MANSFIELD — Two runaway juveniles from Massachusetts were arrested by the Mansfield Police Department at Mechanics Bank on Lexington Avenue on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Sgt. Paul Lumadue, police received information from Massachusetts law enforcement that two runaway juveniles were in the Mansfield area, and both had felony warrants for stealing a car and a handgun. Lumadue said Mansfield Police were prepared to use force and had weapons drawn due to reports of the stolen handgun, but no shots were fired.
“These juveniles will be spending Thanksgiving in our juvenile detention center,” Lumadue said.
The handgun was stolen in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the car was stolen in Chicopee, Massachusetts, Lumadue said. Both items were stolen on Sunday, and the juveniles had been in three other states before being detained in Mansfield.
“They did have a handgun, but it had gotten stolen from them somewhere between here and Massachusetts,” said Mansfield Police Chief Ken Coontz. “I don’t know how they ended up in Mansfield.”
In addition to the two runaway juveniles, one more juvenile and two adults were traveling together in the stolen car that was located at Mechanics Bank on Lexington Avenue on Wednesday.
“One of the females was in contact with a family member, that’s how they were able to notify us where they were traveling to, and we were able to locate them,” Lumadue said. “The car had Massachusetts plates on it, so it was kind of obvious.”
Mansfield Police received a call around 2 p.m. on Wednesday that the runaways would be in the Mansfield area. Officers were able to locate the car around 3:25 p.m. and all five persons were arrested.
According to Lumadue, the two runaway juveniles are not being charged due to the fact they already have felony warrants waiting for them in Massachusetts. The additional juvenile and two adults are being charged with receiving stolen property.
Due to their juvenile status, the names of the runaways are not being released. The names of the two adults involved were not immediately available.
