14-year-old boy accused of taking father's truck, money

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A 14-year-old Perryville boy accused of taking his father's pickup truck and driving off with his 12-year-girlfriend Tuesday had been grounded for driving the vehicle to his girlfriend's house last week, the father said.

Jerod Lundmark said he last saw his son at home about 9 p.m. Monday after they had a discussion about his behavior.

"We talked and everything seemed all right," Lundmark said Tuesday.

When Lundmark checked on the boy about midnight Monday, he discovered his son and his silver 2002 Z-71 Chevrolet pickup truck were missing.

The truck is specially outfitted so Lundmark, a paraplegic, can drive it. It has a Missouri license number of 702-RG6.

Lundmark said the boy took his ATM card, about $80 in cash from his wallet and $180 cash in the truck.

According to Lundmark, he immediately drove to his son's girlfriend's Perryville home, since that was where he found him last time he drove off in his truck. But she was also missing.

The Perry County Sheriff's Department was called to investigate.

Lundmark said $600 had been withdrawn from his bank account using the ATM card.

The two had been dating for about a year, Lundmark said, without opposition from either family. He added, however, that his son seemed to think Lundmark didn't approve of the relationship.

"I don't really understand it," he said.

Lundmark said he was a single parent and had cared for his son most of his life, with him living at his home the past several years.

The sheriff's department is asking anyone seeing this vehicle to contact their local law enforcement agency.

carel@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127