Portland Police have arrested the father of an 11-year-old boy who's accused of attempting an armed carjacking over the weekend.
The Portland Police Bureau’s Guns Task Force team arrested 34-year-old Joseph Charlton. He was taken into custody in connection with a weekend armed robbery attempt, when a woman said two young boys tried to rob her as she sat in her car. Police say an 11-year-old was then found with a loaded gun.
Sergeant Pete Simpson of the Portland Police Bureau says the investigation is continuing. "A search has been done at a residence. Additionally one of the children in the home -- a four-year-old girl -- was taken into protective custody by the state of Oregon and the other two children -- the 11-year-old suspect from the robbery as well as a 9-year-old brother who is unrelated to the robbery -- will also be taken into protective custody by the state."
Charlton is the first person to be arrested under a two-year-old city ordinance prohibiting adults from leaving guns unsecured where minors can get them.
