Gaithersburg Man Charged In Kidnapping

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD - A Gaithersburg man has been charged in the disappearance of a 1-year-old, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. The baby girl was reported missing on Saturday, July 22, and police said she was located that evening.

Clarence James Harris, 65, of the 300 Saybrooke View Drive in Gaithersburg, has been charged with one count of kidnapping a child under the age of 16 in connection with the case.

Harris was taking care of 1-year-old Kalani Goodson, and when he brought her to the Motel 6 in the 1600 block of Whitehead Court where her mother was, the woman did not answer the door, police said.

He went back to his car; and as he was going to leave, the child's mother ran to the vehicle and tried to get her daughter out, according to officials.

Harris "moved his car back and forth, causing [the mother] to fall to the ground, then drove off with the child in the car," police said in a statement.

Related: Baby Kalani Has Been Found

Officers began to search for the baby and Harris in his Chevrolet Impala and said they found both around 7 p.m. on Saturday in the Wilkens area of Baltimore County.

The baby was "safe and unharmed," authorities reported.

Authorities said Harris was being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center.

Photo of Clarence James Harris, courtesy of Baltimore County Police Department.