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Teen steals grandma's guns, swaps for pot: sheriff

USA Today
A teenage boy is accused of stealing his grandmother's guns and car from this house in eastern Sacramento County, California. The theft forced Union Mine High School into lockdown.

Sheriff's investigators in El Dorado County, Calif. say a 14-year-old boy traded his grandmother's guns for marijuana and they don't know who has the firearms now.

The boy, who is from Missouri but staying with his grandmother in Wilton, Sacramento County, took a sledgehammer to her safe, took her two guns inside, and drove off with her car Monday night, according to sheriff's Deputy Chris Stelz.

Tuesday morning, the grandmother reported to authorities that she spotted her grandson in her stolen car near Union Mine High School in El Dorado, where he is a student. She saw him while driving a school bus for an El Dorado school district.

Union Mine and Charles Brown Education Center were placed on lockdown as a precaution. Responding deputies located the boy on the 6000 block of Pollock Avenue in El Dorado.

"I don't think he knew we were there," Stelz said. "He stepped out of the vehicle to have a cigarette and he was taken into custody without incident."

Stelz said the boy told them he swapped the guns for pot.

The boy is now facing allegations of auto theft, grand theft and possession of stolen property. The sheriff's office said he was not on school grounds at any time Tuesday.

The stolen guns were described as two 9 millimeter handguns.

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