Authorities said police arrested a man Sunday after he allegedly abducted a woman’s 3-year-old child from a shopping cart at a parking lot in Naples.
According to the Collier County Sheriff’s office, Enben Moodley, 40, is charged with child abuse and false imprisonment.
The child’s mother said she saw Moodley yelling at cashiers and “causing a scene” inside the store on Sunday. Employees told investigators that Moodley’s speech was slurred, and he appeared to have been drinking.
The mother said she avoided Moodley as she paid for her items and left the store with her child in the shopping cart. Moodley approached the mother in the parking lot and pulled the child from the cart.
“When the mother began screaming for help, Moodley put the child back into the cart and walked away,” the sheriff’s office said.
Shortly after the incident, deputies located Moodley and placed him under arrest. Authorities said Moodley did not know the uninjured child.
According to the sheriff’s office, patrols in the area have been increased, although deputies believe it was an isolated incident.
