13-year-old runaway from Lake Villa still missing, considered armed and dangerous
A 13-year-old student who is accused of stealing an SUV Friday from his school in Lake Villa and later possibly obtaining a gun is still missing and considered armed and dangerous, police said Tuesday.
The stolen vehicle was recovered about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday in a neighborhood in the Rockford area, police said, but the boy suspected in the theft still is missing.
Lake Villa police, who were called to Palombi Middle School, 133 McKinley Ave., about 8:15 a.m. Friday, said they determined the student got a staff member's keys and took a 2019 Kia Sorento SUV from the school parking lot.
An alert was sent via the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network about the theft, and the boy later was reported and entered as a missing runaway juvenile, according to Lake Villa police Lt. James DeCaro.
According to police, the juvenile is an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services ward of the state. Police at the time thought the boy was headed to the Rockford area, where he is from originally.
DeCaro said police later learned the student may have accessed a firearm while on the run, and law enforcement and DCFS authorities in the Rockford area were alerted.
The juvenile should be considered armed and dangerous, DeCaro said.
The boy's name or living situation was not released because of his age.