Santa Maria woman allegedly steals car with 3-year-old boy inside
A woman who allegedly stole a car with a 3-year-old boy sleeping in the back seat was arrested Friday in Santa Maria, police said.
Officers were dispatched about 6:30 p.m. after a resident reported a vehicle had been stolen from the 1000 block of North School Street.
The vehicle was parked in the driveway where the owner saw a woman jump into the car and drive away.
Since the vehicle had been purchased a day earlier, the new owner could not provide a license plate number to police, who broadcast a basic vehicle description to officers throughout the city.
An officer working on a theft investigation not far from the incident joined the search, and about 15 minutes later located a vehicle matching the description.
The officer initiated a traffic stop on the 100 block of East Donovan Road, as several other officers responded to provide assistance.
“During the course of the investigation, the missing 3-year-old was located in his child safety seat on the back seat,” police said, adding that the boy was returned to his family.
The driver, Rene Martinez, 34, of Santa Maria, was arrested and booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail for charges associated with the incident including suspicion of vehicle theft and kidnapping, police said.
Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 9:37 PM with the headline "Santa Maria woman allegedly steals car with 3-year-old boy inside."