Can Michigan Police Arrest Or Detain Minors Without Calling Parents?

As teens grow up, they don't look like little kids anymore. So when they try to pull off those seemingly innocent and harmless pranks they could inadvertently be putting themselves in grave danger.

Michigan Teens Playing At Night Confused For Burglars

Over the weekend a couple of Mid-Michigan teens decided to go for a walk and eventually decide to play 'ding-dong-ditch'. This is where kids ring doorbells or knock on doors before running away. But because of being identified by a Ring doorbell camera on a past 'ditch' session, one of the teens suggested that they wear ski masks to hide their identity.

Get our free mobile app

While the plan to stay anonymous may have worked to conceal their identities, they now looked like adult thieves ready to break into a home. Around 11:00pm Saturday night local police responded to a call about prowlers in the area.

Michigan Police Apprehend Minors Who Look Like Burglars

Police arrived and put a drone in the air to locate the suspects. One officer found them and yelled, 'Police! Freeze!' at which point the scared teens teens took off running. One of the boys gave himself up to police while holding the mask in his hand. He was placed in handcuffs and put in a police cruiser.

READ MORE: NWS Confirms 9 Michigan Tornadoes

As the officer was getting the story and information from the first teen, the second teen was also apprehended after being seen in his parent's vehicle.

Are Police Required To Contact Parents Of Minors Upon Their Arrest?

Sources familiar with the incident say that the police officer, who had already pulled up info for the first teen's mother, was looking up his father's information when the teen noticed the car of his friend's parents. That's when that vehicle was pulled over and the second boy was also taken into custody.

Because the two were together and police spoke with the parent of the second teen, parents of the first teen were never contacted by police. The assumption was that the parent who was there would inform the other parents about what happened.

READ MORE: Unattended Jail Inmates Left In Court Transport

Michigan Law states that police are supposed to make a good faith effort to contact a parent or guardian when arresting or detaining a minor. Do you think this officer followed protocol or made an assumption and called it good?

The kids are being punished by their parents, and police did explain that they were very lucky that an area resident with an itchy trigger finger didn't try to take matters in to their own hands.