Police: Phone led teen to threaten parents

LAUREL , Del., Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Police in Delaware say they have arrested a 16-year-old girl who allegedly threatened her parents with knives after they took away her cell phone.

Delaware State Police said they were called to a Laurel home about 3 a.m. Sunday by the girl's parents, who had locked themselves inside their bedroom while their daughter threatened them from outside and attacked their door with knives, the New Castle-Wilmington (Del.) News Journal reported Tuesday.

The girl's father told officers he had taken away the teenager's phone after suspecting she had stolen money from her mother to purchase minutes.

Police said the girl put down her two large kitchen knives after speaking to officers for about 10 minutes. She was arrested and charged with possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, two counts of aggravated menacing, terroristic threatening, disorderly conduct, theft, criminal mischief and possession of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited.

"I can't comment on the state of mind of the juvenile, but this is one extreme example of a teenager having something as little as her phone taken away from her and how it affected her emotionally," police Cpl. Bruce Harris said.