Two 14-year-olds were charged with car theft by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office after a deputy witnessed their ride down Highway 99 South near Belhaven, according to a press release.

The release said that Sergeant Jeremy Hewitt was patrolling the area when the red Chevrolet Impala caught his attention by running off the road then turning down a farm path. The kids parked the car behind a barn and abandoned the vehicle.

The owner, an acquaintance of the juveniles, was sleeping at the time and was unaware at the time that the car had been stolen, said Major Kenneth Watson of the Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office investigation led to the charges against the two 14-year-olds: one count each of felony breaking and entering of a motor vehicle and felony larceny of a motor vehicle.

The vehicle was returned to its owner.