KENNEWICK — A suspected car thief wanted to get home so he stole a SUV left running in a Pasco driveway with a 4-year-old inside.
Benito Romero Jr., 30, told investigators he knew the boy was in the car when he pulled away but that didn’t stop him, according to court documents.
Romero drove across the Columbia River into Kennewick before abandoning the car a few miles away in Finley with the 4-year-old still inside.
The boy was unharmed and was quickly found thanks to another driver who was flagged down by the child’s mom to follow the car, said investigators.
Romero is now in the Franklin County jail in lieu of $250,000 bail on investigation of second-degree kidnapping and vehicle theft.
The incident started about 6:35 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, near Memorial Park on the 1700 block of Shoshone Street when the mother left her Jeep Compass running in her driveway when she went into her house to grab something.
When she returned, she saw Romero in the driver’s seat and her son still in the back. Romero backed out and drove away, according to court documents.
The woman flagged down another mother driving past and asked her to follow the car while the mom called police and told them her Jeep was heading south, toward the cable bridge.
Romero allegedly drove into Kennewick and narrowly avoided a train, according to court documents and a Pasco Police Facebook post.
The Good Samaritan driver found the abandoned SUV parked on the side of Highway 397 in Finley with the boy safely in the backseat.
Police surrounded the area and Benton County deputies found Romero in some bushes along the road with the help of a Benton County K-9 dog.
Romero allegedly told officers that he had been dropped off in Pasco and instead of walking home, he decided to take the Jeep.
