WINTER HAVEN (970 WFLA) -- A teenager accused of grabbing a DCF worker's car keys and stealing her car, leading to a robbery and a high speed pursuit on Interstate 4, should not have been released from juvenile custody, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
The sheriff called a news conference to denounce the state Department of Juvenile Justice for allowing Leslie Diaz, 16, to sign out of a juvenile assessment center into the hands of the Department of Children and Families. As she did so, deputies say, she grabbed the keys of the state worker who was signing her out, leading to the crime spree. Diaz was being held for violating her probation on a battery charge.
Judd says the teen's actions endangered law enforcement officers and the general public.
"You have Lakeland police officers... troopers... (and) Tampa police officers who put their lives at risk, and all of the motoring public, because you've got these wild, out-of-control kids that you have got to get into custody, because they have a gun and are robbing people," Judd said.
Judd says Diaz picked up Justin Amos, 17, who ended up driving the stolen car, and Dustin Cheasebro, 20. They took part in robbing a Lakeland convenience store, then led police onto the interstate.
"These kids are out of control and they're going to kill themselves and other people, if we don't appropriately deal with them," Judd said.
"The only way (DJJ) will respond to this is by pressure on the legislators and our elected officials, because they're just following a system that somebody's allowed them to put in place," Judd said.
Monday's chase ended with a crash on I-4 in Tampa, just a couple of miles east of the I-275 junction.
Judd and other law enforcement officials have been saying for some time that DJJ has responded inadequately to a growing wave of teenage auto theft and joyriding.