South Carolina authorities apprehended three area juveniles suspected of stealing a car in rural Ark City over the weekend and embarking on an 1,100-plus-mile trip east.
Around 4 a.m. Sunday, the Cowley County Sheriff’s Dept. received a call from authorities in Blackville, S.C. in regard to a car reported stolen in the 9000 block of 322nd Rd. around 7 a.m. Christmas Day.
Following a traffic stop, South Carolina officials determined the vehicle was stolen and found three juveniles in the vicinity, according to a Cowley sheriff’s report of the incident.
Two juveniles – whose names have not been released – had been reported as runaways in Cowley County a day before turning up in South Carolina.
The third juvenile was a reported runaway from the Wichita area.
The vehicle taken was described as a 1980s model passenger car with high mileage.
Cowley undersheriff Bill Mueller said authorities believe the juveniles took the car and hit the road east. The car and runaways were missing about a day.
"They had to be moving along pretty good," Mueller said. "That’s quite a drive to make."