Authorities are still looking for the Granite man who is charged with stealing a car that was idling at a 7-Eleven Thursday morning.
The car theft made headlines since the stolen sport utility vehicle happened to have a 3-year-old boy, Braxton Keele, inside. Police say they believe 23-year-old Ryan Lee Earl, also known as Sami Anders, ditched the vehicle after discovering its human cargo.The vehicle, which was left running while the boy's mother ran into the store to make a purchase, was found abandoned a few hours later with the unharmed child still inside.
Monday, Earl was charged with theft, a second-degree felony. Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy Peggy Faulkner said the man probably won't face kidnapping charges since he might not have known the child was in the car when he allegedly stole it.
Along with the charges filed in 3rd District Court, police obtained a $10,000 warrant for the man's arrest and are actively seeking him. Faulkner said he has been known to frequent the Kearns area. Police were able to discover his identity from a security video inside the 7-Eleven, 3720 E. 7000 South.