Police in Kentucky saved a 6-year-old girl from a kidnapper who snatched her from her bike and tried to abduct her in his car. Robby Wildt was thankfully caught within 30 minutes of taking the child and she was returned home unharmed, but the frightening bodycam footage showing her rescue is heart-stopping in its intensity since you know anything could have happened and had officers from Louisville Metro Police Department been any later, she may not have made it home.
- There were many witnesses to the kidnapping. Prentiss Weatherford and his dad Terry were on their front porch when they saw Wildt drive through their Valley Station neighborhood at roughly 5:40 p.m. on July 3 and “grabbed [the girl] by the collar, threw her bike, threw her in the passenger’s seat, and made his way down the road,” Prentiss said as per WAVE 3. They were just two of the people who witnessed the crime.
- It all happened really fast. As Prentiss recalled, “It happened quick. He came around the corner, parked his car, and got out within 15 seconds.” Thankfully, Prentiss and his father followed the car and wrote down the last three digits of the license plate number of Wildt’s car, which was incredibly helpful.
- Police tracked Wildt down within 30 minutes. Thanks to having a description of the vehicle as well as half of the license plate number, officers were able to locate Wildt relatively quickly and the girl was located unharmed in the passenger’s seat.
- Officer Jason Burba pulled her from the vehicle. Sgt. Joe Keeling had already arrested Wildt and it was up to Burba to speak to the little girl, who was crying for her dad. “You just can’t get there fast enough,” said Burba, as per Fox 5. “Seconds feel like hours. Your only thought is getting there as fast as you can.
- Wildt admitted that he knew he was wrong. In a statement to police, Wildt said he saw the little girl playing outside and circled the block before grabbing her. She started crying and he tried to calm her down but was unsuccessful. He said he knew that he was in the wrong and was going to bring her back because he was “afraid he may hurt her” and “he felt bad for doing what he had done.”
- Thankfully, he’s in jail where he belongs. He was charged with one count of kidnapping a minor and booked into Louisville Metro Corrections on $1 million bond.
Louisville Metro Police Department
