Boy Leads Police on Early-Morning Chase

A 14-year-old boy led police on a chase through West Barrington early last Wednesday morning, Aug. 21, after being spotted climbing up and peeking over a fence at a home on Walsh Avenue.

The teen was spotted from a bathroom window around 1:34 am by the son of the woman who called police and reported him as a "Peeping Tom." 

He now faces charges of obstructing a police officer in the execution of duty, possessing a marijuana smoking bowl, and carrying a weapon – a folding knife with a 3-inch blade.

The teen, wearing all-dark clothing, was stopped riding his bicycle on Bay Spring Avenue not far from Walsh Avenue by a patrol officer. He was described as sweating and covered in grass and dirt. 

The boy told a police officer that he had been "rolling around in the grass" and was simply "out for a ride," said Barrington Police Chief John LaCross. The teen also gave a variety of answers to questions about his date of birth and local address. He said he has lived in Barrington only about a month and has a "bad memory."

When the patrol officer returned to his cruiser to attempt to identify the boy through the computer system in the car, the teen fled and refused to stop for the police officer. The chase was on.

He headed north on Bay Spring Avenue toward Washington Road and then turned south toward Bradford Street. He made his way through the neighborhood behind Barrington Middle School before eventually being tracked down in the Seven Oaks area of Middle Highway about 3 am, according to the incident report. At least four police officers were involved in the chase.

The boy continued to provide false information, according to police. He ultimately did provide his real name and address. He said he lied because he didn’t want his parents to know he had sneaked out of the house.

His mother was contacted and came to the police station to take him home. He was given a date to appear in Family Court to face the charges.