Kids Steal The Darndest Things!

out by the good folks at a Goo. Uh. It's supposed to bring magic of breakfast life to the festive, disgusting drink of eggnog. Lego my hangover. So it's it's uh, it's called a gonog Appalachan sip and cream, which sounds like a euphemism. Yes, thank you. I'm over here trying to about the Dirty Martin. But they describe it quote a decadent rum based liqueur with cinnamon and nutmeg flavor notes. So it's it's got the eggs, which you kind of

associate with kids eating egosa kids food, so not for kids. Um, not really a breakfast thing either. So this would be like if there was like a pop tart cocktails where I'm supposed to believe this is for adults. I believe that people are going to be slamming these at sorority houses. So the press release said quote paired perfectly with our ego. Thick and fluffy waffles, maybe even topped with the dollarp

of ice cream. Ego nog is sure to help parents lego during one of the busiest times of the year. So this is for parents to get liquored up in the morning. Parents are like, Look, inflation is high. I can only afford three presents for my six kids. I'm just gonna tie on on with some egg nog home right through the holiday. I'm gonna sit out in the Ford Explorer in the driveway, pretending the kids cannot see me. Yeah, so, lego my egnog there is. That's ridiculous. I think that's

maybe even a step past ridiculous. I got to tell you, that's not the end of my ridiculous food. You promise the moment I find one, the moment I will share it. I cannot be stopped. Damn it. Fine, din't keep making me picture they you know I used to like food. Nope, not anymore. My work here is done between this and well, anyway, Elizabeth, I've got one for you that is ridiculous. In fact, I've got multiple ones for you. I bet you did. This is a three header. Oh yeah, so you know

how I like to go fast? Yes, yeah, okay, right, Well, and I may or may not have driven a stolen car or two in the past. Not saying I did, I'm just saying I may have. Hypothetically those are fun to drive fast because it's not yours. Right now, let's just say, well, I've got one for you today. Okay. This one is like I just love these stories. This is a couple of kids, A couple of stories about a couple of kids, and these kids who are driving

fast in stolen cars. I love this so much. This is Ridiculous Crime, a podcast about absurd and outrageous capers and cons. It's always murder free and ridiculous, now, Elizabeth, Typically we focus on stories about criminal adults, all right, And we've covered some fathers and sons, we've covered some families. We haven't really covered kids doing the criming. Notionally, I figured it's time. Were you on sealing some records? Right now? The day has come and my parents are willing to

face the music. No, this is not about you know. This is a ridiculous crime story of kids and stolen cars, and it's multiple kids. Because I'm here for this, they're just so much fun. Now, just I don't know if I just for context will say, I want to give you an example. This is what it's like when you talk about an adult crime story, right, okay, just really quickly, one day in July and the tiny town of Newburg, Oregon. This is a hamlet that's home to about people. It's

outside of Portland. It's like a suburb. It's also a college town home to George Fox University. And it's also the site of where Randy Lee Cooper, twenty seven year old amateur car thief, decided to pick up a Toyota land Cruiser and he's like a nice bet, I got this one right. And he's like all stoked on his stolen car and he starts trying to like tear all

the way through sleepy downtown Newburgh. The car's owner it's quick to spot Randy Lee Cooper and he calls the cops, and the cops, being that it's a small town, they got nothing to do, so they roll out in force. They create a drag nets. They're gonna find the stolen car right now. Randy Lee Cooper, he gets spotted cruising through downtown Newburg doing his like best impression of Nick Cage and gone in sixty seconds. And the dude, like

you know, catches the attention to all these small town cops. Right. So Randy Lee Cooper is like, oh snap, and he decides I'm going to ditch Johnny Law. Right, so he goes tearing off. He makes this hard turn on some side street and slams into another car, into a Buick Regal. Right, his stolen whip wrecked, right, the Buick Regal. It's not looking too good, right, Randy Lee Cooper. He immediately gets busted. They cuff him, stuff him stolen car. He's going to jail.

They go to check on the driver of the Buick Regal. Her name Kristin Bega or beg it's b e g u E. I don't know beg A so Christino, twenty five year old Newberg local. She's the one behind the wheel of the Bullick Regal. Right, surprisingly chill about the whole thing. She's just telling the cop to it's fine, I just I just need to get home, and they're like, ma'am, you were just you got slammed into Do you want

to follow the police report? Your insurance is gonna And they started noticing that there's a reason why she's surprisingly chill about getting hit and being involved in this police chase car accident. She's drunk. She's drunk as hell, like, oh, Kristin right, So the cops run her license and they discovered that the Buick regal the plates. Once they run those,

that cars also stolen. So we have the cops have are arrested a Karthie I who runs into a drunk driver also driving a stolen caring they all get busted. That's an example of ridiculous adults in cars. Yes, the story is I'm about to tell you so much better. I can't wait. Okay, So I'm ready to tell you now the story of a whole different bag of crime. How kids, Well they do it differently, and frankly I root for the kids. You know, they say the darndest

things too, and they do the darndest crime things. Elizabeth, you know, it's way more fun than drunk driving adults and stolen cars anything. How about a kid trying to drive to California to buy a Lamborghini. Okay, that sounds super fun. Right before we get into him. If I remember correctly, you're once telling me that you were taught to drive when you were really young. Eight eight. Yeah, I was taught to driving. I was eight. What do you mean, taught to drive like they needed you to

get to the liquor store or later. This was I was at my uncle's house. I was eight, and he just decided, you know, I bet you could probably drive a car. And so yeah, so we got in the car and he showed me how it worked, and we drove around the block a few times. Is he like in like, are you on his lap? And he's doing the steering wheel? You're behind the wheel bind the wheel, got a good start. Yeah, it was good stuff. I like to go in to visit him. So, yeah it was.

