PUYALLUP, Washington — Police released a sketch Wednesday of the man they believe stole a car with a toddler inside from a daycare center Tuesday afternoon.
The child's mother told police she left her car running with her sleeping daughter inside when she went to drop another child off at KinderCare at 152nd Street East and Meridian Avenue East in the Puyallup area.
Witnesses told police a man jumped into the car and drove out of the parking lot while the mother was inside the daycare, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office said. The car was found abandoned a short distance away, and the girl was found inside, safe.
The man was seen walking away from the vehicle, and then hid in a yard until he was picked up in a small, older, dirty red car, police said.
Police described the man as white and in his 20s, and about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a slender build, short dirty blond hair and a scruffy face. He was seen wearing dark-colored pants, a green or brown jacket and carrying a green camouflage ACU military backpack.
Tacoma/Pierce County CrimeStoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the man's arrest and charges filed in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call 253-591-5959.
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