Two Haverhill teenagers are under arrest and Groveland Police are searching for a third after the trio allegedly stole a minivan and led police on a chase Saturday morning.
The two 14-year-olds, both from Haverhill, were arrested after being pulled over and fleeing from the minivan, reported stolen in Haverhill. The driver was charged with larceny of a motor vehicle. failure to stop for police, leaving the scene of property damage and two counts of unlicensed driving. Groveland Police charged the second teen with resisting arrest and being a minor in possession of marijuana. Names were withheld because of their ages, but police said they also have been charged recently with breaking into, and stealing, cars in Groveland.
Police Chief Jeffrey Gillen thanked several nearby police departments for their assistance. Gillen said, “It was an example of strong cooperation between departments, and it is fortunate no one was injured when the vehicle rolled onto the lawn of the home.”
Groveland Officer Adam Sanborn first observed the gray minivan traveling southbound on Route 97 toward Georgetown at 1:15 a.m., Saturday. He later learned the vehicle had been reported stolen from Haverhill. It was then observed turning onto Baldwin Terrace from School Street without using a turn signal. When Sanborn turned on his cruiser lights, the minivan sped up and then came to an abrupt stop and the driver and two other males jumped out.
According to police, the vehicle was never placed into park, and continued moving down Baldwin Terrace onto the lawn of a home before plowing through a mailbox and crashing into a tree.
The driver was found a short distance away and arrested, while officers from Georgetown and West Newbury and Amesbury Police K9 Officer Thomas Nichols and his K9 Achillies arrived to help find the other two.
West Newbury Police Officer Paul DeCoste saw a young man walking down School Street 20 minutes later, and Sanborn identified him as one of the two males who jumped out of the backseat of the minivan. While he was being searched, officers found a marijuana joint and a lighter in his possession. The juvenile was also found to have three active Haverhill arrest warrants.
The pair will be arraigned in Lawrence Juvenile Court.