I mean, obviously it's eight years old and driving a car. Yeah, I mean, who would not love that? Why is he so chill about ladies because he didn't have kids at the time. Now he has kids. If I did that to his children at that age, oh you're never going to see him again. I wouldn't be doing this show, I'd be dead. Didn't that funny how that plays? Yeah? Well, okay, now as you were eight years old, when you've got your start behind the wheel, can you imagine a five

year old trying to drive an SUV? M Yeah, I could see it. Wow, you have a lot more confidence than I do. I was like, maybe I was just a small kid, Like, there's no way I could see over the dashboard even if I was standing in the challenges there. And I like, anyway, well, this kid, he's a five year old. His name is Adrian Zamaripa, right, Adrian. He was home with his sixteen year old sister, Sidney Flores, and she was babysitting while both her mom and stepped

dad her away at work in the family. They live in Ogden, Utah. I'm not sure if you know Ogden, but it's like nestled up against the rocky mountains. It's like one of those high desert type of communities. It's a very Utah city, very old school mountaineer looking and you know, family town. Right now, around eleven am, Sydney lays down to take a nap. Well, young Adrian's like, bet I'm free. So young Adrian does whatever he gets fixed in his little mind. He's like, you know what,

I need a Lamborghini. Nobody is around. I think now is my chance I need? Well wait a second, if you've got a kid that is this crafty, you are not napping while babysitting that kid. Well yeah, if one word paying attention to how crafty kids are, people off only believe that kids do what they fear and not what kids think they can do. And I love that. He's like, I need a Lambo yeah. And he's like, oh, and I know they don't sell him in Utah, so

I need to need to go to California. So's that's just in his Mind's like that's where you're going to get a Lamborghini. I'm not getting one in Ogden. So he's like, okay, I gotta go. How am I gonna do this? So he also knew what I forgot. Cars cost money. I'm gonna need some cash. So he goes up and he's like, this is why I've been saving. So he rated his piggy bank and he collected the three dollars that he had saved up, shoved that in his little jeans pocket, and then how all he needed

was the way to get to California. So he went and he grabbed his parents car keys, like pushed a chair up against the wall, grabbed him from where they're hanging on a hook. And then Elizabeth, I think the best way to convey all this is I'd like you to close your eyes. Picture it. Dusty high desert, Ogden. The town is nestled up against the jutting rocky mountains. They are like a granite wrinkle running across the state. It's mid day, still early, a little before noon. You're

in a borrowed car. You're driving your friends old bakery truck. On the side is a giant, smiling bear holding a loaf of bread like it's a baby. The bread truck is old and it backfires whenever you let off a gas too fast, so you're like trying to keep a nice even temple. Now you need to get to a farmer's market that you promised you'd help a friend run, right, and this one's down over in Park City, so you gotta drive all the way down to Salt Lake City.

You're not excited about the drive, so you're just hoping you in this old ass bread truck can make it. So put put putting along. As you're driving out of downtown Ogden, you tak the silver suv passes you and then urges into traffic in your lane, no turns signal, You're like suv drivers. Suv then continues in't just veers across your land on the on ramp. Then it veers back into the it's original lane. Like how drunk? It's this guys, you're wondering, you know, like is this person

that danger for me in the bread truck? But you both merge on the freeway and interestingly, you both do real slowly I'm talking real like bread truck slowly, and like, what's wrong with him? Slowly? Right? So do you have the excuse they have? No, you're clocking them. You're like, what's up with the homie and the silver suv? And you pull he pulls on real slowly, and it's like the driver doesn't know where the gas pedal is or like he can't reach It's just something is not right

about this driver. Meanwhile, the freeway outside of Ogden not too busy. It's midday, about eleven o'clock on a weekday, so not a lot of traffic. It's just you, your bread truck few tourists and some minivans and SUVs, a few hybrids, some big rigs, and this guy is so rescued, he just swerving across all the lanes of traffic. You're like, what am I going to do with this guy? Because you can't really get ahead of them because you're put putting along on your bread truck and you're worried someone

else is getting into a bad accident. You really don't know if you You almost don't want to leave them. You want to kind of like keep people away from them, right, So you also want to see if this driver is okay. So you're like, okay, come on, bread truck. You're pulling along as pass as you can up to this STV. Luckily it's not too hard because the SUV's one about thirty seven miles. So you catch the suv and then you look over and you see the driver. What's going

on with them? They had a stroke or something? Nope, driver is just really short and you look you see through the window it's a kid. It's a five year old kids driving. He's just got a big old grant. He's smile and he waves to you. You way back, and you're like, wait, why did I do back? What's wrong with me? And he's holding onto the steering wheel with both hands and he's got this huge smile. All right. You're just like, that's so, he's not scared, not scared

