A 13-year old girl was held in a Dallas county jail for nearly two weeks before police realized she was underage. The girl ran away from home and was arrested July 10 at a Target store for shoplifting.
According to the Associated Press, she did not have any identification and gave officers a false name and age telling them she was 14. Police Sergeant Warren Mitchell told the AP that the officer that arrested the girl attempted to look up her record but found no information on her. The officer therefore assumed the girl was 17-years old and took her to jail. She was released from custody July 23 and is currently still listed as a runaway. A fellow inmate and coincidentally an acquaintance of the girl recognized her and told the girl’s father. Her father provided police with her birth certificate and records verifying her age and identity.
An Internal Affairs investigation is currently underway.
