Police say a 44-year-old Jacksonville man was hauled off to jail Friday after allegedly kidnapping a child under 13 and driving away in the child's guardian's car, leaving the youngster alone on a neighborhood street. The child was later found safe and reunited with family, according to authorities, and the suspect is now facing a stack of felony charges as detectives keep digging into what happened.
According to News4JAX, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office detectives spotted the 44-year-old on April 24 behind the wheel of a black 2016 Chrysler 200 near Pearl Street and Water Street and took him into custody. The outlet reports he is charged with three felony counts, kidnapping of a child under 13 without consent, grand theft auto and child neglect. Arrest warrants were issued on April 22 and returned on April 24. Officers booked him into the Pretrial Detention Facility at about 9:04 p.m. and say he is being held on a combined bond of $450,006.
The warrant affidavit, as described by News4JAX, traces the case back to April 19. That day, a woman told dispatch that the suspect had taken the child in a black Chrysler 300 and left her at a church on Lane Avenue. Witnesses in the church parking lot told investigators the suspect might have changed clothes. Roughly 40 minutes after the first report, a man called JSO to say a child was roaming near W. 9th Street. Officers responded and confirmed the child was the missing victim. During the chaos, the affidavit says, the woman yelled to a witness, "I need him out of my car."
Neighbors And Police Response
Neighbors and bystanders played a key role in how this case unfolded. According to the affidavit, officers later found the abandoned Chrysler 300 parked in front of a home on W. 9th Street, and the suspect's brother cooperated with investigators. Community help is not new in Jacksonville. In a previous case, a family friend chased down a would-be kidnapper and helped free a child.
Charges And Legal Stakes
The warrant affidavit says the man faces kidnapping, grand theft auto and child neglect charges. Under Florida law, kidnapping is generally a first-degree felony and can mean decades behind bars, with tougher penalties when a child under 13 is involved, according to Florida Statutes §787.01. Theft of a motor vehicle is treated as grand theft of a motor vehicle, typically a third-degree felony under Florida Statutes §812.014, with penalties that depend on the details of the crime.
Arrest warrants were issued during the week of the incident and returned before the April 24 arrest. The case remains pending in Duval County court. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office as detectives continue their investigation.
