UPDATE @ 6 p.m.: A 10-month old boy who was in the back seat of a stolen car was found about 30 minutes later on the front porch of a home a couple miles away. The car had been left unattended, with the keys in the ignition.
Police were still searching for the car thief, who could be charged with kidnapping. The baby’s mother and her friend could also be charged with child endangerment and leaving an unattended motor vehicle, police said.
Dayton Lt. Matt Dickey, West Patrol Operations Division commander, said it is not smart to leave the keys in an unattended car because it invites crimes of opportunity. About one-quarter of vehicles stolen in Dayton last year had keys in the ignition, he said.
“It takes absolutely no effort to jump into an unlocked car and drive off - it takes seconds and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
At about 9:20 a.m., police were in or near the 900 block of Dennison Avenue after responding to an unrelated domestic violence call. Erika Stewart, 22, and her friend approached the officers and said someone stole their car with Stewart’s infant son, Alontae, in the back seat.
Dickey said Stewart and the friend said they left the dark blue 2011 Chevy Malibu running while they used a friend’s bathroom. Police started a search and broadcast a description of the vehicle and the thief. At about 9:50 a.m., someone called police to report they had found a baby in a car seat on the front porch at 55 Bish Ave.
The baby was unharmed. The ordeal left family members visibly shaken.
Grenda Loggins, 51, trembled and had tears in her eyes as she waited for police to return Stewart and her grandson.
“I hope this is a lesson learned, and maybe (my daughter) should look at the big picture next time … I don’t even have the words, I’m just nervous and scared,” Loggins said. “Never leave your baby, regardless of what’s happening.”
Stewart declined to discuss what happened.
“I’m just happy to have my baby back,” she said. “Guess what, God is good. … It was very scary.”
Police will discuss the case with the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office to determine whether charges are appropriate, Dickey said. In Ohio, is is illegal to leave a car unattended with the motor running or the keys in the ignition. It is also illegal to act in ways that put a child at substantial risk.
“We need to evaluate what was said, what actually was going on, how close they were to the child and how much risk they put the child in,” Dickey said.
By early afternoon, police had located the missing Malibu off Third Street. Dickey said car theft and kidnapping are very different crimes, and it is quite possible the car thief was unaware a baby was in the backseat.
“If you value your car, don’t leave it running,” he said.
FIRST REPORT
A baby who was in the back seat of a car when it was stolen was found about two miles away on the front porch of a home, according to initial reports.
Police searched for the child for about half an hour before someone called officers and said they had found a baby on their front porch on Bish Avenue around 9:50 a.m., initial reports indicate.
Dayton police said two women approached an officer at about 9:20 a.m. on Dennison Avenue. They said they had left the baby – who is younger than 1 year old – in their car with the keys also inside.
The women said they had parked in a driveway and went in a home to use the restroom, police said.
A witness said a black male drove off in the vehicle, and the man and the car have not yet been located as of about 10:20 a.m., according to initial reports.
The vehicle was a dark blue Malibu and was not registered to either woman.
Police said the child was fine when they found it, according to initial reports.
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