Missing Florida kids, 10 and 11, drove car their mom reported stolen 3 hours from home

Police in Florida were surprised early Thursday when they pulled over a car that had been reported stolen and a 10-year-old driver exited the vehicle. 

The boy’s 11-year-old sister was in the passenger seat, the Alachua Country Sheriff’s Office said in a release posted to Facebook. 

The children were stopped on Interstate 75 just before 4 a.m., after they had driven three hours away from their home in North Port, Florida, to Alachua. 

The department said deputies discovered the children had been reported missing to the North Port Police Department and the stolen sedan belonged to the mother. 

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Their mom drove to Alachua and picked them up, and no charges have been filed against the children or their mother. 

The department explained that the only possible charge that could have been filed was driving without a license “since the owner of the vehicle did not wish to pursue criminal charges. This crime is a criminal traffic violation and a juvenile will not be accepted into the department of juvenile justice for misdemeanor criminal traffic.”

The children explained that they left their home because they were “upset” that their mother took away their electronic devices “because they were not using them appropriately,” the sheriff’s office said. 

After speaking with the kids, deputies don’t believe the kids were facing any mistreatment at home. 

“Our Detectives did speak with their mother at length who was clearly doing her best to raise two young children and she was very receptive to the recommendations they provided in helping her get assistance,” the office added.