Teens face felonies

Published 9:50 am Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Two Austin teenagers are facing felony theft charges after they allegedly took an unlocked car for a joyride Saturday.

According to a police report, a 20-year-old woman called police around 12:30 a.m. and said her car was gone from in front of her parent’s residence on the 900 block of Sixth Avenue Southwest.

After a call was made on the police radio, an officer noticed the car driving off-road through Todd Park.

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The officer followed the car to the nearby Citgo truck stop, where he pulled it over and held the two young males at gunpoint.

When more officers arrived, the 16-year-old driver and 17-year old passenger were arrested.

Both later told police that they were walking around the neighborhood earlier that evening looking in cars to see if they were unlocked.

When they found the woman’s car unlocked, they took keys, a camera and a phone from inside. The two said they realized the keys were for the car and decided to take the vehicle for a ride.

When the car was recovered, the woman said everything was there except for one credit card.

The two juveniles are being held at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Red Wing.