Child, 7, takes automatic rifle, leaves it at gas station

STUART — A 7-year-old took an automatic rifle to a Stuart-area gas station Sunday and left it there, the Martin County Sheriff ’s Office said.

The rifle had three rounds in its magazine, although parts of it had rusted over and its serial number was unreadable, the Sheriff’s Office said. The child had taken the rifle from the closet of a relative’s home nearby.

No arrests were made because the deputy did not believe there was criminal intent, the Sheriff ’s Office said. The deputy notified the child’s mother and the Florida Department of Children and Families of the incident and informed the adult of how to store a firearm away from children.

The incident took place at the Mobil gas station at Dixie Highway and Indian Street, near Witham Field.

An employee told deputies that a customer found a Combat Exchange AK-style rifle near the doorway. The employee secured it behind the counter before calling the Sheriff ’s Office, the report said.

Dispatchers then received a call about a firearm theft on Amherst Street, two blocks away, according to the report. While securing the rifle in his patrol car, the deputy was approached by the owner of the house where the alleged robbery took place and the child, a relative from out of town.

The man told the deputy that the child had seen a man dressed in white and in a white car steal the rifle, according to the report. The officer noted that the child appeared uncomfortable and changed stories to report seeing a man running toward the gas station.

The deputy then spoke to the child privately, who said there was no robbery. The child admitted taking the rifle from the closet and bringing it to the gas station before leaving it, the report said.