MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – A man said he left his car on with his daughter inside to go into a liquor store in Miami Gardens. When he walked out with a bottle in hand, his car was gone.
That was the story he told at first, but detectives later learned he lied.
Recommended Videos
Witness Orlando Dietsch said the man shouted, "I got my kid in the car."
Miami-Dade police officers quickly issued a "Be On The Lookout" alert for a stolen yellow 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse last seen at the Liquor Mart, 4662 NW 183rd St.
Police warned a 2-year-old girl and a dog were in the car. But Doneal Ford, 30, changed his story.
Ford later told police he left his vehicle running with his "God Child" in the front seat.
"Ford's girlfriend is the God Mother of the child and friends with the child's mother," Miami Gardens spokeswoman Petula C. Burks said.
Burks said the girl's mother called police to report her daughter had been with her the entire time and not with Ford.
"Ford was determined not to be the child's God Father," Burks said.
Officers visited the home and found the girl was safe at home. And with the help of a GPS locating device installed in the car, officers found it abandoned at 4955 NW 199 St.
Police arrested Ford on an open warrant for marijuana possession and on Saturday prosecutors charged him with filing a false police report.