at all. Kids just cruising on the freeway. He's on the wedding to get a lambo. He's he's hills, he's going. Now. You're like, what wait, what are we gonna do? You're like, this poor kiddy, and you're looking there's no parents, there's no adults. You don't know what to do. You see behind you in the rear of vie a cop coming down the freeway. You're like, oh, thank goodness. So you just keep basically pacing this suv trying to keep them

like between you and the media. Right, yeah, cop comes through, traffic doesn't notice you are the suv going thirty SIPs through and disappears. You're like, are you the one time I needed to come? I didn't I call the police? Though? Why didn't I call her? Cell phone doesn't work? It's because that's why you're going to the farmer's market. You need the bill to pay your cell phone, so you got no you got no bust cell phone, I don't know the TV radio and this sweet You got basically

a bullhorn and some gumption. So yeah, that's that's the story. So Elizabeth doesn't story. Yeah, I got some gumption in a bullhorn. So as you are pacing this suv, you see a second highway patrol further back on the freeway. You're like, okay, this is my chance. So you decide, you know what, last time I had the guy foxed in, I'm gonna move over one lane and give him the room to rome. Yeah, so you do exactly that, and he does exactly what you think. Is the kids all excited.

He swears from one lane back into another lane into the other lane. Cop season yeah, pulls in right behind him. You're like, dank god. And then you get backcands next to the suv. Cop turns on the lights. The bubble gum machine lights flare on. You're like, I get him. Not that you want to see the kid get busted, You're just so you Also, because you know you're curious, you pull over to yes, I do, I have to pull over and quote unquote check my load. So you

want to spake sure everything's okay. So you in the bread truck pull in front of the silver suv. Cop on the highway patrol pulls behind the silver suv and you're not watching in the rear heard You're like, I gotta see the cops face when he kid. So the cop gets out of the car. He's at there on the I five freeway on the side. You ta state trooper just his belt, just his pistol holster, just his hat, gets up and starts walking up to the car. You're like, oh, buddy,

you are in for one surprise. And right when State Trooper Rick Morgan reaches the driver's side window, he flinches. He sees the kid. He's like, you're five years old. Wow, okay, you hear the t troopers say, And you're like, then yes, the kid, Hey kid, where'd you learn to drive a car like that? But this point, the kindergartener Adrian I hopeful Lamborghini owner of the future. He has driven three miles from his home at about an now an average of thirty two yeah, and he has safely pulled over

on an I five freeway. And You're like, this is the wildest morning I've seen. And I'm driving a bread trust with a bear on the bear on the side. Now you will manage to safely get to your farmer's market down to Park City because you're busy, but you know you are a busy body. But you're also busy, so you bounce out and Adrian is safely returned to his family after this short break. I'll tell you what his family did when he gets beat. Okay, Elizabeth, last

week left you. You were put putting along in your bread truck back to park City. You'd safely saved the kid from the on the possible freeway disaster. His family would be so thankful, hero, you are you easty? You're hype yeast. So back at home, his sister Sydney, she woken up and she's found that he's missing. Also the family car is missing. She freaks out, assumes that somebody has come stolen the family car, her brother and taken off. So she's like, oh my god, does she calls her parents,

tells them that's what's happened. The parents rushed back home. They're freaking out. They call the police and the police say, um, what what was the car that you had stolen? This is so resuvated and her son is isn't well. We've got some good news for you. We've recovered your car. Coincidentally, we also found five year old Adrian. They're like, god, did you do that? And they're like, well, we got quite a story for you, So come on down to the station. Right, this story happy ending as it has

no bid thing bad happened to Adrian. When it hit the local press, he goes national because people see five year old car to drive to l A to buy Lamborghine either, like, what the heck? And how do you think people responded when it went viral? Did everyone go after Sydney? Yes, good, but my instinct wasn't. Yeah, so yeah, everyone gets mad online about Sydney and they say, who could leave a kid alone like that? Where would you get the idea to steal a car and drive to

California and buy a sports car? How could his sister take a nap with a five year old in the house? What's going on in that home? Some folks even called for this poor five year old kid to go to jail to learn a less Oh no, no, no, no, no, no right. I would just like to shame Sydney. You know, you don't have to. That's the best punishment of shame. Yeah, exactly. I mean, come on, though you're sixteen, your babysitting to

five again, I will drive it home. Almost every five year old boy is just beyond a handful and you cannot go napping away well, you know, and especially one who it's not like a big surprise to them that this kid is into he's playing and theft auto or something. Who They had never seen him drive a car or have any interesting cars, they said, until all he had he had one toy when he was too there was like one of the little push cars you put kids on.

It's the only time they've ever seen him be anything excited about a car. I don't buy it. I know that's what they say. But I got a little bit for you about Sydney the sister. Okay, yeah, she said, and I quote. The one that hit us the most was when a lady said that she wished death on him. These people know nothing about what goes on at our house. They don't know how hard my parents work. We cannot believe how many haters were out there. Someone wished death

on the boy. Yeah, that's that's who really needs to be the focus of this. You need to find that that person who I'm sure it was on Facebook. This child needs to die, and then I'd like the walk me through that. I think me through that hyperbolic though. You can't go around saying these things unless you can back it up. So tell me what's your thought process of murdering a five year How are we going to put the kid down? Yeah? How would you do it? Susan?

