Crime & Safety

Man Charged In Woodlawn Kidnapping, 1-Year-Old Baby Found Safe: Police

The suspect allegedly used his vehicle to knock down the mother in a motel parking lot in Woodlawn before driving off with her baby.

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD - A Montgomery County man has been charged in the disappearance of a 1-year-old in Baltimore County, according to police.

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.

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, police said the woman did not answer the door.

Find out what's happening in Owings Mills-Reisterstownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

After he went back to his car and 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.

Find out what's happening in Owings Mills-Reisterstownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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. 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.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Owings Mills-Reisterstown