Athens man charged with stealing woman’s car with child inside

Athens police have arrested a man they said stole a woman’s car last month with her 11-month-old daughter inside.

Justin Robinson, 23, was arrested Thursday morning in connection with the Feb. 10 theft and kidnapping, Athens police spokesman Geoffrey Gilland said.

Police said the Athens man was pulled over after driving erratically along Dougherty Street near College Avenue after 2 a.m. Robinson, who was driving without a valid license, gave the officer a fake name, Gilland said. He is also accused of having methamphetamine and an open container inside his car.

Robinson was arrested on charges of kidnapping, motor vehicle theft, failure to maintain lane, giving a false name to a law enforcement officer, driving without a valid license, methamphetamine possession and open container, records show.

Police responded to an apartment on Windy Hill Place just before 7:15 p.m. Feb. 10 after receiving a call from a 22-year-old mother who said her Ford Taurus had been stolen with her child strapped in the backseat.

The girl was discovered unharmed in the car that evening in a parking lot along Epps Bridge Road in neighboring Oconee County.

Investigators then released surveillance images of Robinson taken at a nearby store and offered a reward of up to $1,000 for information.