A Texas couple who had gone into a gas station to gamble came out to find that their vehicle and the baby who they had left inside it were missing, police said.
Kimberley Cook, 21, and Anthony Blue, 29, were arrested Monday on child endangerment charges, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
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The couple left their 16-month-old in a running Chrysler in the parking lot of a Shell station north of Houston around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, the sheriff said in a statement.
The couple occasionally checked on the child while playing 8 Liner slot machines inside, officials said. The car was reported stolen around midnight.
A park ranger discovered their 16-month-old at a playground by a park ranger. Authorities said the child was taken to a hospital and is in good condition.
Vincent Cannady, 19, and Jabari Davis, 18, took the couple’s car and child. The men were arrested on suspicion of felony kidnapping and auto theft, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said.
The two men had earlier escaped from a semi-secure correctional facility earlier, NBC affiliate KPRC reported.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Cook, Blue, Cannady or Davis have lawyers. Jail records didn’t list any.