Fortunately, there was a happy ending in this case. The child was found in the vehicle near the intersection of State Highway 249 and Veterans Memorial about 15 minutes after the car he was in was taken.
Authorities say around 8:30pm, the boy's father ran into a liquor store in the 13300 block of Louetta and left his 5-year-old son inside their 2001 Ford Expedition. That's when his car was stolen.
"The father had an iPad that he'd taken in with him and he utilized that iPad with the iPhone that was in the car and was able to track it," said Lt. Wayne Schultz with the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office. "And the information was provided from our deputies to our dispatch, that was able to be communicated through the Harris County Sheriff's Office dispatch also and they were able to get information out to the troops in the field to where we could disseminate information in almost a real-time environment to put it out to guys who were looking for the vehicle with the child in it."
Authorities eventually caught up with the SUV, took the suspect in custody and reunited the boy with his family. An officer described that reunion as tearful.
The boy was checked out by an ambulance as a precaution but appeared to be OK.
The suspect is expected to face charges of unauthorized use of motor vehicle and possibly kidnapping.
Take ABC13 with you!
Download our free apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices
