About 300 miles northeast of Benton is the town of Florence, Kentucky. That’s where a man was arrested on charges of stealing a car – and a baby. The 25-year-old man is accused of stealing a dark blue Volkswagen Passat from a gas station parking lot on a recent Thursday afternoon. In the back seat of the vehicle was a 20-day-old baby named Henry.
Henry was there by himself while his mom and a two-year-old sibling were inside the station to pay. The man has been charged with car theft and kidnapping of a minor.
The vehicle and child were reportedly taken in Florence, and then both were left later at another gas station, this time in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, a short distance away.
Law enforcement officials issued an Amber Alert after the baby was taken. About two hours after the incident was reported, two women spotted the blue car with the infant still inside. The suspect was not in the vehicle.
The baby was checked out by medical personnel and declared “fine,” then returned to his parents.
The suspect was arrested three days later, though news reports did not give any details of the investigation. Law enforcement officials did apparently have a surveillance video from the first gas station in which a man could be seen getting into the Volkswagen right after a woman exited it.
According to Kentucky law, kidnapping is the unlawful restraint of a person for at least one of the following:
- Ransom
- As part of committing a felony
- To inflict bodily harm
- To interfere with a government or political function
- To use the victim as hostage
- To deny a parent custody of a minor
Before the suspect makes any statement to a prosecutor, he should discuss his serious legal situation with a criminal defense attorney devoted to protecting rights and freedom.
Source: WHIO, “Arrest made in N.Ky. stolen baby case,” Dec. 21, 2014