7-year-old takes van for a spin

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla., Oct. 31 (UPI) -- A 7-year-old who took his family's minivan for a brief joyride in Lehigh Acres, Fla., was treated for minor injuries after he crashed the vehicle.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the boy will not be charged for his brief foray through the neighborhood, the Southwest Florida News-Press reported Wednesday.

Trooper George Smyrnios said the boy, whose name was withheld because of his age, first barreled the 1999 Dodge Caravan into a driveway culvert and then backed into his family's mailbox, flattening it.

He then drove over a palm tree before entering the backyard of neighbor Don Murray, where a collision with a double-trunk pine tree ended his drive.

Murray said the boy's mother was following the vehicle on foot and pounding on the windows when she could get close enough.

"I hollered at her to just get back," Murray said.

He said the boy was in the back seat when they were finally able to enter the car. He said the child had minor injuries, but was not crying.

"He got bounced around," Murray said.