It’s happening all across the United States, in big cities and small towns, in liberal and conservative places of government … people’s cars and homes are being broken into, and in many occurrences, the perpetrators of those crimes are young children as young as age 10. The outcry from people, victims and non-victims, is growing. 

Most recently, in Washington, DC, a 13-year-old, Karon Blake, was shot and killed by a resident who alleged that Blake was breaking into cars between 3am and 4am. There was a community meeting where people called for the shooter to be named, arrested, and prosecuted, and there were loud voices shouting “justice for Karon.” Then came the voices asking, where was Karon’s parents? Why was a 13-year-old out at 3am and 4am? There were calls to hold the parents accountable. 

Sarita Curtis is a parent who had a 13-year-old son that was out at 3am and 4am breaking into and stealing cars – going on joy rides. In one incident, Sarita recognized her son in a stolen vehicle, and when he noticed that she saw him, he led her on a car chase. 

In this episode of The Offshoot, Curtis, in a very open and vulnerable conversation, tells us where she was when her son was breaking into and stealing cars during his teenage years – between the ages of 12 and 18. Curtis, in great detail, tells us what she was doing when her son was getting influenced by others. And Curtis tells us if parents should be held accountable for the criminal misconducts of their children. It’s a conversation about real people in real, everyday life situations.