Girl Sets Fire to Bed, Fakes Abduction to Avoid Doing Chores
Tired Of Chores, Girl Fakes Abduction, Police Say Mother's Bed Set On Fire POSTED: 2:45 pm EST November 28, 2006 PERU, Ind. -- A 12-year-old Indiana girl set fire to her mother's bed, then stole her car to fake an abduction, police said. Police said the child's mother awoke Monday to find her bed on fire and her three children and car missing. She called 911. When police called the woman's cell phone, they said the girl answered and claimed she'd been kidnapped along with her younger brother and sister, ages 8 and 6. The girl allegedly claimed the abductor forced them to drive south and was following in another vehicle. Police talked the girl into stopping after she'd driven about 15 miles. The children were found unharmed, and investigators determined the girl had faked the abduction. A girl told police she was tired of doing so many chores, authorities said Tuesday. "Apparently the mom had given her a lot of duties," Miami County Sheriff Ken Roland said. "It was too much for a 12-year-old and she snapped." Investigators determined that the children were not abducted, that the 12-year-old had set her mother's bed on fire as the woman slept on it, and that the girl stole her mother's car and persuaded her siblings to leave with her, according to police. The girl, whose name was not released, will be charged as a juvenile with arson and attempted murder. "The intent of the juvenile system is rehabilitation, treatment and counseling," Miami County prosecutor Eric Huneryager said. "They will provide services to determine why she acted out the way she did and to make sure it doesn't happen again." The younger children were returned to the care of the mother, Roland said. The fire in the bed was not serious and the mother was not hurt, he said. http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/10415419/detail.html