Daytona Beach, FL - Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood has a message for Volusia parents: Know what your kids are doing.
Sheriff Chitwood published that message via Twitter just before 2 p.m. today, tailored specifically to the parents of Volusia County.
"If you don't want me raising your child, then you've got to do your job," said Sheriff Chitwood in his post.
News Daytona Beach reached out to Sheriff Chitwood for some clarification on his post, and, according to him, first-time offense arrests are going up now that kids are out of school with most activities shut down or postponed.
"And these are felony arrests we're making. And the hours that these are occurring are between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m.," said Chitwood. "There's no reason on God's green earth why any person under the age of 17 needs to be out at that hour of the morning."
One incident Chitwood brought up includes a situation that occurred in Ormond Beach, where deputies stopped two juveniles on bikes, who eventually tried to flee. Deputies soon recovered items that were stolen out of vehicles in Ormond and Daytona Beach.
Chitwood says a similar incident happened earlier this week, where a 16-year-old, an 18-year-old and an 11-year-old were arrested after they were found breaking into cars. That 11-year-old, according to Chitwood, is now under home detention.
One other case actually dealt with a minor that was prostituting themselves, Chitwood reports.
"That's going to turn into a human trafficking issue," said Chitwood. "She was a runaway, she got hooked up with older men and starting prostituting herself for money in Volusia County."
Speaking of home detention, Chitwood also stated that the Volusia Sheriff's Office will be stepping up curfew checks for minors that are under mandatory court-ordered curfews, which are effective between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
"I don't know what parents are thinking or if they know what their kids are doing. But, they need to take control," said Chitwood. "You're not going to like it, but we're going to lock your kid up, and I really don't care what anybody has to say about it."
