Indiana Driveaway Repo Had Child In Unit
EVANSVILLE, INDIANA — Men seizing a repossessed vehicle near an Evansville daycare on Thursday reportedly failed to remove a young child from the car before they drove away, prompting frantic calls to police from the child’s mother.
The incident was first reported via Evansville-Vanderburgh Central Dispatch’s primary radio channel just after 11 a.m. The mother at first said her child appeared to have been kidnapped, according to Sgt. Nick Winsett of the Evansville Police Department.
But earlier Thursday, two repossession agents had called central dispatch to inform law enforcement that they would seize the mother’s vehicle if the opportunity arose — a standard practice for repossession agencies.
Winsett said the repossession agents had been “looking for the vehicle for some time,” and that its repossession was “a civil matter.” The repossession agents reportedly observed the vehicle − a Ford Focus − parked, running, and with its driver-side door open near Cookie’s Daycare at 318 E. Riverside Drive.
One of the men got into the car and drove away, apparently unaware that a young child was strapped into its safety seat just feet behind him. Dispatchers quickly called the repossession agents back and informed them of the child’s presence inside the now-repossessed car.
“As far as the infant being inside, they had no idea about that,” Winsett said. “Once dispatch called them back, they pulled over right away.”
The men met Evansville police at Wolfe’s Auto Auction, about a five-minute drive southeast of the daycare, where the infant was reunited with their mother, according to central dispatch.
It was not immediately clear which repossession agency the men worked for. Winsett said that as of Thursday, it did not appear that the incident would result in charges for any party.
“This sounds like it was a huge mistake,” Winsett said. “From now on, they’ll probably check that back seat before they drive off.”
