Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
A 15-year-old runaway from the town of Wescott and three other teens were stopped by Shawano police early Friday in what turned out to be a stolen car.
Officer Heidi Cartwright pulled the car over on Cleveland Street shortly after 12 a.m. for having expired registration tags, according to the police report. The license plates also turned out to be registered to another vehicle.
Interviews with the teens indicated the 15-year-old runaway had been hanging out at a friend’s house late Thursday and asked to use the car. The friend gave him the keys. However, the car was registered in the name of the friend’s father, who had not given permission for the 15-year-old to use it.
Around 11:30 p.m., the 15-year-old drove the vehicle to Cecil to pick up a 17-year-old girl who was also hanging out at a friend’s house at the time, according to the complaint. He then allegedly drove the vehicle to pick up two other teens, who were also hanging out at friends’ houses.
The teens had arranged to get together through text messages.
One of the other teens, a 17-year-old boy, was driving the vehicle when it was pulled over in Shawano.
He and the 15-year-old were both taken into custody on charges of being a party to the crime of operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent.
The 15-year-old had been reported to the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department as a runaway late Thursday afternoon.