bouchard said, “Our deputies are to be commended for their excellent work in stopping a young man, only 12 years old, who was on a path of grand theft auto.”
“This type of behavior typically does not end well.”
He has hopes that the boy will learn
Bouchard said that he’s optimistic that the boy’s early brush with the law will hopefully change the path he’s on.
“This young man is on a very bad path, attempting to live his own grand theft auto,” he said. “Hopefully intervention by the courts will send him on a better life path as well as stopping the constant theft from this business.”
The case remains under investigation
According to police, the tween is being held in Oakland County Children’s Village and the case remains under investigation.