Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald
By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – A 12-year-old, mentally disabled boy was given a juvenile referral for criminal damage in late November after he allegedly took his parent’s car and damaged a nearby farm field.
According to a Graham County Sheriff’s Office report, a deputy was dispatched on Nov. 22 at about 10 a.m. to an area along Bryce/Eden Road regarding a subject driving erratically. The reporting party said he saw a naked male driving erratically and that the male subject had now gone into a house.
Upon arrival, the deputy located a vehicle stuck in a farm field north of Bryce/Eden Road. The deputy then spoke to the parent of the suspect, who informed him of the suspect’s disability.
The parent said something triggered the juvenile and he was away from the house for about 30 minutes before they realized the car was missing.
The car had damage to its front bumper and a flat tire. It was later towed from the scene to the owner’s residence.
The farmer said he had just planted the field and that it would cost approximately $1,000 in labor and seed to repair the damage.
The deputy then completed a juvenile referral for the criminal damage.
