The child was found unharmed and police said the man attempted to locate her parents on the day of the incident.
TACOMA, Wash. — The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office will not file charges against a man who allegedly triggered an Amber Alert last month after taking a 2-year-old girl from outside a Wendy’s in Tacoma.
The child was found unharmed, and police said the man attempted to find her parents on the day of the incident. The girl’s father expressed appreciation for the man’s actions, telling KING 5 that “he saved my daughter. Anything else that’s going on in his life, let that be what’s going on in his life.”
“We encourage people who find an unattended child to call the police rather than leave with the child,” the prosecutor’s office said in a news release.
The incident began June 14, when the girl’s mother reported her missing. Hours later, Washington State Patrol issued an Amber Alert after Tacoma police were unable to find the girl or the suspect, who was seen on surveillance video driving away with her.
According to police, an employee at a nearby business said the man entered the restaurant asking for help finding the child’s parents. However, he did not call law enforcement.
Officers found the suspect and child about three hours after the initial report, following tips from the public. The man was taken into custody on an unrelated warrant and interviewed by detectives.
“In my career, with this type of call, I personally have not seen that,” Tacoma Police spokesperson Shelbie Boyd said in June. “I have not worked a case like that.”
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