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Missing Boise teen found safe; father says boy was arrested in Idaho Falls TuesdayJan 22, 2013 (The Idaho Statesman - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- David Young says his 17-year-old son, Hunter, was arrested for shoplifting in Idaho Falls on Tuesday -- a surprising twist since the boy went missing after leaving for an Emmett hunting trip Saturday and his cellphone turned up in a store in southeastern Washington. A map on Hunter's cellphone led David Young to travel to North Idaho. He and the boy's mother, Krista, are now on their way to Idaho Falls. The boy is being held in juvenile detention, David Young said. Idaho Falls police were unable to immediately confirm the arrest -- and it's possible they won't offer details because he is a juvenile. Young said his son has had some unresolved personal issues that may have led him to run away. He did not want to go into detail until he talks with the boy. "He's the type of person who keeps everything to himself," said David Young, who insisted that Hunter is a good kid. "We will sit down and talk." The 17-year-old was reported missing after he failed to show up for a hunting trip in Emmett on Saturday morning. Boise police issued a release about the boy just before noon Tuesday. "He is safe. There is no evidence foul play is involved. Because he is a juvenile, no other information is available for release at this time from the police department," Boise police said in the release. Young's father identified Hunter in video captured Saturday morning inside a convenience store in Washington, Connell Police Officer Richard Kepple said Tuesday morning. Police had reviewed footage from the Circle K in Connell over the weekend but did not initially see him. "We don't know what his mental state is," Kepple said. Young is a starting guard and the leading scorer for the Capital High School basketball team, his average of 15.7 points per game ranking second in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference. He played Friday night, scoring 10 points in a 63-45 loss to Mountain View. Head coach Paul Rush said Young is a good student and star athlete who had not missed a practice before Monday afternoon. "We love the kid, so we just hope he's safe," Rush told the Statesman. Young was last seen when he went to bed about 11 p.m. Friday, said Krista Young. Boise police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower confirmed that the family filed a missing persons/runaway report with police. Krista Young said she and her husband called Hunter's cellphone repeatedly after they learned he didn't show up in Emmett. Someone eventually answered Saturday afternoon -- at the Circle K store in Connell, Wash. Connell, a city of about 5,000, is about a 45-minute drive north of the Tri-Cities. Connell police officer Richard Kepple confirmed that Hunter's cellphone had been found about 5 p.m. The ringing attracted the attention of a store customer, who turned it over to police, according to Chief Michael Kessler. A search of Young's phone showed a map to Priest Lake in North Idaho. Young does not have family or know anyone in Connell or Priest Lake, his mother said. She said she is unaware of any problems her son might have that would prompt him to leave the area. "This is so unusual for him not to show up somewhere or not call. We are in the middle of basketball season," she said. Krista Young said that Hunter took with him only the equipment he needed for bird hunting Saturday morning, she said. Katy Moeller: 377-6413 ___ (c)2013 The Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho) Visit The Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho) at www.idahostatesman.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |