TAMARCUS J DAISE - 1 yo - St Petersburg FL

Police are looking for a stolen car that was taken with a 1-year-old child in the back seat.

The job became more difficult, they say, when the baby's father at
first refused to cooperate and then provided false information.

Tamarcus Daise, the father, has been charged with obstruction of
justice. Investigators said Daise has been providing inaccurate
information when questioned.

Despite the arrest, police say they do not think Daise is involved in his child's abduction.

Police said the red 2010 Dodge Charger was taken at about 4:15 p.m.
from 1700 block of First Avenue North. The car has North Carolina
license plate YXN2064.


Daise left his son in the idling car when he went to pick up a friend
at a nearby apartment complex, according to Mike Puetz, a police
spokesman. The baby was left in a car seat in the back seat.

When Daise returned, he saw someone driving off. The father immediately called police.

The boy is identified as Tamarcus J. Daise. He was last seen wearing a blue, green and silver shirt and beige pants.

Puetz said police are treating the case as a crime of opportunity,
someone who took the car without realizing the boy was in the back.

Police are pleading with the car thief to drop the baby off at a
hospital or fire station where no questions would be asked; or in a
public place and then call police.

Daise's brother, Tyreece LaSalle Rutledge, has also been arrested after pointing a pistol at two detectives, police said.

They said Rutledge was upset and confrontational, yelling they weren't doing enough to find his nephew.

Rutledge has been charged with aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the car or the boy is asked to dial 911.

St. Pete police find boy taken along with stolen car

ST. PETERSBURG - Police found a 1-year-old taken in a car theft after a six-hour search Friday.
Tamarcus Daise Jr. was found still in his car seat in alley near Fourth Avenue North. A citizen reported the car's location.
The infant was in car asleep when it was taken from outside a First Avenue North apartment complex. He and the car were found four blocks away.
Police said the baby appeared fine. They said they had to break into the vehicle


http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/jan/07/072252/car-stolen-with-child-inside-st-pete-police-say/news-breaking/

Missing baby found safe in St. Petersburg


Tamarcus Daise Jr., who was inside a car when it was stolen Friday afternoon, was found in good health late Friday night.


Friday, January 7, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG --

A baby boy who was inside a car when it was stolen was found in good health late Friday night.

Tamarcus Daise Jr., 1, was in the backseat of a 2010 red Dodge Charger when it was taken from an apartment complex on 1st Avenue North about 4:30 p.m. He was found inside the same car six hours later on the 2100 block of Dartmouth Avenue, about four blocks from where the car was stolen.

A citizen had seen the story on the news and called police about the car, which was parked in an alley. The vehicle was locked, so police had to break into it. Paramedics were called to make sure the baby was alright. He was taken directly to be reunited with his mother.

Crime of opportunity
At a press conference Friday night, police said it appeared to be a crime of opportunity.

"(The) suspect may not have seen the child in the car when he took it," said police spokesperson Mike Puetz. Officers say the father left his son in his car seat while he
stopped to pick up a friend at the apartment complex. The keys were left in the ignition and the engine was left running.

"He anticipated being gone for about a minute, and the car was close by," Puetz said. "As he knocked on the door, his attention was diverted momentarily, when he turned back toward the car, he could see it going northbound on 17th Street."

Puetz said the father could not see who was driving the car at the time. Police said the parents live locally and had recently rented the car.

Father arrested
The boy's father, Tamarcus Daise Sr., was arrested for obstruction of justice Friday night. Police say he provided false information to officers to the extent that they felt he was hampering the investigation.

Officers are not saying what that false information was. They do not believe he is responsible for taking the baby.

Second arrest during search
Police also arrested Tyreece LeSalle Rutledge, 27, who went looking for the stolen car with Daise Sr. Police say Rutledge and Daise Sr. yelled at some officers for not looking hard enough for the baby. Police say Rutledge then pointed a pistol at them before taking off.

He is being charged with aggravated assault on an officer.