Junk Car Nation

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Metro Police arrested a man after they said he stole a car with a baby inside.It all started around 1:30 a.m. Monday at a gas station on Bardstown Road, when police said the child’s babysitter went inside, leaving the the baby and keys in the car.”I’m sure this was probably a crime of opportunity that was given and this individual took that opportunity,” said LMPD spokesman Dwight Mitchell.Shoun Balevre, 36, faces kidnapping, wanton endangerment and theft by unlawful taking charges.”Fortunately, he was caught and the baby’s fine,” Mitchell said. “That’s the good thing.”Police said Balevre stole a car from a Circle K gas station on Bardstown Road after a babysitter left the keys in the ignition and went inside the store, leaving the 8-month old she was watching inside the car.”The lady was trying to get her credit card to work at the pump and they told her to come in for a second and I guess in the commotion of trying to get her gas, left her kids in the car,” said Michael Smith, who works at a Shell station on Six Mile Lane where the stolen car ended up.Police said when Balevre realized the infant was inside the car, he ditched it about an hour after stealing it.Police said they received an anonymous call, possibly from Balevre, telling authorities exactly where the car and child could be found.”The baby was recovered in a fairly good amount of time, unharmed, which is the key here at this point,” Mitchell said.Police said they were able to track Balevre down and by 4 a.m. Monday, he was arrested.”Don’t leave your keys in the car and definitely don’t leave your kids in the car,” Smith said. “In a matter of seconds, someone can jump in your car and this incident can happen again.”