WHITEHALL, Ohio — A 16-year-old girl accused of trying to break into a vehicle on Thursday was arrested less than 48 hours earlier for stealing a car, according to the Whitehall Division of Police.
On Tuesday, seven juveniles crashed a stolen Kia into a pole on Joyce Avenue. Five of the children were arrested, including the 16-year-old girl who 10TV is not naming because of her age. She was released from a detention center shortly after her arrest.
Two days later, the girl and two 13-year-olds were arrested for trying to steal a car.
“Literally while I was parked, almost beside her, she pulled a large screwdriver out and began prying on the window to break into the car,” said Whitehall Police Sergeant Jon Earl, adding that the issue of juveniles stealing cars is a daily occurrence across Franklin County.
The three teens were released from the detention center shortly after their arrest.
Police were investigating a possible stolen truck when officers were diverted to arrest the teens. A short time later, Whitehall police say that truck is believed to have been involved in a shooting at a park on Joyce Avenue in Columbus.
A report from the Columbus Division of Police says a 19-year-old was injured and the crime happened in front of a portable camera. CrimeTracker 10 asked for video, but Columbus police declined.
Earl said that shooting may have been prevented if the officers weren't busy arresting the repeat teenage suspect.
"We had detectives spread out all over the city trying to keep track of both incidents that were going on at the same time. Had we concentrated all on one incident, who knows, we could have [prevented the shooting],” Earl said.
That's why Earl said it is so frustrating to continue to arrest the same teens over and over in stolen cars.
"I witnessed them get yelled at by several people in the parking lot like 'Hey, what are you doing over by the car?'" Earl said. "They had no cares," he said.
As of June 16, 2023, Whitehall police have received 192 calls for stolen vehicles, compared to 144 at this time last year. The department's Flock camera system, which can read license plates and send alerts to law enforcement, has spotted 198 stolen cars. Whitehall police made 150 arrests from those alerts.
CrimeTracker 10 again put in a request to interview the administrative juvenile court judge, Lasheyl Stroud, about the point system to hold kids, but she declined to comment.