And like this is hyperbolic. Speech has the time and a place. I'm a fan, but not I just disregard. But stuff I really online is hyperbolic. And I'm like, you don't really mean that because they wouldn't say it

to your face. No, they wouldn't, but the fact that the thought enters their head they type it out even if they're just being but they're just like at the top, Yeah, I think they're just having an emotional moment where it's like this is how I feel, and they're not really thinking about You hear this and you think kill the kids? I think it's not a good thing. I'm with you. Yeah, wishing death upon a child online probably not your best. Like a little boy steals the nest, kill him, murdered

the child? Like what happens if I don't bring my trash cans exactly kill her. Well, I've got some more good news for you from there's Jeremy Nevus who was also reading this story, and he was like pretty much the chillest person you can imagine who would read it. And why it matters that he read the story is he was a thirty three year old philanthropist and local entrepreneur who lived in Ogden. We actually lived in our

hum Utah, which is not too anyway. So Nive's phone the family up and he's like, hey, how's your boy Adrian? I saw the news? Or like, how did you had our number? He's like a local entrepreneur and get stuff, legitimate business and he's like, hey, does he still want to take a ride in the Lambo? And they're like, are you for real? So this cat, he's got this Lamborghini Hurrican. He rings it over to the house and he had a personal view because and I quote for him, Hey,

I was twelve when I took my parents car. This kid is five. I couldn't believe it. I thought this kid is ambition. He has no fear. This guy goes watchless, watchless. He's like, I like that no fear kid attitude. He's like, I want to hang out with a five year old watchless, watchless, but he hasn't. This is what I liked about what he had to say in the press. And he've said, please, let's just not focus on the bed. Let's not miss

the gift and the genius of this little boy. He was determined, willing to do whatever it took to go after his dream. You don't want that dreaming to stop, exactly like a true entrepreneur trying to get a little five year olds in your car. And then the family went with him. It wasn't just him of the kid. How many people can fit in the Lamborghini? Not many, but sister Sydney went with him that they took turns of the cling onto the hood of the car while

he worked. Who were the one closest to the story? I don't you tell me. I was in the bread truck giving chase if you're wondering. No charges were filed against Adrian, so there was that. Okay, he was charged. They did add extra locks to the family home, so there's also that. So you know, that's good. Lots of good news on this one, right lo Jack on the so for comparison's sake. Let's now bounce over to Australia, Okay, because you know they were going to be a little

bit extra while. Yeah, now we woking from Utah, a desert state in the United States, to Australia, a desert state on a continent. So we're in Australia. Now. We love Australia. We've covered quite a few ridiculous crimes from there. They come to us from that beautiful land down under. We love y'all. Keep them coming. I have to say I didn't really have an opinion one way or the other about Australia when we started this show. Yeah, I've

always loved Australia. It's the Texas of the Pacific. Everyone I've ever interacted with now is amazing and I love them the best's telling the best thing. This story involves some older kids, all right, so you don't be so nervous this time. There is a fourteen year old boy, two thirteen year old and a ten year old girl and they are a cluster who are running the streets

criminal enterpress exactly. So one Saturday in Australia, they decide, you know what, we've had enough of our coastal Queensland hometown rock Hampton's boring. We need to get out on the road, and they decide we need to get the big wild world and see more of this continent we call home. So you're like, let's drive across Australia. We're a couple of kids with some free time. We got

a week off of school. So they grabbed all the cash they had between them and they packed up some fishing like they're like on a Huckleberry story and they put that in the back of a two thousand four Nissan Patrol, which is apparently an Ethan pass finder over in Australia. So they grabbed all the cash. They have a car the Wishing Poles, and one kid leaves a note for his family saying I've gone across AUSTRALIAA be back later. I love him. The kids load up and

boom off on the road. On walk about them. Now, if you were to go full huck a bray Fin and run away and you're like with a couple of your friends, what would your a plan of been like? Would you just at that age now that I know your plan now, I don't know. I liked the whole river life at that point I'd probably want to go to like see like a river further up the American River and Lazy River it on down. They drove to the coast. In order to answer that question, I'd have

to have friends at the fair enough for me. Well, these kids friends as they were, this gang. They all load up and they planned to drive a thousand kilometers across Australia and to make good time, they decide we'll drive in shifts. So the kids are going to drive twenty four hours a day in shifts. Were just taking turns, sleeping. But early Sunday morning, they about round four five am, they pull into this truck stop, the Banana Truck Stop. And this truck stop is named for the town of Banana.

Now it's which is home to hundreds of people. Mind you now, if you're wondering, no, Banana Australia was not named after the popular fruit, wait zarin. If the town is not named after the popular fruit, what has Banana Australia named after? Thank you for asking, Elizabeth. The Banana crime family. It is also not an Aboriginal world world word. That's coincidentally the same. These are all great questions, Elizabeth.

