Missing Teen Found During Westlake Traffic Stop

WESTLAKE, OH — A missing teenager was found in the backseat of a man's car after a traffic stop in Westlake on Thursday night.

Police said they stopped a car on Columbia Road, at Hilliard Boulevard, because they saw an equipment violation on the vehicle. The driver, a 47-year-old, told police he did not have his license on him.

Officers saw that there were two teenagers in the backseat of the man's car. There was also an open container of beer in the center console and the car smelled of marijuana, according to police. The driver appeared to be impaired, police added.

The driver was pulled from the car and field tested for sobriety. He was then arrested for operating a vehicle impaired. When he was later identified, police learned he also had a suspended license and was on probation.

The two teenagers in the backseat were a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old.

The 15-year-old had been registered as missing from a family in Akron. He was taken to the Cuyahoga County Child and Family Services facility in Cleveland.

The 13-year-old's family was called to the scene. They were turned over to a parent.

Besides charges for operating a vehicle impaired, the driver also faces charges of child endangering, driving under suspension, and open container, police said.