A Paulding County man accused of kidnapping his 8-week-old Monday and taking her across several state lines was recently released from jail, police said.
Michael Christopher Diaz was arrested Oct. 9 on charges of burglary, false imprisonment and criminal trespass, according to Dallas police. He was released on bond Friday, under the condition he not have any contact with his child or her mother.
Credit: Paulding County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Paulding County Sheriff's Office
But Diaz didn’t heed that order, Dallas police Sgt. David Lebo told AJC.com. On Monday, hours before Diaz and the baby girl turned up at a Mississippi hotel, he reportedly drove the child’s mother to work.
She called police when he didn’t show up at the end of the day.
“She takes an Uber home and finds the baby’s clothes, the baby’s food, the child, the car and Mr. Diaz gone,” Lebo said.
Lebo said a friend of Diaz told her the man’s plans: he was driving to California with the child. At that point, Dallas police put out a lookout for the stolen car.
That night, a clerk at a Ramada Inn in Pearl, Miss., called police to report a guest who had just checked in with a baby. The clerk noticed several red flags, including that he was giving the baby cow's milk instead of baby formula, Jackson ABC affiliate WAPT-TV reported.
MORE: Man caught in Mississippi with baby believed kidnapped from metro Atlanta
She also believed he was under the influence of drugs.
Diaz reportedly gave the baby over to Mississippi authorities, then locked himself inside a hotel room. Officers eventually used a stun gun before they arrested him, WAPT reported.
The hotel clerk helped to negotiate his surrender, Pearl police told the news station.
Based on Diaz’s history with law enforcement in Dallas, Lebo said he believed the baby was in danger. She was back in her mother’s care Thursday.
Diaz is expected to be extradited to Paulding County to face charges of theft by taking and kidnapping. Lebo said the incident is still under investigation, and more charges are possible.
It was not known if Diaz would face additional charges in Mississippi.
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