According to the local press, right now, And I quote, Banana is a town of a few hundred people that grows no bananas and is named after a dun colored bowl. Yeah, that's the Apparently the bull is named Banana, and it was named not after like a named the town after a single bowl. This one ball was named Banana. And they're like, we should name the town after that bowl. We love that ball. And I had to look this up because I didn't know it done. I know it done as the verb like two done, but I don't

know it as a as an adjective. Do you And yeah, do you know what it is? What color is it? It's a slightish brown brownish dark gray color and then also a nearly neutral slightly brownish dark gray, so it's either way slightly brownish. Yeah. Anyway, So at the banana truck stop, cashier Harry White who was not working that night on the overnight shift, but wasn't so he wasn't there at four thirty five in the morning when they pulled in. But when he gets to work, he checks

the CCTV and he's like, what happened? And it's like, for whatever reason, I'll hyped to find that these kids have rolled through and stolen some gas. So he calls the cops. Kids came through, the cops coming out, Harry Banana, Harry, I got a crime on my hands. So Harry Banana calls and the cops are like, we'll be right there. So he's like, okay. When the police comes out and he's like shows him the footage. He's like, you see this, he's they're loading up the gas. See, this guy's one

cool customer. Now I'm with him, to quote m c a. I watched the footage. He was cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce. I'm telling you, Banana ain't seen something quite. Sometimes Harry Banana looks and he can automatically tell these were kids. Well yeah, because he's got that's a good grown up. It's a very good point for us. They are some denis Ovian type people from the South Micronesia area, and they've just said, yeah, no,

actually they were kids because they looked like kids. So they're like sideways baseball caps and overall they're they're like ten eleven. They're not like, you know, quite their raw bone.

They're showing growth spurs, the benefits of the well, the one kid was like apparently like talking to other customers there at four thirty five in the morning, and then was hanging up the pump, as Harry White recalled, and I quote, he turned around to his mate or passenger in the car, had a small conversation which I assumed was, Hey, they get it ready, we're gonna get out of here. And that's when he put in the bowser and got in his car and shut the door. It took off.

I don't know. I have no idea what a bowsery And in fact, for you, I didn't even look it up. I said, you know, I'll just tell Elizabeth what is that? I don't know. It's a gas pump ratchet, That's that's what. It's a ratchet, cas pump ratchet now that's what we're just gonna call. Yeah, I assume it's the hanger. I don't know. So in the town of glenn And in New South Wales, the cops spot the very particular banana Bosa. So this banana bowser, Oh wait, where was I? So

who knows he cares? Traveling in the town of Glenn And as cops spot the stolen car because everyone knows look for this two thousand four Nissan patrol because the cops have been alerting each other right at the wheel, they see this thirteen year old right and they're like, oh, let's give chase, and so they go after the kid. Apparently this kid could handle speed because he ditches the cops night. They weren't able to pull the kid over and they actually give up the high speed chase and

they're like, look not say. It's not only the local cops. There's also Australian Highway Patrol involved in this chase. None of them can catch this kid. And what kind of car they in just like a like a Nissan, like a like but with lifted It has like one of these like like you know in Australia you're gonna be driving through rivers, so it has like the air pipe that goes over the top and everything. Yeah, so they're like ready to go into the red clay and bounce

around if they have two chasing yangaroos. Suggition the cops right, so and the crops and I quote said, there was a short pursuit up there with the Highway Patrol and due to the ages of the driver and the road conditions, that was terminated by the Highway Patrol officers and the general duties police that were involved. They're like, we can't

keep up with this kid. Kids make it to where they're going, which is a little town called Grafton six hundred miles or a thousand kilometers for those outside of the US, and I say, good on your kids. Right at ten forty in the morning, they pull into graft and like, hey, we made it. Get out the fishing poles. But like I told you, the local police have been notified all along, so they're just waiting for them. It's not not a big town. So when the truck pulls

in there like that's get out of hey, Gary. So they go over and the Highway patrol local cops to send on the Nissan. The kids park it, but the cops surround the car. The kids look out from inside and they talk to each other like anyone want to get out. The cops are like banging on the window, all right, kids, get out now, all right, come on now, and the kids are like, nah, we don't think so, mate. They refused to get out of the car. They just sit in the car for a while. The cops were like,

now what do we do? So they're like okay, well we have an answer. They get out batons and they break the windows and then yanked the kids out of the car. But this is where it stops being the American police story that we would be just terrified for these things, right, and it's but the cops at this point, the cops all shut off their their cameras came exactly, They're like, okay, we're going off. The kids knocked the

body cam off. I don't want to tell you know, but at press time the story reported and I quote, the police have yet to interview the children because they cannot be questioned without a parent or guardian being present. So the kids they happened to be on a midyear break from school and they're dou back in class and Monday. They're just like, what's the big ideal? And the parents are like yeah, you know, like we're glad. They're okay.

So if I'm like, I start going, oh my god, we were kidnapped and the guy jumped out of the truck five minutes five clicks back, Yeah, thank you so much for saving us. Now I gotta ask when did we stop allowing kids to like leave the house, and because like I could leave the house as a kid, and I have to be back until it was dark. Essentially that was usually the rule. Now is that the nineties?

Is it the early odds when we're kids no longer allowed to just be I think it was like nineties and there was all that scare of abductions and stuff and the ones we survived. I guess is this also? Is this just American kids? Like in Australia, do they let those like kids wander the Probably still a lot of what I don't know to imagine they're a little bit more loose than Yeah, my understanding is that in a lot of other countries kids have a little more wileeway.

