WASHINGTON — He made news for an alleged criminal spree stretching back to last spring when a 12-year-old D.C. child was apprehended 22 times in Maryland for allegedly sneaking into car dealerships and stealing cars and scooters.
Because of his age, he has always been immediately freed by the police and driven home to his parents.
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy is one of several law enforcement officials who are frustrated with Maryland’s juvenile justice legislation.
“We’re left in limbo with little to nothing we can do,” McCarthy says about the situation.
We now know that the child, whose name we are safeguarding, has been reported as a crucial missing person at least five times since last year when he was just eleven years old.
According to D.C. police, such a history automatically results in a referral to STEP, a volunteer family intervention program.
In Maryland, we found that his case has been forwarded to the Department of Juvenile Services.
“I think there are a lot of opportunities for us to intervene and work with young people to help turn their lives around and make sure they are successful,” Kara Aenenson, the founder of DJS, says. Due to confidentiality laws, she is unable to discuss this specific child. She explains what can usually be done in a scenario like this. “We visit with the young person, and the family, and determine the family’s strengths and needs before connecting them to services. If that doesn’t work, we may always submit a petition, and the next step is to go to court. Most of the time, the young people we can assist with are successful and do not return to the system.”
Unfortunately, the 12-year-old was reported missing again only last week. According to police, he was discovered safe. There is no way to predict whether he and his family will participate in the intervention programs. So far, we’ve been unable to contact his mother.