For failing to appear in court twice, the boy is currently being held in a Juvenile Detention Center, pending an appearance before a judge.
“I was surprised that it had gotten to this level,” Idaho Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Barry McHugh said in response to the boy’s arrest.
The boy and his brother failed to appear in court twice because the family was unable to get them to the courthouse. The prosecutor noted that it’s not uncommon for a shop owner to press charges for stealing even for a crime as small as a pack of stolen gum.
Post Falls Chief of Police Scott Haug said he was surprised to see the warrant when it landed on his desk.
“Had we known that before the court date we would have provided something for the family,” Haug said. “I wish we would have had more information that way we could have provided some sort of assistance.”
