30 April 2009

Autistic boy drives and flies across country

An autistic US teenager stole his dad's car and managed to buy a plane ticket without ID before taking a cross-country flight to be closer to his mother.

Kenton Weaver, 13, snuck out of his father's Florida home before dawn with his car keys, drove to the local airport and got past airport security without a passport, drivers licence or any other kind of official ID before boarding the flight to California.

He eventually landed at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood airport after sunset on the other side of the country.

"I can't believe he pulled this off — I'm flabbergasted," his mother Kim Casey was quoted by the Palm Beach Post as saying.

Kenton's father Dean suspects his son used a stolen credit card number to purchase the ticket but doesn't understand how the boy could buy the ticket without the actual card or photo ID.

He also says he has no immediate plans to fly his son back.

"I think I'd like for him to stay there for a while, I'm obviously not set up here to keep him, though I've tried," Mr Weaver said.

"I have another son, 8 years old (and) my fear is next time he gets in the car, he might take his little brother."

Kenton is diagnosed with Asberger's Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, and is fixated on two things: food and planes.

Police had twice found the boy at the local bus station trying to get rides to the airport in the week before he made his break and had given Kenton "a stern talking-to" a few days before.

"He'll do anything to go to an airport," Mr Weaver said.

"He wants to be a pilot, he applies for jobs at the airport, he collects (toy) planes … he's just fascinated."


Ha Ha so much for Airport Security, and the cataloging of everyone because we are ALL TERRORISTS.

The joke is on the US Government.

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