Here they call it free range parenting when they let the kids kind of just do their thing, which is kind of how I was raised. I was branched on like I think pass free right, what's what's passed free range? Like free grazing, neglect, legal neglect? No, I mean I think that, you know, it's definitely a generational thing where

it's wild to me. Yeah, they were kids can't like walk to school or ride their bikes to school or just like like you said, get home when it's dark, and and that the parents wouldn't imagine that while they're out things are bad or can happen to them, and that they could handle their own st kids weren't acting like they knew. Well now kids have like air tag

trackers on them and stuff chips behind the ear. Yeah, and then the parents log on they can see through the kid's eyes because they're not real children, their cyborgs. I like your story here. That's what I hear is going on house, so I can't tell you what's really happening. Well, after this break for ads, we'll be back with my favorite story of these three with kids stealing cars and driving across country. This last one is about a girl in Texas who wanted to your boyfriend who lived in

another state. Okay, Elizabeth, buck up, buttercup. You ready for my favorite story. I'd like you to meet Elizabeth Robinson of Cyprus, Texas, was near Houston. Now I'm going to show you her picture because I want you to imagine her girl Elizabeth right, something of a tomboy. And then here's another one of her for it's a school photo. What sweetie right, look at that smile? So my girl, Elizabeth, as I said, something of a tomboy, but yet also still very much a Texas girl. She is a you know,

big hair, closer to God kind of girl. Been all honestly, she's like a sweetheart. And in September this thirteen year old Elizabeth Robinson decided time to get free. So her mother, who was named Tressa Robinson, tries to recall the local press at the time, and I quote she had mentioned that she was talking to a boy online said he was her boyfriend. She started staying in her bedroom more isolating her stuff, where she was always with the headset,

always talking. That's how they communicated through the xbox. So her parents don't understand their gamer daughter now xbox love affairs. That's probably not something you're familiar, right, isn't it. I think that that's the way that a lot of kids get around not being allowed to be on cell phones or stuff communicators like meet me at the Xbox. I don't know how that all work. Mike cousins, meet me at the xbox, them log on and we'll just chop.

I'll be at the shopping mall on my xbox. Alright, Well, bring your xbox, much like um, you know, those who don't understand those kids hasn't understand their gamer daughter, and they're like, I don't know what's going on with this xbox love stuff. I don't believe it. I'm just glad you're not watching porn, right, So well, and let's hope he's not like thirty seven. Yeah. No, So she's thirteen. Her boyfriend's twelve. He's age appropriating. Okay, she likes him young,

she does. It's good for her. So the parents they do what they think is good for her because they're worried about her being in love with this boy lives in different stage. She's becoming withdrawn. So, trying to be good parents, they go, what can we do to help Elizabeth. Let's take away her xbox. I know it will help the situation, that will probably make things better. But what's her connection to the world. Why don't we take that away? So I don't want to talk to my daughter. I

just want to shut it down. I just want to deny her happiness. So so that was a bridge too far for old Elizabeth, first year old girl. She's like, time for me to go full on Romeo and Juliet. So she starts coming up with a series of bad decisions and she's like, uh, completely high on team love, thinking about how she's going to go and get to her man. Right, man, I made a twelve year old boy. It's just all like peach fuzz and his voice. Maybe I can't. What do you do her? So what does

Elizabeth do? Elizabeth? Well, Elizabeth tend to be pretty badass heavy girls. She has a plan, a plan for that. My girl, Elizabeth sick, I'm gonna get free. Here's my plan, go see my man, my tween boyfriend, and I need to get there. So How'm gonna get there? First? Steps first, So she starts talking to the family. Her mother grows a little suspicious. Elizabeth becomes suddenly very curious about the

average gas mileage of her brother's car. She just keeps asking about it, like, well, if he's going like in a hilly area, does he get the same kind of gas mileage? Amazing? But the mother didn't think too much about it, didn't put it together. And now the brother he drove because I know you're curious about this terribly two thousand eleven Nissan Versa a one year old little subcompact. I would imagine. I imagine so imagines getting thirty and

about peeking out freeway speed kind a governor on it. Now, Elizabeth knew her family might be onto her, so she decided to buy herself some time. Right, so she pends a note to her family. She said, tells her parents in the note that she's very upset. She hates school, she's being bullied. She's practically suicidal about it, and right now she just wants to go on her own. She's going to go spend the night at her friend's house. Right so that, I hope none of the other stuff

was true. Was being bullied, she wasn't. I mean, I will go out and find those bullies. I know you will, and I don't want you to out there and have to deal with that and be that. Texas is a big state and they take it all to find them. All. Turns out she was mostly exaggerating from everything that can come from reading the story. All right, She wasn't suicidal, wasn't really being bullied. She been it is kids. She may have been bullied pathological to the point where she

was desponded. She's looking around, she goes, you know what this sucks? Yeah? It was one more like I hate being a thirteen year old girl in high school or junior high, which I think a lot of girls can really everyone can relate to that. Hated being a thirteen year old girl. It was tough on me, Yeah, it was. So Elizabeth's like, Okay, I have my plan. I got my brother's guess my always worked out. I'm just gonna take his car. It's a year old car, should make

