Police: Teen took cop car on joyrides

DILLON, S.C., July 3 (UPI) -- Police in Dillon, S.C., said a 13-year-old boy and his mother have been arrested after the teen took a police patrol car for a joyride.

Dillon police Sgt. Jason Turner said police were unaware that the car was missing Sunday until a resident called to report a young boy driving the vehicle, The (Pee Dee, S.C.) Morning News reported Thursday.

The boy had learned the code to the door of the department by watching someone enter and used the entrance to get the keys to the car, Dillon said. He said the boy had taken the car for another joyride the previous Sunday and had returned it to the police station before it was noticed missing.

The boy's mother, Patricia Gillespie, was arrested and charged with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after she told police that she had seen the boy driving the car on both occasions and did not notify police because she did not see anything wrong with the situation, Turner said.

The 13-year-old, who was charged with two counts of grand larceny, apparently took the car to patrol the city because he was interested in law enforcement, Dillon said.