The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A man is facing criminal charges after he was accused of trying to abduct an infant from a shopping cart at a Flagstaff grocery store while the mother of the child was paying for her items.
On the morning of September 3, a woman was shopping at the Basha’s grocery store with her baby.
As the woman finished her shopping excursion in the self-checkout area to pay for her purchases, she had placed the baby, who was in an infant carrier, into the cart during the transaction.
At a nearby checkout station, a man was reportedly paying for a couple of bags of groceries.
After paying for his items, the man allegedly reached over and grabbed the cart with the infant, and started to walk towards the exit.
When the mother spotted the man and purported that he was trying to steal her child, she chased after him and took the baby right before he left the store.
The Flagstaff Police Department was notified about the incident, and they began to investigate the claims.
After collecting surveillance video from inside the establishment, in addition to the video from a nearby store with cameras aimed in the direction of Basha’s, the authorities asserted that the suspect involved in the incident was 59-year-old Jeffery Roholt.
The police spoke with Roholt regarding the allegations, and the man, who reportedly works as an executive chef, stated that he was simply confused and thought the cart he had taken was his own.
Despite his explanation about the incident, the authorities believed there was enough probable cause to hold Roholt legally accountable for what he said was a faux pas.
Roholt was placed under arrest, and he is expected to face charges for suspicion of kidnapping.
It was additionally reported that Roholt has a prior kidnapping charge in Maricopa County from 2 years ago.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a criminal offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.