Police in Portland, Maine, say a man who took a grocery cart with a baby inside, sparking an attempted kidnapping investigation, did so mistakenly and no charges will be filed.
The unidentified man approached the cart with 2-month-old child inside the Back Cove Hannaford around 1:15 p.m. on Oct. 20.
He then took the cart to the other side of the store while the father was shopping, according to police.
The father alerted employees, who shut the store down.
Employees located the child unharmed about a minute later, but the man wasn’t found. Police say the man, who was later interviewed, said he didn’t realize he took the wrong cart, panicked and left the child without telling anyone, returning to his cart.
The district attorney’s office said despite the incident being terrifying for the parents, it was not criminal action.
Officials said video evidence showed the baby was missing for a short period of time and was not placed in danger.
