Two teenagers from Detroit have made headlines after allegedly conducting a series of thefts and causing a traffic accident in Huron County, after fleeing a foster home in Upper Peninsula’s Sault Ste. Marie. The pair, aged 15 and 16, are accused of stealing multiple vehicles, one of which they crashed in Bad Axe, as reported by ABC12.
The incident, which remains under investigation, began when the teens allegedly stole a 2018 Hyundai in the Upper Peninsula before making their way southward. After getting lost, they arrived in the Bad Axe area, where they entered a Meijer store and reportedly stole two BB pistols and accessories. "The driver was distracted with broken glass. He ended up losing control as he approached the intersection, rolling several times and impacting a power pole," according to the ABC12 report.
The Huron County Sheriff’s Office indicated that the teens, having moved from Detroit to a foster home in Sault Ste. Marie did not wish to remain there. Following the crash, the teens were intercepted by a Bad Axe police officer as they attempted to flee on foot. They were taken to McLaren Thumb Region Hospital for evaluation. As per a statement by Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson in MLive, “the teens hotwired the Elantra, having learned how to do so on the internet. They began heading south but had no idea how to reach Detroit and had no phone to use for navigation, Hanson said. They used money found in the Elantra, as well as funds from at least one good Samaritan, to buy gas for their trip.”
Further adding to the complexity of the case, the teens initially left behind the stolen Hyundai in the hospital’s parking lot after shooting its windows with the BB pistols. Then they found a 2019 Kia Soul, also hotwired and stolen before it was wrecked. “The teens tried fleeing, only to be nabbed by the Bad Axe officer,” according to information provided by Mlive. Authorities have since returned the youths to the foster home and are considering felony charges, including vehicle theft and destruction of property.
Huron County officials are yet to finalize the specifics of the charges, while the foster care system re-assumes responsibility for the teens.