it to the state. I need to get to another thing. Elizabeth's love logistics, logistics exactly, so she's like, now, also, I'm going to need funding. So she's like, my mom, she got that debit card, so I'm just gonna sw I bet my brother's car keys, grab those you like, you like, and boom She's off drop hops in. The car drives away that night, headed to Kentucky. Her mother discovers her missing the next morning, which she goes to

wake her up. Knock knock, knock. It is a bit time for breassist an xbox and box sitting there you remember this. So she finds the note, freaks out, calls the family where she says she's staying over the friend's house. Were like, she didn't come over and then now she's terrified, right, so she's like, what are we gonna do. They phoned the police right panicked, doesn't know what to do. The police were like, we'll find her with she probably ran

off and she's like, no, you don't understand. Her boyfriends lives states away, and they're like, oh, that that could be bad. So there, do you have any idea where her boyfriend lives with the parents, and they go when they check her messages or xbox whatever messages the xbox and then they find in her email that her boyfriend, whose name is Dylan, he lives in Hodgens, phil can Hockey and that's where Elizabeth is on her way. So now they know where she will arrive. I don't know

where she is. She's like a Heisenberg's uncertainty of runaways. So she left her house in Texas and around nine pm on Wednesday night got it okay. Her family phoned the police Thursday morning. How old the cops begin tracking any use of the mothers stolen credit card? That's the best time they have to go, right. Of course, Elizabeth, being a kid, doesn't think about that, so she pings the system when she gets gas in Henderson, Texas. That's on Thursday midday. Later that same day, around two pm,

she's spotted driving through Hope, Arkansas. So now they're doing a multi jurisdictional alert for this missing kid. Right, So it's an amber alert placed on them pretty much all of the local authorities from the multi state area. Right, Hope, Arkansas. Isn't that Bill Clinton's birthplace? I'm glad you mentioned that. Yes, the birthplace of former President Bill Clinton. Why and former presidential hopeful turned banjo appreciator Mike Huckabee. Well, there you go,

they're both from hell Hope. Around that same time, when Elizabeth is breezing through Hope, Arkansas, a Tennessee state trooper receives this amber alert, this multi jurisdictional alert, and it's Trooper Dwayne Stanford. He's like, he plots Elizabeth's progress on his map, he clocks the time that she was making and he's like, draws a circle around the screen and

he's like, Okay. He calculates it if she kept the same pace, didn't stop anywhere to get gas, didn't stop anywhere to sleep, didn't have to meet any friends, she'd be passing by him sometime around ten pm and eleven pm that same Thursday night. So just before ten pm, he pulls into a speed trap spot. He prefers in the medium strip of Interstate forty, the big freeway that goes cross country, and he's like, okay, let me just wait for this Nissan Versa to go rolling pass. Ain't

many of those in Arkansas. He's all polishing his spike strip, shining work on his pit move in his head. So Trooper Dwayne has got it all calculated and true to his his math. At ten twenty four, Elizabeth goes zooming passed. He's like, look at that headed right to Nashville. So Herbert Dwayne throws on the lights, chases after her floors. It gives chase and she's like, oh no, And the thirteen year old does as the bubble gum lights and struck. She pulls over And at this point, Elizabeth, how far

do you thinks she has driven this other Elizabeth? She's in Arkansas at this point, she's just outside in Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee state. She's got to get to Kentucky's are he's coming from Cyprus, Texas. I would say it would be yea big yeah, I don't know. It was a big seven ninety miles. She had driven by herself straight. Is she wearing an astronaut paper? I've tried to drive that kind of pretty much, right, She's like, I'm headed down

to where's Nassa? Oh? What's the town'st Alabama and houston Ville. So the Elizabeth, I'm not sure you've ever tried. I've driven twelve eighteen hours in a row. Your but goes now, Chad starts to wander, your eyes goes to cross. It is really cheap. Ten like it's okay for me. Ten is when like it hurts when you get up to stand up? Yeah, let's be frank, I start sundown. And so she was pulling an inordinate amount of energy out of her body, a little thirteen year old body to

get to her man. Right now, she's likely exhausted and being powered entirely by teen love at this point and hormones and hormones A right tired? Is she must have been. The state trooper pulls her over. She's like panic, but not like mean or scared to cry, and she's like, how did my parents call you? It's just all matter of fact about her right, And she's apprehended without incident. The cop doesn't rough her up, doesn't get injured. He does the arrest of her own safety and the cops

then take her in and they contact her parents. Her parents are so relieved. So what was her man Dylan doing this whole time? Cleaning his room in a flying more axe, body spraying, finishing his paper out so we had some money to take them out of Her tween boy friend Dylan was staying home because when they talked on the phone, he told her, I don't think it's

a good idea. Is a good influence? Yes, exactly, she goes in every relationship you need, but the one is the wild one and the one is the logistical one. But so you have the thing of like they're both in their minds. This is like the most passionate earth break love where she will drive through the night for me, I will drive through the night. And it's so serious. I can't wait to fast forward, like fifteen years with them, Dylan, Lizzie's come here, let's look at this. Let's let's talk

about this. What do you all remember? Do you have diaries? Now? The best part of the story for me, they have this show. This is your diary. You're welcome kids, my favorite partment. I was reading this story is the part I'm about to tell you the end. Okay, that's my favorite. It's not it's not just the end, but it's how

