The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
An 11-year-old boy is facing legal consequences after he was accused of stealing his mother’s vehicle and leading the police on a high-speed chase because he was allegedly unhappy with his punishment after a dispute with her.
On the evening of October 4, Amber Eckert and her son reportedly got into a fight resulting in her taking possession of his Playstation gaming system. He was then sent to bed, and his mother turned in for the night as well.
After a little while, Eckert’s boyfriend woke her up and told her that it appeared that her car was missing, and he suspected that her son had taken it out on the road.
Police spotted a vehicle parked in a lot and approached to try to see if assistance was needed, but the car left swiftly and allegedly drove onto the road without regard for traffic safety laws.
Officers began following the vehicle and stated that the driver ignored traffic signals and was seen weaving on the road and into oncoming traffic. They reported that the speed of the car reached nearly 90 mph during a part of the chase.
While following the car the officers were notified by a dispatcher that a man identifying himself as the father of Amber Eckert’s son called to alert them that he believed the boy was on the road with the vehicle. The authorities stopped chasing when they learned that the suspect might be a little boy.
Within half an hour the vehicle car reportedly smashed into a car parked on the side of the road and the child hurt his hand in the accident. He was taken for medical treatment.
It was learned that the child has allegedly stolen cars from his guardians three times in the past 13 months with both other occasions taking place just over a year ago, between the middle and end of October 2017.
Because of the most recent incident, the child may be charged with a felony in juvenile court.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.