MPD: Mom of juvenile auto theft suspect helped 14-year-old buy drugs, tells him to sell gun in texts
by: Melissa Moon
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Police say a Memphis mom saw a video of her 14-year-old son stealing a car but, instead of contacting authorities, told the teen to remove incriminating evidence from her home.
Candace Fuqua, 34, was booked in the Shelby County Jail Wednesday for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Investigators said they found text messages that showed Fuqua knew about the car theft, gave her son money for drugs, and encouraged him to sell a gun.
In late September, MPD posted video of an auto theft on South Highland Avenue on its Facebook page. WREG covered the story.
Someone inside a business captured the three young suspects on camera breaking into a car in the middle of the afternoon. At one point, one of the suspects, who is holding what appears to be a programmer, pulls down his face mask.
The 14-year-old was later identified and taken into custody at his Cordova home. Investigators got a search warrant for Fuqua’s cell phone and discovered the text messages between Fuqua and her son.
Police said that on September 25, Fuqua texted her son a screenshot of the Facebook video of the car theft and told him to “get that stuff out of my house.”
They said in another text that Fuqua told her son, “B**** l bought you dinner and gave you weed money,” and in another text, when the teen asked his mother for money, she replied, “F*** no, go sell a gun.”
Fuqua is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
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