Amarillo Man Steals Car With Child Sleeping In Back, Returns Car & Gets Arrested

This is a bit of a bizarre story for the Amarillo area. It looks as though a woman went into a local store off of Bell street and left her car running with her 6-year-old sleeping in the back. While she was in the store her car was stolen.

After calling 911 a man came and reported that he found her car and it was a couple blocks away. The video surveillance shows a man dressed just like the man who reported where her car was driving it away just as she walked into the store. He was booked.

Info provided by Amarillo Police Department / Nixle

On Friday, November 27th at approximately 5:30pm, APD officers were dispatched to the 1800 block of S Bell on a stolen auto report. While en route officers were advised the stolen vehicle was a 2006 turquoise Pontiac Grand Prix and that there was a 6 year old child sleeping in the back seat when it was stolen. As officers were arriving to the scene, they were advised the vehicle had been located in the 1500 block of S Bell and the child was still in the back seat and the vehicle was now abandoned. Officers went to this location where they found the owner of the vehicle a W/F 32 sitting in the driver’s seat and a B/M sitting in the front passenger seat. The passenger was identified as Joshua Anthony Polley B/M 24. The female was extremely hysterical stating that she found her baby, referring to her 6 year old child. She advised that she had just pulled into the strip mall located in the 1800 block of S Bell, leaving her vehicle running with her 6 year old in the back seat while she ran inside to make a quick purchase. After being inside for only a few minutes she returned to observe her vehicle backing away and leaving the parking lot. She immediately called 911 and reported the incident. While waiting for officer’s arrival, she was approached by Polley who stated he had found her car and directed her to the location of the stolen car. Officers began obtaining statements from both parties and checking on the possibility of surveillance video from any nearby store. Officers located video surveillance indicating a B/M opened the front driver’s side door of the Grand Prix, got inside and back away from the store and left the parking lot. The suspect was dressed identical to that of Polley. As officers talked to the Polley he was very nervous and was could not provide officers with any details as to how “found” the stolen vehicle or even how he knew it was stolen or where the owner was located. Polley was later transported and booked into the Potter County Correction Center on a charge of UUMV (Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle).

Over half of all the stolen automobiles (671 as of October 31st) that have occurred this year inside the city limits have had the keys in them. This is another reminder that you should never leave your vehicle unattended and running, especially if there is a small child in the car. Please take the keys out of the vehicle each and every time.