Mom of teen in custody in stolen car case: Parents should take responsibility

MONROE COUNTY, N.Y. — We’ve heard a lot from police about the stolen car crisis. Now we’re hearing from a parent, who agrees: Parents and the teens need to be held responsible. That mother says she is doing the best that she can to get ahold of her kid.

Tina Williams is a single mother. Her 14-year-old daughter was arrested by Irondequoit Police in a stolen car. She says what these kids are doing — stealing cars and then getting released on an appearance ticket — is just not right.

“It makes me feel terrible, like really, this is not okay for these kids to keep doing this,” Williams said.

This is not the first time her daughter has been in trouble, but she wants it to be the last.

Marsha Augustin: “Police say your daughter is one of three kids they arrested recently in connection with a stolen Hyundai. Should parents take any responsibility?”

Tina Williams: “Parents should take all the responsiblity. all the responsiblity. I am a parent and I am taking responsiblity. ’Cause if I wasn’t taking responsiblity I wouldn’t be reaching out. I wouldn’t have my daughter incarcerated right now — and I know it sounds bad because everyone keeps saying I’m a bad mom because I put my daughter’s picture out there, so people know that she was out there stealing the cars with them. I’m a bad parent, but I’m not a bad parent if it was your car being stolen. I’m not a bad parent then. I’m a good parent. because I want my daughter to live.”

Williams showed me a post on Facebook with a stolen Hyundai. She says her daughter was found in that car in Irondequoit and arrested. It turns out that was the stolen car of a woman I did a story with last week.

Marsha Augustin: “What are you doing to get a hold of your kid?”

Tina Williams: “Posted on social media looking for my child on every group that Rochester makes, for one. Two, I wouldn’t have posted her picture to make sure that if people see her, they know that she is going to steal their car.”

I asked Irondequoit Police Chief Scott Peters what reaction he sees from parents who’s kids are caught in stolen cars.

“Some people are very upset and some people are almost like they are inconvenienced – like, ‘why are you bothering me, I got stuff to do,’” Peters said.

Williams says her daughter needs to face consequences for her actions.

“If it takes her being locked up for six to 12 months or whatever it takes for her to learn her lesson, then yes, I am all for it — I would tell the judge yes, lock her up,” she said.

Williams’ daughter is in the Monroe County Children’s Detention Center, because she refuses to pick her up. She wants her daughter to get the help she needs before it’s too late and someone gets hurt.

Her daughter is due in court tomorrow afternoon.