JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office safely returned a 19-month old baby to their mother after a 22-year-old man stole a running car from a parking lot.
JSO said in a social media post that on January 8, officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle with a 19-month-old inside.
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The child’s mother told authorities that she left the car running while she quickly went into a store. While she was gone, the suspect jumped into her car and drove away.
Officers quickly identified a suspect and located the stolen vehicle in less than 20 minutes. However, the child was not inside the car when it was found.
Witness reports provided to 911 dispatchers indicated that the suspect had forcibly removed the 19-month-old from the vehicle shortly after the theft occurred.
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Police soon located the child at a nearby store and reunited them with their mother.
The suspect, identified by police as Micah Simmons, was taken into custody following the search.
Simmons, 22, is now facing charges of battery and grand theft auto.
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