News

Actions

South Lyon man steals car, panics and tries to flee on foot after spotting baby in the back seat

Posted at 6:40 PM, Aug 23, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-23 18:40:28-04

South Lyon Police say Eric Scheffer is no stranger to trouble, but they believe the 52-year-old had no idea that a baby was in the back seat of a car that he stole Monday morning.

The father of the baby left the engine running while he ran into the grandfather's house to get the child's shoes. When he returned, Scheffer was driving away, police say.

Police from multiple agencies quickly swarmed the area and recovered the baby, unharmed, in the vehicle that they say Scheffer had hopped out of and was trying to get away on foot.

But South Lyon Police Chief Lloyd Collins spotted Scheffer because he was acting suspicious.

Scheffer was arrested and police located his cell phone. Scheffer accidentally left it in the vehicle when he fled.

Scheffer has been charged with stealing the father's bank card and two counts of Unlawful Driving Away of a Motor Vehicle - two counts because police say he admitted to stealing another vehicle in South Lyon last week.

Scheffer is being held on a $350,000 cash/surety bond.

Click on the video above to hear from the baby's grandfather and police in Kimberly Craig's report.