DeBary leaders address rise in children committing crime

DEBARY, Fla. - Officials in DeBary say they want to get ahead of any major issues when it comes to kids committing crimes.

"What I got to thinking was, we want productive people to grow up in DeBary and so we need to understand the forces affecting young people. We have a tiny fraction not being productive," says Mayor Karen Chasez.

Just last month, a 14-year-old was arrested having been accused of shooting someone during an alleged drug deal.

At Tuesday night's council meeting, members of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and school district addressed city leaders, covering a wide range of issues --  from overall drug use among kids to social media and youth programs.

The sheriff says he wants to open up a juvenile assessment facility in the county where kids having problems could get some help.

"Everything that is needed to figure out why this child has this problem and to direct the family into these resources," says Sheriff Mike Chitwood.

The mayor called Wednesday session a fact-finding mission to see if the city can assist law enforcement in any way.

"I want to think about it and see if there’s any more we can do before we have a major incident. This is being active on this front before we have an entrenched major problem," she adds.

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