Teen-age 'Thelma & Louise' arrested after interstate ride

Harmony L. Sutton, 15, and Yvonne M. Hernandez, 16, both of Deming, N.M., were reportedly traveling eastbound on East Sixth Street in a blue pickup truck when a nearby officer saw them make an illegal turn on to North Park Avenue.

He pulled the truck over at 6:45 p.m., discovered it had been reported stolen and took the two girls to university police headquarters. Officers later found two guns, a knife and ammunition in the 1988 GM pickup, which was registered to Frank Sutton, Harmony's father.

The girls, neither of whom were carrying identification, were booked to the Pima County Juvenile Detention Center, Sgt. Michael Smith of the University of Arizona Police Department said.

"It's out of our hands now," Smith said. "It will be decided if they are released to their parents or New Mexico authorities."

Sutton, who had driven the pickup, told police she had taken her father's keys and $300 from his wallet at 12:30 a.m. while he slept.

According to reports, she picked up Hernandez shortly after leaving home and showed her a 14-inch chuck knife, a Remington .357-caliber Magnum and a Llama .357-caliber Magnum, all of which her father kept in the truck.

Officers found the weapons along with 28 rounds of ammunition, $146.21 in store receipts, $124 in cash and a checkbook belonging to Harmony's parents.

Sutton told police she found another $1,000 in the truck's glove compartment, which the two spent on food, gas and clothes purchased at a Tucson-area Robinsons-May department store.

When officers asked her why she ran away, Harmony said she couldn't talk to anyone, including her parents, and that her dad hit her when he drank. Police reports indicated she had left home about 15 times before and was trying to get to California to visit a relative.

Reba Sutton, Harmony's mother, expressed concern about the situation.

"We were very worried and very angry," Sutton said by telephone from New Mexico last night. "She didn't have a reason to leave. He (Harmony's father Frank) never hit my children."

According to Reba Sutton, Yvonne Hernan-dez was scheduled to appear in court Monday.

"She (Harmony) was trying to help her friend," Sutton said.

Rosa Hernandez, Yvonne's mother, con-firmed that Yvonne did have a court appearance scheduled the next day that had been canceled.

"She was a witness to a shooting," Hernandez said, adding she didn't report her daughter as a runaway to police. "I wasn't that worried."

Harmony's parents said they plan to take legal action.

"We will be prosecuting both of them," Reba Sutton said.

But Rosa Hernandez thought her daughter was being held responsible for Harmony's actions.

"It's not fair," she said. "She's being charged with everything."

Liz Dailey can be reached via e-mail at Liz.Dailey@wildcat.arizona.edu.