Legal analysis from Dean's Law Dictionary will be displayed here.

This section contains the nature of the case and procedural background.

D, a fourteen-year-old juvenile, accepted a ride from a friend who was driving a stolen car. The driver could barely see over the steering wheel. When police officers halted the car, the driver left the vehicle without applying the brake. The vehicle rolled down a hill, collided with another vehicle, and was extensively damaged. D indicated that when he entered the car he observed the broken condition of the steering column and suspected the car was stolen. The trial court adjudicated D delinquent and ordered $4,000 in restitution. D appealed. D contends that being a passenger in a stolen automobile, without more, is not sufficient to support a charge of theft or burglary of an automobile.

The legal issues presented in this case will be displayed here.

The court's holding and decision will be displayed here.