Family, police seek missing Assonet teen

Thomas A. Haskins, 17, has been missing since March 3, when police say he stole his grandmother's car from her Assonet home.

The situation was made public Wednesday in an e-mail blitz generated by his parents and paternal grandparents asking for help.

"Tommy is going down a bad path. ... This is the third time he has run away in the past six to eight months," said his grandfather, Wayne A. Haskins, former Freetown fire chief.

According to his grandfather, Thomas has special needs and was attending READS Academy, a school for children with special needs in Middleboro.

Haskins also said his grandson was in the custody of Department of Children and Families prior to going missing and was not living with his parents, Mark and Martha Haskins of Freetown.

Police Chief Carlton E. Abbott Jr. said a warrant has been issued for the teen's arrest.

According to Abbott, Thomas may have headed to Rhode Island to meet up with a girl only known as "Kate."

Haskins said he had heard his grandson talk about wanting to move to a large, urban area such as New York City.

According to police reports, while visiting his maternal grandmother, Irene Bouchard, the young Haskins asked for the keys to vacuum her car and then took the blue 2002 Mercury Villager minivan with Massachusetts registration number 54GH14.

Thomas is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 225 pounds. He has dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a faded birthmark the size of a quarter on his left cheek.

Anyone with information on Thomas Haskins should call Freetown police at (508) 763-4017.

"His entire family is desperately worried about his well being and want him to return home or at least contact his mom," the family wrote.

- Indian Journalist.