this story ends. Okay, Okay. So Dylan, he was sitting there waiting and can tell Uckey and Hogdenville's you know, and he doesn't leave his house and he told her, I don't know if it's a good idea, baby, for you to come this way or whatever. He said. Now she gets arrested, and he doesn't like, you know, Dylan doesn't merely find out because the cops don't call Dylan,

they just call the parents. But the parents when they find out the dad, Elizabeth dad, the one who decided got to take away this xbox right, the old Texas dad taking away the xbox, doing us right for his daughter. He drives from Texas the eight miles to get to Nashville to pick up his daughter. And you would think when this Texas dad gets here, he's gonna be furious, when he's gonna read her the ride up one side of down and down the other right. Instead, he does

not scream, he does not shout. He shows up and he smiles. He goes, where's my baby girl? And then when he sees her, So, baby, you're okay, and she's like, I'm dumb. I'm sure, Daddy. She's like, you he really scared us, baby girl, and she's like, I'm so sorry. By the daddy, He's like, well, we need to get you to Ogdenville, Kentucky, don't we, And he drives her the rest of the way so she can go and meet Dylan for the first time because he had to make like I broke all up, I'm gonna put you

two together. And they never met face to face and he drove his girl. So that drive from Nashville to Ogdenville must have been a sweet one for the two of them. Oh yeah, But was it like an episode of Catfish when they get there and they see each other in real life? Oh wait, you know what, you don't look like that team. I believe it was love at first sight, moon eyes, hearts in their eyes, like, I hope so. Yes, I believe that they were romantic. Yes I am. I am the most romantic here going.

I just hope neither one of them hurt the other. Dylan's forty six years old. It turns out he's actually married. He's got a twelve year old son who's been using his photos. No, Elizabeth, this Elizabeth, We're gonna give her the sunshine the rainbow that I believe in, which is the dad took them there, and the two of them the first they went and they had a Sunday and you know, talked about Xbox well, and the dad got over his fears that you know, we operate out of

fear and that turns into anger in those times. And yeah, so what's our ridiculous take away. We got to lower the driving age. We got to start issuing licenses way earlier. People always want it later. I'm like, no, no, I see the way these grown folks are driving around here. Knock it down a little bit, and also maybe knock it down and bring it down to I think like we're like if you're like ninety five, Like, look, we're letting twelve year old drives, so you can't be on

the road. I just think we need to be more stringent. If this girl, if this Elizabeth could like get in the car and hammer down and be safe about it, like go ahead. Yeah. My farm family, they all grew up driving like the truck to town to the seed feed store or whatever and then back because there's nothing on the country road, so it's really what you expected the children. But then also there are the conditions of a country roads very different than driving on you know

MLK in Oakland. Well, and this is also going to get back to something I harp on all the times. We need better public transportation infrastructure in this in the country. Good point. She could have taken a train that would have been super romantic, where she would get on the train and then she'd listened to some like singer songwriter Indie Rock with her head resting against the window and

write some poetry about the whole thing. And then Dylan could be waiting at the train station could listen to Tracy Chapman talk about a fast car instead of having to drive one. You don't have to live these things out. And then a little one, the five year old, he could have just gotten on a train like little Paddington. Well, my ridiculous takeaway, Elizabeth, and thank you once again for asking.

You're so welcome. The kids are going to do what kids do to right, and which is that they overestimate. And I as a kid beforemer kid, I know this is definitely true of me. You overestimate what you're capable, and I still do that as an adult. But regardless, when you're dealing with kids, it's best not to imagine what you think they're capable of, but rather focus on them, pay attention to them, and go, what do they think.

That's what they're gonna do, that's what exactly. It's so skewed well, and also a lot of this could have like you just talked to the kids. My god, Yeah, that's another one. Maybe talk to your talk to the kid. Kids are fun to talk to. Talk to them, they say some crazy stuff. It's awesome, the best, and they love trains. Next on Ridiculous Trains. Well, thanks for listening. You can find us online a Ridiculous Crime on both

the twitters and Instagram. You can play a game of Twister, and we got the we got the intelligent discourse on Twitter apparently, and we've got the pictures on Instagram allegedly. And these photos we put up there are you'd be able to see the episodes and all these fun people we talk about some of the sites. And also on Instagram there are the stories where you can find some giggles. If you like to get a sneak peek of new episodes.

We throw them up on both Twitter and Instagram to check both and if you email us, email us at Ridiculous Crime at gmail dot com. One caveat about Instagram for the specific episode. We don't put pictures of kids up. Yeah, and it will be no pictures of the kids, so you know, I don't know what you're doing your free time to look it up, but we don't put them up, So just a heads up. Just take our word for

Elizabeth stop. Yeah, she's a little kutie. Thanks for listening. Bye, m H. Ridiculous Crime is hosted by Elizabeth Dutton and Zaron Burnett, produced and edited by Vin Diesel Truther, Dave Kusten. Research is by Nicholas Cage's personal autobody mechanic Marissa Brown. Our themes songs by Thomas I Have a Need for spepe Lee and Travis What's the Rush Dot New Executive producers are Texas State Trooper Coss Players, Ben Bolan and nol bra We Disquiet say It one More Time. We

Dequeous Crew. Ridiculous Crime is a production of iHeart Radio. Four more podcasts to my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,