Police said officers were called to the 5500 block of Plank Road about a vehicle theft on Oct. 31. Upon arrival, they learned that the victim had left her children in the car while she went into the store. While in the store, a suspect, who was later identified as James Merritt, 21, allegedly got in the driver’s seat and fled the area with the children still in the car.
After leaving the store, investigators said two additional subjects entered the vehicle. After driving for a short while, the trio reportedly abandoned the vehicle. A bystander assisted the children until the authorities arrived.
Police identified Merritt as the suspect after DNA testing on a used cigarette left in the vehicle.
Merritt was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges of simple kidnapping and theft of a motor vehicle.
He has a criminal history of drug and gun charges, police say.
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