10-year-old charged with felony after leading Ohio state troopers on 100 mph car chase
It's not the first time the boy has taken the family car out for a joy ride.
— -- Prosecutors have charged a 10-year-old boy after he led Ohio state police on a 100 mph car chase on Thursday morning.
The boy was charged with willfully fleeing and eluding -- a third-degree felony -- and held overnight at a juvenile detention facility, Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter told ABC News Friday.
The boy's father had reported him missing after he took the family car from their home around 9 a.m., ABC Cleveland affiliate WEWS reported.
After appearing in court, the boy was released to his mother, Baxter said.
The case is being transferred to Cuyahoga County, where the boy was slapped with similar charges last week, Baxter said. The previous case is still pending.
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The car chase began in Westlake as the boy was traveling westbound on Interstate 90, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a press release. After the driver failed to stop, officers with the Westlake Police Department pursued the vehicle. Troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol became involved after the chase entered the Ohio Turnpike, police said.
The chase briefly reached speeds of 100 mph before troopers slowed the vehicle using a rolling roadblock, police said. During the roadblock, one trooper made eye contact with the boy and directed him to pull over, but he continued to flee, police said.
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Troopers then placed stop sticks in the roadway, but the boy drove into the ditch to avoid them, police said. State troopers blocked the boy's ability to exit the ditch and made "intentional contact" with the car to stop the chase, police said.
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The boy was then removed from the car and taken into custody without injury, police said. He was allegedly combative with troopers, attempting to spit in the faces of several troopers and kicking one trooper in the chin, WEWS reported.
He was then transported to a local hospital for evaluation with a legal guardian.
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The incident is not the first time the boy has stolen the family car, WEWS reported. A similar incident occurred on Oct. 16, when the boy took his mother's Dodge Charger from the driveway because he was bored, WEWS reported. He was later found driving with three flat tires on Interstate 90.
No one was injured during the pursuit, but one patrol car and the vehicle the boy was driving were damaged, police said.