Child Found Walking In Cleveland, Man Arrested For Kidnapping

CLEVELAND — A 3-year-old girl was seen walking the streets of Cleveland on early Sunday. The child did not have a jacket or shoes, according to police.

A woman walking her dog spotted the girl on E. 124th Street and called police. Before officers and EMS arrived, a black SUV pulled up, a woman got out of the vehicle, and grabbed the child. The SUV then drove off, the caller told police.

Later, the SUV drove up to the caller's house. The driver, a man, got out and the two began to argue about the well-being of the child. The woman who had grabbed the child then got out of the SUV and attacked the other woman.

Police said the caller was hit and kicked in the face. The caller's daughter, 12, came out to check on her mother and the man pushed her to the ground. The man then kicked the caller's dog.

EMS crews arrived and broke up the fight. The child was retrieved from the SUV and placed into an ambulance.

When police spoke with the man, he claimed that he and the woman he was with nearly hit the child in the street, so they pulled over and picked her up. He said he did not know who the child was.

Officers asked the man to identify the woman he was with and the man refused. He provided two different names to police. According to the Cleveland Police report, he showed signs of intoxication, including glossy eyes and slurred speech.

Police said the man is being charged with kidnapping, assault, and cruelty to animals.

The 3-year-old was taken to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital and was treated. The child had suffered minor injuries. She was unable to tell investigators who her parents are or where she lives.

However, investigators were able to locate the girl's mother on Sunday afternoon. The mother is cooperating with police, according to a police spokesperson.

Both the 3-year-old and a younger child from her home are being held by Cuyahoga County Division of Children & Family Services.

Cleveland's Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit is following up on the case, according to the police report.

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