Thief steals car with kids inside — Dad arrested

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Charles Boyd, a father in Atlanta, was arrested after he left his kids in a car and went into the Star Discount Food Market to buy some ice at 6:15pm on Sunday. The car was then stolen with the kids still inside. Boyd had left the car running and unlocked.

The car thief abandoned the car two hours later just several blocks from the store. The children, ages 5 and 6, let themselves out. They were found by a neighbor who called the police.

Police claim that Boyd, who was reported to be hysterical when he discovered the car gone, did not tell them that his children were in the stolen car. He also first called his wife, not the police. His wife called Fox 5 News. It was the store clerk who called the police.

Boyd claims that a store security guard was outside when he parked the car and told him he could safely leave the car with the children in it. A witness, Tabitha Robinson, who was inside the store at the time told WSBTV that she believes Boyd did tell the police about his kids, but that they may have thought he said “keys” instead of “kids”.

There was also marijuana found in the vehicle, and Boyd was originally charged with possession. The judge dropped that charge after determining that there was a reasonable possibility that the marijuana belonged to the car theif and not Boyd.

Other sources: Huffington Post, Atlanta Journal Constitution, My Fox Atlanta