A Mississippi fugitive accused of kidnapping his young niece is behind bars after the little girl was found alone and wandering near a west Birmingham gas station.
Birmingham police West Precinct officers just before noon Thursday arrested 28-year-old Jared Slade on warrants out of Mississippi. Authorities in Mississippi said Slade stole his mother’s Nissan Sentra before kidnapping the girl in Mississippi’s Lamar County Wednesday. He also took his mother’s cell phone, said Lamar County Sheriff Danny Rigel.
Deputies there searched for Slade, the car and the girl throughout the night but to no avail. Slade’s information was entered into a nationwide police database so other law enforcement could be on the lookout for him.
Just before noon Thursday, Birmingham police received a 911 call about the 6-year-old girl walking around by herself, said West Precinct commander Capt. Scott Thurmond. That led to Slade being found asleep in the vehicle at the Pilot Travel Center on Bankhead Highway.
The girl was uninjured and placed into the custody of the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources until she could be reunited with her guardian.
Birmingham police do not have any charges against Slade. He is being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail pending extradition to Mississippi where he is charged with kidnapping, and expected to face additional charges.