A man and woman in Pennsylvania are accused of leaving their 4-month-old baby behind at a crime scene after police responded to a reported theft.
Joseph Daniels, 49, and Angelina Williams, 32, have each been charged with theft by unlawful taking, endangering the welfare of children, theft of secondary metal, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief, criminal conspiracy, and possessing an instrument of crime, according to the Upper Chichester Township Police Department.
A third suspect, 47-year-old Ray Gibase, faces the same charges.
Police said that around 2:15 a.m. on March 30, the three suspects were tampering with cable wires near the 3100 block of Meetinghouse Road in Upper Chichester Township, Pennsylvania. Authorities reported they had a maroon Chrysler 300 and a Jeep Liberty at the scene.
Officers responding to the call spotted the Chrysler with cable wire sticking out of the trunk and hand saws visible inside. Investigators said the group was allegedly cutting an inactive Verizon cable.
“The copper inside the cables is a hot item for precious metals to be melted down and sold,” said Lt. Christopher Jones of the Upper Chichester Police Department.
Police said they secured and towed the Chrysler to headquarters while waiting for a search warrant. During an inspection, an officer noticed movement under a blanket covering a baby car seat.
“Once it was back here, our officers were checking the exterior of the car, and one officer noticed that a blanket in the backseat moved slightly,” Jones said.
Officers discovered an infant boy inside the vehicle, unharmed and asleep. The baby was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Authorities believe the suspects fled the scene in the Jeep as officers arrived. Later, Aston Police stopped the vehicle and found Williams and Gibase inside, along with a saw blade under the passenger seat.
“Further investigation determined that the infant’s mother, Angelina Williams, was involved in the cable wire tampering incident,” police said. “She was subsequently taken into custody and admitted to her involvement.”
Gibase was later released but turned himself in on Sunday. Daniels, identified as the baby’s father, was arrested Saturday morning after troopers pulled him over and discovered an active warrant issued by Upper Chichester Township Police.
Police did not confirm whether the Chrysler Daniels was driving at the time of his arrest was the same vehicle where the infant was found.
Court records show all three suspects have appeared for preliminary arraignment. Williams is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Thursday, while Daniels and Gibase are set for April 16.
Williams is being held on $100,000 bail, Daniels on $45,000 bail, and Gibase on $50,000 bail.
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