Baltimore dad slams prosecutors for failing to imprison son, 14, despite him stealing cars repeatedly
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: A Baltimore father has slammed prosecutors after they failed to keep his hooligan son behind bars. The father claims that he was threatened with jail for neglect after telling cops to lock up the boy after his latest auto-stealing offense. According to Santiago Garcia-Diaz, his son, Bryce, 15, was detained multiple times for hijacking and thefts in both Baltimore and Washington, DC. Garcia-Diaz thought that he would get the licit backup to serve the rightful justice to his son.
However, it appears to be a difficult task as of now, as only one of the 19 charges filed against Bryce has been pursued. The teenager has not faced any form of imprisonment, and his father is afraid that unless he is directly spooked by a stint behind bars, Bryce will end up dying. He says not only did they not help get his son under control, but they also made the situation worse by inaction.
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"He started breaking into cars to steal cigarettes and chains then you're stealing cars and running from the police," the worried dad told Fox 45. "He's not going to be alive, that's what I'm afraid of. It's progressively getting worse." Garcia-Diaz says his son has become recalcitrant as he has been repeatedly let off the hook. His son's arrest record was shared with Fox45 in Maryland earlier this year. As per Bryce's arrest records, he was first arrested alongside his pal for hijacking a couple of cars and going on a high-speed chase. They stole a Lexus and a Honda CRV, then led cops through busy streets. The helpless father says his child nearly killed two police officers who tried to stop him during the incident.
"They was trying to barricade my son in. Someone tried to stop and he took the gas and tried to drive right through 'em, knocked 'em out of his shoes," he said. Garcia-Diaz also added that instead of getting the necessary assistance from the authorities, he was threatened with abandonment and neglect for not showing up to pick up his child. He says that police told him he had three hours to get to the station or he would be arrested after the high-speed chase with police. "I don't know what to do anymore," he said, according to Daily Mail. "I've looked into boot camps and I just can't afford it. I want my son to get some help. I mean, if it's jail that what's is gonna take; then jail. What my son needs he needs some mental help."
Santiago says he now faces fines for redress for his son’s crimes, which are taking a heavy financial toll on his family. In response, he also set up a GoFundMe page. The father says he had petitions signed by local judges so that Bryce could be sent for a psychiatric evaluation. However, the petitions came to nothing because the hospitals would not accept him without a file, Garcia-Diaz claims. Bryce was allegedly sentenced to six months of probation after one incident. His father says he violated every term of his probation 'the first day.' "Nothing ever happened," he said.
Bryce is one of three children and has been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder according to the GoFundMe page set up by his father. "I have three beautiful kids that I would lay down and die for but I have one son and I've tried everything in my power to get him help from himself," the father said. The incidents escalated about two and a half years ago, he says. Prior to that, Bryce only had minor issues with 'stealing' and 'sneaking away.'
Now he’s been arrested more than five times, has kidnapped people by car, and smokes marijuana and 'popping pills' constantly. Garcia-Diaz says it has become a problem for his whole family. He says Bryce’s story perfectly sums up the current problems with Baltimore’s criminal justice system. He believes cases like Bryce’s are fueling the rise in juvenile delinquency. "This isn't even about my son, this is about Baltimore City's kids, this is about all juvenile delinquents," he said. The father says, a total of 18 charges against Bryce were dropped in all of the incidents, and the one remaining was the one that ended with probation. He claims Bryce drove a stolen vehicle through a house and ran over a police officer with his car. That arrest was accompanied by an officer’s assault and battery, which were also dropped. Bryce faced one charge of conspiracy, which is a misdemeanor.
The father says he tried to write to the mayor and the governor and that they helped him by putting a GPS tracker on him, but that he already cut it off once. Santiago says he feels like he’s run out of ideas and just doesn’t know what to do at the moment. "I'm so worried that my son is not going to see the age of 18," he said. Garcia-Diaz says he’s afraid his child might die in a police chase or he might kill someone in a chase. He also says he has now been summoned to court for damage caused by Bryce during one of his 'outings.' Santiago was recommended to seek legal counsel as he believes the owner of the home Bryce drove into in an incident and the owner of the stolen vehicle he was driving plan to sue. GoFundMe is designed to help defray legal fees and any compensation he may be required to pay. "Please say a prayer for me and please a very special prayer for my son," Santiago wrote. "Our whole family would be lost if something happens that takes him off this planet."