An Arkansas man was arrested on suspicion of trying to kidnap a 2-year-old girl from her mother’s truck parked outside a Walmart, where police say he hid under a pile of clothes.
The victim told police that on Monday around 7 p.m., after returning from shopping, he found an unknown man, later identified as Timothy Caudle, 58, in the back seat of his truck. Told.
The mother told authorities that an “unknown man” was hidden “underneath clothing inside the vehicle.” The Sherwood Police Department made the announcement in a press release.
A car break-in in the parking lot of a Walmart Supercenter on Highway 107 in Sherwood then took a turn for the worse when Caudle allegedly tried to snatch a woman’s child.
“The victim began yelling for the male subject to get out of the vehicle and stated that the male subject reached for his daughter,” police said.
The mother pulled the boy out of the truck, but Caudle wouldn’t let her go right away, leading to a physical scuffle. Eventually, the woman gained the upper hand and was able to pull the baby from the suspect’s hands to safety.
Witnesses to the kidnapping thwart prevented Caudle from getting out of her mother’s car until police arrived.
At the time of his arrest, the 58-year-old Jacksonville man allegedly gave police a false name.
The mother and child were examined by paramedics at the scene and rescued safely.
Caudle is charged with trespassing, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a minor, assault, public intoxication and obstruction of government business.
Police have not ruled out the possibility of filing additional charges against the suspect in this case.
Caudle appeared before a judge on Tuesday and was ordered held on $5,000 bail.
