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On Friday, April 17, 2015, at 1:43 pm, St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the parking area of Fred’s Discount at 2021 West Airline Highway in LaPlace for the report of a stolen car with a 5- year-old boy in the car. Deputies canvassing the area looking for the car found the car on Parish Road near Elm Street in LaPlace with the 5-year-old boy unharmed and safe.
The 42-year-old female victim told deputies that she parked the car and left the keys in the ignition and her 5-year-old godson unattended in the car. She was in the store a few minutes, and when she returned from the store, she saw that the car and child were gone. She called 911 for assistance. A witness gave the victim a description of a male subject who had stolen the car.
Deputies found the car on Parish Road and the 5-year-old boy who was unharmed and safe. The child provided deputies with a description of a man who had taken the car. With the description of the perpetrator given by the witness at the original scene, the boy’s description of the perpetrator, and statements of others, deputies were looking for the suspect in the area.
Deputies located the suspect in the Winn Dixie grocery store and identified him as Travis Wilson, 34, of Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Deputies arrested Wilson and booked him with theft of a motor vehicle and aggravated kidnapping of a child. Wilson bonded out of jail Saturday on a $27,500 bond.
This investigation is ongoing. Detectives want to talk with the witness at Fred’s Discount who gave the victim the description of the perpetrator and all witnesses that have information regarding this incident. Detectives can be reached at 985-359-8769 or the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office TIPS line at 985-359-TIPS.