A man accused of stealing a vehicle in Florida and already on probation in Tennessee was arrested in Cobb County, police said.
Thomas Michael Heath, 34, was arrested Monday night near the Ramada Inn on Delk Road after his wife told police Heath had kidnapped her and couple’s two children at knifepoint from Florida, according to Officer David Baldwin with the Marietta Police Department.
Heath’s wife, whose name was not released, told police the family had been on the run for several days from Orange County, Fla., Baldwin said. The four were traveling in a vehicle Heath allegedly stole in Florida, according to police.
When the vehicle broke down on I-75 near Delk Road, it was impounded, Baldwin said. The family walked to a nearby McDonald’s, where the woman and children were able to escape when Heath stepped away, police said.
Heath was arrested near the Ramada Inn without incident and booked into the Cobb County jail, where he remained Tuesday night without bond, according to booking records.
Heath has an outstanding warrant for auto theft in Florida, and detectives from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrived in Marietta to assist in the investigation, Baldwin said. A spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for information regarding the case against Heath.
In addition to the charge he faces in Florida, Heath currently is on probation for a theft conviction, according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections.
About the Author
