SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Shelby County deputies arrested an 18-year-old and two minors for crashing a stolen truck and running from authorities.
Deputies said they were called to Houston Levee Road near Houston Hill around 9 p.m. Tuesday.
The suspects crashed a truck, which was reported stolen from Collierville on Monday, into a ditch. They then bailed and attempted to force open car doors while drivers were stopped at a traffic light.
Deputies said they captured the group while they were trying to break into a church. One of the suspects is only 15 years old.
The mother of 18-year-old Deshun Bates learned about her son’s alleged crimes Wednesday from WREG.
“I could say a little relief because at least I know where he’s at,” Wanda Bates said.
She said her son is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD. She said she’s taken him to counseling and tried to get him to take his medication, but he refuses.
“It’s due to him not taking his medication,” she said. “He says he doesn’t need it, and since he’s been an adult, I can’t make him take it.”
In the past two months, Deshun Bates has been arrested three times, including Tuesday’s arrest.
Police said he stole a car from a neighbor’s house in September and crashed it.
Two weeks ago, he’s accused of attacking his sister with a skillet, then pointing a gun at her and threatening to shoot her.
In Tuesday’s case, Bates faces five different criminal charges.
His bond has been set at $20,000. His mother said she has no plans to post the bond.
“I’m not making bond. He needs to sit down there and think about the consequences of what he’s done, so maybe, I pray, that it’s better,” his mother said.
