Baby, kidnapping suspect found sleeping in car near Buffalo Narrows

It appears a baby may have slept through a scary incident Thursday near Buffalo Narrows.

According to the RCMP, officers got a call just before 1:30 a.m., about a distressed woman. She told officers a man who was a passenger in her vehicle had stolen the car — with her baby in a car seat in the back seat.

Officers from the Buffalo Narrows and Beauval detachments started to search for the car, with the La Loche RCMP also preparing to mobilize.

At 3 a.m., officers found the car on a highway south of Buffalo Narrows, pulled over on the side of the road. It was still running and the doors were locked, with the suspect asleep in the driver’s seat.

Officers tried to wake the driver but, when those efforts weren’t successful, police broke the passenger side window to get in and shut off the vehicle.

The man was arrested and the baby was found asleep in their car seat.

“The fast response of the officers conducting immediate patrols on roadways is what led us to locate the child. Police officer familiarity with the area was also critical,” Staff Sgt. Shawn Carter, the commander of the Buffalo Narrows RCMP detachment, said in a release.

“I can say without a doubt the two officers who located the child were extremely relieved — all of us at the detachment were. A million what-ifs run through your head during a call like this. It was an unforgettable moment to reunite the child with mom.”

An 18-year-old man from Prince Albert was charged with kidnapping without a firearm, impaired driving and failure to comply with a release order condition. He’s to appear in La Loche Provincial Court on Monday.