Portland police arrest man accused of stealing SUV with 2 kids inside in Lacey



LACEY, Wash. -- Authorities say the man accused of stealing an SUV with two children inside was arrested Thursday in Portland.

According to Lacey police, tips helped identify the suspect as Curtis Harmon. He was arrested by the Portland Police Bureau and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center for a warrant out of Washington.

Police also said officers recovered some stolen property.

Investigators said Harmon stole an SUV with two small children inside, who were later found safe. It happened around 7:00 a.m. Wednesday morning at Paramount Christian Church and Academy on College Street.

Police said the mother walked her son inside the daycare, but left her car running in the parking lot. When she came back, both her car, and her 3 and 5-year-old kids were missing.

Moments later, and less than a mile away at Small Wonders Child Development Center, employees spotted a man walking away after parking a car.

That’s when Maggy Partello found two kids sitting in the back seat.

“She’s like, it was a man. And O said who was the man? She was like I don’t know him,” said Partello.

Lacey Police, along with the Washington State Patrol and Thurston County Sheriff’s Deputies used canine officers to track the suspect to a home on 35th Court Southeast. Police broke down the door but came up empty-handed.

Investigators later said the suspect was spotted on surveillance boarding an Intercity Transit bus and rode it to the area of Balustrade Blvd SE and Ruddell Road SE.

Lacey police said the suspect was seen about 15 minutes later walking northbound on Balustrade Blvd toward Yelm Highway SE.