7 year old drives car in search of his dad

[n2doc]

BY TAMMY STABLES BATTAGLIA

His stepfather and mom say they are just as dumbfounded as anyone else about why their 7-year-old took the car keys and went for a 20-mile ride trying to get to his biological father's house.

Now, the boy, who was safely stopped by police Monday morning outside of Caseville -- and found barefoot and in his pajamas in his stepfather's red Pontiac Sunfire -- faces a juvenile charge of unlawful use of an automobile in Huron County Probate Court.

Huron County Prosecutor Timothy Rutkowski said he filed the petition Wednesday in Huron County Family Court to try to help the boy.

"I filed the petition to get the young person into our family court system with the idea we would try to find out why the young man did what he allegedly did," Rutkowski said, adding that the boy's reasoning is still not clear to investigators. He said the investigation did not show anything startling in the boy's home life that might explain why he took the car keys about 10 a.m. as his mother slept and drove off.

more
http://www.freep.com/article/20110623/NEWS05/106230546/Family-puzzled-why-7-year-old-took-20-mile-drive

[seabeyond]

1. it could be as simple as.... he wanted his dad. bad day at home, didnt get the cookies

had to pick up room

and wanted dad.

there really does not have to be "anything" at home for a kid to do something this stupid. waht makes them a kid

[RandySF]

2. I heard the mom is being charged because she fell asleep at home.

God forbid she try to put her head down somewhere after possibly working two jobs.

[seabeyond]

5. sheeeit. i sleep at my home, too. uh oh. nt

[Art_from_Ark]

3. When I was 7 years old, I wanted to run away from home

I even wrote a long letter of rather unclear reasoning explaining why I wanted to do it. I think it had something to do with not being allowed to watch an episode of "Lost In Space".

Taking a 7-year-old to court for "unlawful use of an automobile" is going over the top.

[RandySF]

4. I don't think they really mean it

I think they just want to put the parents through the ringer. After being a parent of a spirited boy for five years, I've come to resent all the "it's the parents' fault" crap. Sometimes kids act out no matter how hard we try to do the right things.