A desperate Baltimore dad is so afraid his 14-year-old son’s life of crime will get him killed that he begged authorities to keep him locked up – but says they threatened to charge him with neglect instead.
“He’s not going to be alive that’s what I’m afraid of,” Santiago, who asked that his last name not be used, told FOX45 News about his wayward teen.
“It’s progressively getting worse,” he told the news outlet.
“He started breaking into cars to steal cigarettes and chains, then you’re stealing cars and running from the police,” the distressed dad added.
He said his boy, who wasn’t identified, has been arrested along with a cohort multiple times for a crime spree involving carjackings and thefts from Baltimore to Washington, DC.
“They was flying down Route 4 going a 100 miles an hour in and out of traffic,” Santiago said, adding that his son almost took the lives of two cops who were chasing him.
Despite the rash of crimes, his son has never faced serious consequences for his actions, Santiago said as he shared charging documents with the news outlet.
Of the 19 charges the teen was slapped with, all but one — which carries only probation — have been dropped, he said.
But when the desperate dad pleaded for his son to remain behind bars, he said was threatened with jail himself.
“I got the call from Prince Frederick County and Calvert County telling me that they had him in custody and they told me what had happened and stuff, and I said, ‘You know what, let him stay there in custody,’ and they told me, ‘You got six hours to get here and get him or we will be coming to get you for neglect and abandonment issues,’” he told FOX45.
“I want my son to get some help, I mean, if it’s jail that what’s it’s gonna take then jail. What my son needs, he needs some mental help,” Santiago added.
Santiago has also set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to cover the heavy financial toll of restitution costs from his son’s crimes.
The Post has reached out to local prosecutors about Santiago’s pleas and the charges against his son.
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