Deputies from Knox County and Adams County arrested juveniles suspected in a rash of car thefts and who are said to have left the scene of a traffic crash while in possession of alcohol.
Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene of a one-car crash about 5:15 a.m. Sunday near Bunker Drive, where a car struck a brick mailbox. No one was inside the car at the time, but plates showed the car was reported stolen from Lewistown, Mo.
Deputies spotted two juveniles, 15 and 16 years of age, walking across Highway 24 toward N. 12th Street.
They were identified as runaways from Kirksville, Mo. Upon trying to arrest both teens, the 16-year-old fled on foot. The 15-year-old was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of alcohol by minor, and leaving the scene of an accident.
Knox County Sheriff Mike Kite said the 16-year-old boy was arrested about 1:45 p.m. the same day near Newark Sever Lake. The teen was taken to the Northeast Missouri Regional Hospital in Kirksville with injuries to his right leg and hip. He told Kite that they were injuries he suffered in the crash.
In addition to the car recovered in the Adams County crash, Kite said his office recovered stolen cars at the lake where the 16-year-old was arrested and another in Edina. Kite believes they're all connected to the same two suspects.
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