Police arrest teen mother who ran away

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CHINA GROVE, N.C. -- A search for a missing 16-year-old mother leads Rowan County sheriff’s deputies to a burglary ring.

Four teens are behind bars accused of stealing belongings out of 20 cars in the last several weeks.

 The father of 16-year-old Tina Austin says his daughter was working six days a week while going to school and she just couldn’t handle all that while raising her 18-month-old son.

Now, she’s behind bars and her father is fighting to get custody of her child.

“I don’t hate my daughter, but I feel sorry for what happened to her,” he told NewsChannel 36.

Timothy Wiseman Jr.

Austin's father did not want to be identified, but he said he’s not surprised she tried to run away. He says, “She was talking about leaving because she was tired of working her butt off.”

Several days after running away, Austin returned to her father’s home. He says she broke in, trying to take things like his tools and some food. That’s when he said he tried to keep her from leaving again, but he says her friends had other plans.

“I opened the door and there were two black guys with ski masks on. One had a gun, the other had a knife so I locked the door back. They broke the door down,” Austin's father said. 

Derrion Crawford

Austin again ran away with her child. They were again reported missing and sheriff’s deputies started searching.

When they found her they also found thousands of dollars in stolen property.  

“We’ve got at least 20 cases that we know of,” says Rowan County Sheriff George Wilhelm.

Austin’s friends, 16-year-olds Derrion Crawford and Dustin Hartsell as well as 17-year-old Timothy Wiseman Jr. were also arrested and charged in the crimes.

Dustin Hartsell

They’re accused of breaking into dozens of cars in Salisbury and Rowan County. eputies say the teens stole GPS devices, wallets and lap tops.

But more charges could soon be pending.

Sheriff Wilhelm says, “We have more property than what’s been reported stolen from these neighborhoods.”

All four teens are behind bars and detectives say more charges will likely be filed as more victims come forward.

If you had property stolen from your car in Rowan County in the last month, you’re asked to call the Rowan County Sheriff’s Department at 704-216-8687.