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Florida siblings, 10 and 11, stopped by police after driving 200 miles

Police said the brother and sister grabbed their mother's car and ran away after she took away their electronic devices.
A child gets out of a car with hands up while stopped by police
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Two Florida siblings, ages 10 and 11, were stopped by police after driving 200 miles from home.

Police said the brother and sister grabbed their mother's car and ran away after she took away their electronic devices.

The 10-year-old boy was the one driving.

The Alachua County Sheriff's Office said it located a white sedan on I-75 that was reported stolen, prompting them to conduct a high-risk traffic stop. 

"Much to their surprise, deputies observed a 10-year-old male driver exit the vehicle, along with his 11-year-old sister," said the sheriff's office. "It was learned that the siblings had been reported as missing to the North Port Police Department and that the stolen vehicle belonged to their mother." 

The mother — who also reported her kids missing — was contacted. She declined to pursue charges and drove three hours from North Port to Alachua County to take custody of the children, police said.

In a follow-up statement, police said there were no additional concerns about conditions at home. It is believed the mother took the devices because the kids were using them improperly.

"The children did speak with both deputies and detectives and those conversations did not lead to any belief that the children were mistreated by their parent or any other person within the home," the Alachua County Sheriff's Office said. 

"Our detectives did speak with their mother at length who was clearly doing her best to raise two young children and she was very receptive to the recommendations they provided in helping her get assistance," the statement continued.

Police did not recommend any criminal charges because the vehicle owner declined to pursue them. The sheriff's office said the crime was a criminal traffic violation and that "a juvenile will not be accepted into the department of juvenile justice for misdemeanor criminal traffic."