Girl, 14, Accused Of Stealing Fifth Car In Five Months

She's just 14 years old, but Orange County deputies said it was the fifth time in five months she's been in handcuffs. Deputies said the teenager has stolen five cars in last five months and that's just the ones they know about.

RAW VIDEO: Suspect's Curse-Filled Comments

The Orange County Juvenile Assessment Center is where Jatteria Nixon is spending the night and deputies said it's basically her home away from home. Wednesday was the fifth time she's been there.

Nixon, 14, looked harmless in her fuzzy red slippers, Wednesday, but Orange County deputies said they know better.

"At this point, I would classify her as a car thief. She's not a juvenile who made a mistake. She's a car thief," said Sgt. Carlos Espinosa, Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Email News Sign-Up Multiple Choices - Auto sign-up (LEFT ALIGN) GET WFTV NEWS HEADLINES BY EMAIL 9 a.m. Headlines Noon Headlines 4 p.m. Headlines News of the Strange Breaking News Alerts Deputies said Nixon has stolen five cars over the last five months. Her latest heist was a 2007 silver Dodge. Wednesday, Eyewitness News asked her why she stole cars.

"Why the *!&% you ask me that *&#$ question?" she said after being arrested.

Deputies said she gave them the same answer. Investigators said Nixon stole the car in Tampa and had been driving it around Orlando for the last three days. The vehicle was full of her clothes.

The car was tracked to the Palace Hotel, near the corner of Pine Hills Road and Colonial Drive. When Nixon pulled out, deputies followed in a couple of unmarked SUVs.

Nixon apparently had the street smarts to know they were on her tail. She tried to dump the car in Pine Hills, but was caught anyway. Investigators said such crimes usually lead to something much worse.

"Car thefts lead to robberies, to drugs, to carjackings, armed robberies. And we've noticed that as a pattern," Espinosa said.

Deputies said Nixon's pattern might be as a prostitute, taking the car keys from men she was with and then going back and forth from Tampa to Orlando and getting caught again and again.

Investigators said Nixon is a runaway from a state program. There was no word on how long she will stay in custody this time, but deputies worry that, when she gets out again, she'll steal another car.

Local judges said their hands are tied when it comes to juvenile offenders like Nixon. In many cases, state laws mandates the offenders get probation and are sent home.

The Orange County School Board is making efforts to change that. District lawyers are working with state lawmakers, drafting legislation that would allow judges to given juveniles harsher sentences.