Uneasy Rider: 11-year-old boy leads Calif. cops on unwitting Mojave Desert chase

(CBS/AP) ADELANTO, Calif. - Early Sunday afternoon, San Bernardino County sheriff's dispatchers were notified that a reckless driver was on Interstate 15, and then heading northbound on U.S. 395 in the desert town of Adelanto, about 60 miles from Los Angeles.

Some callers said a child was behind the wheel.

The police pursuit that followed led to the discovery that an 11-year-old boy was driving through the Mojave Desert, and that landed his mother's boyfriend in jail. He allegedly coaxed the child into hitting the road.

The boyfriend, 51-year-old Terry Michael Varner, was charged with willful cruelty to a child resulting in possible injury or death. He was arrested Sunday and remained jailed with bail set at $100,000

After authorities caught up with the wayward car, the 11-year-old was taken to the Victor Valley Sheriff's Station, and his mother and Child Protective Services were notified. The boy was later released to his mother.

He told investigators that Varner had told him to get in the car and follow him through the rural area, for reasons unown. Investigators confirmed Varner was in a second vehicle.

Varner was found by a deputy in the desert near Shadow Mountain Road and U.S. 395.