A Fruitland Park teen was arrested for grand theft after stealing the key to his father’s SUV and taking the vehicle around the block.
Officers responded to the residence of 18-year-old Patrick James Biggs on Elm Avenue regarding a disturbance at 4:45 p.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department.
Upon arrival, they found Biggs, who they knew from prior encounters, standing in the front yard. They then spoke to his father and learned Biggs had taken his vehicle without permission. His father had just gotten home with his wife when Biggs pulled into the driveway in the family’s other vehicle, a Toyota SUV, the report said.
Biggs did not have permission to drive the vehicle that night nor had he ever due to not having a driver’s license. But he had taken a spare key from his father’s truck some time prior to this, which was how he was able to take the SUV. Biggs had since put the key on a patrio table where the family was standing before officers got there, the report said.
As for Biggs, he stated he took the vehicle around the block because he was bored. He knew he did not have permission to do so and admitted to not having a license. When asked how he got the key, he explained his father asked him to retrieve a pack of cigarettes from his truck a few days before. This was when he took the key without permission, the report said.
Biggs was arrested on charge of grand theft (auto) and transported to Lake County Jail. Bond was set at $1,500.